Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-01
ors,Sps MOURN WHERE LATE
~ ALL WAS MEHRIMENr
,uE TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
responsibility for the Disaster
hard to TiS. n"t IL seems I" nest
IN thc Engineer whose LIE ""S
Lost.

to return 10 the gayety and revelry
.-.te this metropolis by the sea the
summer resort on the Atlantic
The nights dreadful scenes IN
.,-eet al the two railroad stations
., away out on the Meadows, were iol-
,...9 today by silent contemplation ana
save among those whose duty
te be to dispose OF the dead OF
,.l on.stering hands to the wounded ana
DIVING. -,,,.. ,.o
q, an the experience OF eastern
,ciu be felt in Atlantic city ior
,.,,.bs perhaps years. to come ana IL
r certainly destroy the hope that mas
,.r strong 10 hotel-keepers mat ihe
. month would rescue them from
., bas been notably a backward sum
10 makes travellers timid, snakes
I'D. ir railroad caution and ingenuity
pad dr,vos hurriedly TO their homes hum
t. whose soiourn here means daily
peril 20 businessmen Jou' '''s W
l.rr the lines
foo late to reason out how the col
,.., rnieht have been averted' ana YET
d, ..ams inexplic bic that on that oroau
90 ,,ersbland. in the early twi-
r.r when the eye can see miles OF
eetnnce. two trains should 20 crashing
t.t, eqrh other without a single chahce
oi escape. .-
TIE RAILWAY SITUATION.
Travel between Atlantic City and Phila-
6eiphia and intermediate points ~ lhls
safe Is maintained 10y three INES OF
,.nroad These are the West Jersey and
nsH
tra PENNSYLVANIA system OF new deiae!
Tr.t and the Atlantic City railroad
controlled and operated by the Philadei~
,nia and Reading Railroad Con-
Ali three lines run ouL
Atlantic city on TWO approM-
nsfely parallel tracks. the two Pennsyl-
tarm lines going out OF one depot anu
he Reading line taking It's start ABOUT
,rht blocks below, and crossing a Drioge
r t. own "A few hundred yards below
In. other When once across The draw
t-Iq.. "a divergng single track swings
IL. West Jersey trains of 10 the ieit'
arl carries them out I'm obhque course
3D. "a uolnt about mile ana halI frcm
fr. Reading drawbrilge. where they cross
.tr nelly ana al grade the double tracks
NJ m. Reading Railroad Company This
Intersection is marked by single tower
..ng which the West Jersey tracks
U.fINrl Win Aut AsNu'tAA'nf t''-+ o.
OBJ On the main line. Watching the trains
..rr0a.fing the shore al distance II is
aHcIIt for the inexperienced eye TO de-
.-fmiue upon which tracks they VIII en-
..r The city, and. possibly while thun-
aarI-r shoreward last evening. the Read
Ink ereneer. Farr, could not tel whe-
.,r the special wes coming out upon
600 West Jersey OF the Camden ana At
llauc tracks.
An excursion party Of about four hun
gred people OF the lab0ring class-men'
women. and children--were brought down
ODD the morning from Bridgeton, MiilVille'
aud Norris river. IL was the one d.y
.u.inr In the year for them, and they hfi
merry time. They represented loul
tribes of Red Men. and on account OF
their numbers two trains were made up
sor the evening run, one 10 depart al o'ol
and the other a few hours later The 6:5l
train was "a few minutes behind time 'll
starting. and after crossing the draw
bridge was halted on the Meadows 10
wait for a couple Of downward trains. IL
was this delay that brought the collision
and death. and the responsibility Tor the
action falls upon George Houser' the man
in the tower and John Greiner, the enei-
neer of the excursion train. Farr, the
Reading engineer, remained at his post
while his engine ploughed her way
turUuEh lIt eieGltl lldlllf anu Neo iN''-'
outright Ills mistake, IL he MADE one
meant bis death. and his lips can never
tell the story.
THE ACCIDENT.
But the living who were IN the awful
wreck furnish a reason for the accident
which goes TO indicate that farr disfe-
garied the red signal when 1t was flashed
Dis way lie was running the fast eN-
press which leave Philadelphia at 0:4J
and is due here al $3.50. He numbered
across the Meadows at the rate Of from
forty 20 fifty miles an hour, and came IN
slht Of the excursion train just as the
latter pulled ahead I'm the direction or the
crossing lie doubtless was unable TO dis
unuish upon which track the special was
iunng. HIS only source Of information
rs 10 what he should DO was the light IN
che tower. Greiner holding the throttle
On ihe other engine, knew one thing
ure-fhat both trains must 20 over the
Intersection He got the white light 70
go over Grst so the living say, and tried
90 make the goal He failed, and one OF
,hc most narrowing railroad collisions OF
Me times passes into history.
Striking the excursion train obliquely as
Il di3 just as the engine and first car had
cleared ibe big Reading flyer, the loco
motive crashed through and crumbled M
the remaining five cars, and having per
formcl lts horrible work. toppled over
twenty -0dd feet away in the marsh.
OFFICIAL REPORT.
PHILADELPHIA, PA. July SL-The
official report 10 the Pennsylvania rail-
road officials state that forty-two passen-
gers were killed in the Atlantic City dis
aster The number reported Injured is
lfly-four An the Killed except the Read
lnr engineer were In the Pennsylvania
~. D.. Hrr.ra ~
lIon so FAR made shows that the Pennsyl-
vana railroad train had the right Of way.
.the rel signal being turned against the
Reading train, and IL remains In that
position az the present time. The inter
locking system is used at this point ana
the wreck occurred where the signal can
not be changed until the wreckage Is re-
moved
u addition 20 this the Pennsylvania
Company officials have the testimony Of
the engineer and the towerman. who say
the Reading company employ them.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company
being the junior company. they laid track
fitcr the Reading was built had TO bear
an the expense OF the improvement and
Che expense Of building and maintenance
Of The tower. II also pays the salaries OF
The employees iu the tower. but the Read
ins company appoints them.
DEAD. q. INJURED, a.
ATLANTIC CITY. y j.. July Si.--As a
result of the terrible collision last eve
ming. forty-soven are dead. and for,y-four
are lying IN the hospital here. more OF
less seriously hurt OF the injured In the
hospital, several are expected to die. Be
sides those seriously enough hurt 20 be IN
me hovital q score or more who were
bruised aac shaken up went 10 cottages.
The fearful snock Of the collision is illus