Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-31

1
Reach Fifty, While as Many
More are Injured.
Atlantic City, n. J., July S0.-A rail
road accident, horrible in its details and
s.ckening in its results, occurred this
evening just outside of this city, and as
a result about one hundred persons are
either killed or injured.
The Reading railroad express which
left Philadelphia at $40 o'clock this
levening for Atlantic City, crashed into
a Pennsylvania railroad excursion train
at the second signal tower about four
miles out from here. The Pennsylvania
train was returning to Bridgeton with
a party Of excursion.sts from that place,
Mllyille and neighboring towns. 1t
was loaded with passengers and rough
estimate of the killed and the injured
al late hour places the number at one
hundred.
1t is hoped that this is an exaggera-
ton. but the number is undoubtedly
more than fifty.
At the second signal tower the tracks
of the Uwo roads Cross diagonally, The
Reading train was given the signal, but
it either failed TO work or the speed OF
the express was too great co be check
ed in time. 1t caught the excursion
train broadside and ploughed through.
The engine of the Reading train was
shattered to pieces. Every car was
jammed with people to its fullest capac-
ity. As soon as the news reached At
lantic City. the utmost CONSERVATION
prevailed. bu. the authorities were equal
to the emergency. Relief trains were
dispatched TO the scene loaded with cots
and bearing sJaffs of surgeons. AS
quick as the bodies were recovered they
were carried into the local hospitals and
undertakes ST .ps.
A GENERAL FIRE ALARM
was sounded and the department
promptly responded aiding in the heart-
rending work of digging for the VIC
Tins. Fear grew into dispair and nor
ror as the vigorous work of the relief
gangs revealed the awful extent OF the
disaster.
Inc nrst Reading relief train bore IN
TO this city 27 mangled corpses, men,
women and children. The next tram
not an hour later carried 10 OF the
manned and wounded and two Of these
d.ed soon after reaching the city. AS
train after train piled to the scene Of
the wreck and tOiled back, each with its
CHASTITY load. the sanitarium which does
duty as the city hospital quickly found
its capacity overtaXed. Meanwhile otn-
ers of the dead and injured were being
carried 10 the private hospital at Ocean
and Pacific avenues.
Edward Farr, engineer on the Read
ing train. was killed outright, as was an
other roadman who rode on the engine
with him. This man, whose name has
not yet been learned, saw the collision
coming and leaped from the cab an
instant before the crash came. Almost
at the same instant the engine cut its
way through and caught him directly
! in its path His body and that of Farr
were found under heap of debris, but
the engineer lay in what remained Of
the cab and his right hand still clasped
the throttle. He had been faithful unto
death, and met it at his post
The fireman on the train had leaped
a few seconds before and escaped with
writing injuries. Samuel Thorne, bag
gage master on the Reading train, is
among the dead. James NJ. Bateman a
Brideton undertaken, is known to be
killed. He was in the third car and his
hat was found lying among the mass
of broken timbers. Richard Trenchard,
a Bridgeton machinist, and his wife
hre both dead. As time progresses It
seems almost a certainty that fully
FIFTY PERSONS WE'RE KILLED.
Conductor Keller. of the Pennsylvania
train. had both legs and arms broken
and was internally injured. Albert J.
| Mosebach, of Is North Eighth street,
Philadelphia. was on the Reading train,
but escaped unhurt
The excursion train was made up of
fifteen cars, the foremost of which was
a baggage car This and the next two
coaches caught the full force Of the
crash. and were utterly demolished.
What remained of the third car was tum-
bled into a ditch at the roadside.
The responsibility for the accident
cannot be fixed. Charles c. Rynick, of
Bridgeton, who was in the excursion
| party, was in one of the rear cars. He
| escaped with severe bruises and so far
as his agitation would permit, told the
| story of his experience.
when we saw that a collision was
unavoidable he said. 'the scene in our
car was terrific Women tainted and
men rushed in mad panic for the door.
but it came almost before We knew it.
The third car was cut right in two and
the lower portion of it lifted bodily from
the track and tumbled over. Every
car was crowded, and it is horrible 10