The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-08-07
HORRIBLE WRECK.
Terrible Disaster Overtakes an
Excursion Train.
IN COLLISION WITH AN EXPRESS,

| Fifty to One Hundred Persons Killed and
Observation-Disclosures Dead Brought
into Atlantic City on One Relief Train
New Horrors Found Every Moment by
Those Searching for the victims-En-
| gineer Dies with His Hand on the Lever.
ATLANTIC CITY, N. j., July 3l.-A rail
road accident horrible in it's details and
sickening in its results occurred last even
ing just outside of this city, and as a re-
suit about 100 persons are either killed or
injured. The Reading railroad express
train, which left Philadelphia at $40
o'clock last evening for Atlantic City,
crashed into Pennsylvania railroad ex-
cursion train at the second signal tower,
about four miles out from here. The
Pennsylvania train was returning to
Bridgeton with party of excursionists
from that place, Millville and neighhor-
ng towns. 1t was loaded with passengers
and rough estimate of the killed and
injured at a late hour places the number
at 100. 1t is hoped that this is an exagge-
ration, but the number is undoubtedly
more than fifty.
Drove Right Through the Excursion.
AT the second signal tower the tracks of
the two roads diagonally cross. The Read
ing train was given the signal, but it either
failed to work or the speed of the express
was too great to be checked in time 1t
caught the excursion train broadside and
ploughed through, literally cleaving 1t in
twain. The engine of the Reading train
was shattered to pieces. Every car was
jammed to it's fullest capacity. AS soon
as the news reached Atlantic City the ut
most CONSERVATION prevailed. Relief
trains were dispatched to the scene, loaded
with cots and bearing stats of surgeons
AS quick as the bodies were recovered they
were carried into the local hospitals and
undertakers' shops. A general fire alarm
was sounded and the department prompt
ly responded and aided in the heart-rend-
ing work of digging for the victims.
Twenty-seven Dead on One Train.
Fear grew into despair and horror as the
vigorous work of the relief gangs revealed
the awful extent of the disaster. The first
Reading relief train bore into this city
twenty-seven mangled corpses - men,
women and children. The next train, not
an hour later carried fifteen of the manned
and wounded, and two Of these died soon
after reaching the city. AS train after
train piled to the scene of the wreck and
came back each with it's CHASTITY load, the
sanitarium which does duty as the city
hospital quickly found it's capacity over
taxed. Meanwhile others of the dead and
injured were being carried to the private
hospital at Ocean and Pacific avenues.
Edward Farr, engineer on the Reading
train, was killed outright, as was another
road man who rode on the engine with
him.
Caught and Killed as He Jumped.
This man whose name has not yet been
learned saw the collision coming and
leaped from the cab an instant before the
crash. Almost at the same instant the
engine cut its way through and caught
him directly in it's path. His body and that
of Farr were found under a heap of debris,
but the engineer lay in what remained of
the cab, and his right hand still elapsed
the throttle. He had been faithful unto
death, and met it at his post. The fireman
on the train had leaped few seconds be-
fore and escaped with trifling injuries in
juries. Samuel Thorne, baggagemaster
on the Reading train, is among the dead
James M. Bateman, a Bridgeton under
taker, is known to be killed.
He was in the third car, and his hat
was found lying among the mass of bro
ken .timbers.. Richard Trenchard,
Bridgeton machinist and his wife are both
dead. AS time progresses it seems almost
a certainty that fully fifty persons were
killed. Conductor Kelly, of the Pennsyl-
vania train, had both legs and arms bro