The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-08-06
AWFUL RAILWAY WRECK
A COLLISION IN NEW JERSEY
HORRIBLE AND SICKENlNG
IN ITS DETAILS.
ONE HUNDRED killed and INJURED
AN EXPRESS TRAIN CRASHED
BROADSIDE INTO A TANNED
EXCURSION TRAIN.
A hAMGLED and BLEEDING MASS OF HUMANITY
The Sights at the Scene of the Wreck
Are Wierd and Sickening-Res-
cuers, With Lanterns, Moving
the Mass of Broken Timbers,
Reveal Evidences of
Death and Agony.
A hANGLED AND BLEEDING MASS OF HUMANITY

Atlantic City. y. j.. July aO.-A rail
road accident, horrible in its details and
sickening in its results, occurred this
evening just outsiti9 Of this city. ana rs
result about 100 persons are either
killed or injured.
The Reading railroad express, which
left Philadelphia at $40 this evening for
Atlantic City, crashed into Il Pennsyl-
yania railroad excursion train at the
second signal tower. about four miles out
from here. The Pennsylvania train
was returning to Rridgeton with party
of excursions S from that place, Mill
vile and neighhnring towns. 1t was
loaded with PASSENGERS and II rough es-
innate of the killed and injured at late
hour places the number at 100. 1t is
hoped that This IN eylgSeration, hut
the number is undoubtedly more than
fifty.
At the second signal tower the tlheks
of the two roads liagOnaily cross. The
Reading train was given the signal, hut
it either failed to work. or tho speed of
the express was too great 20 be checked
in time. 1t caught the excursion train
broadsid2 and plcugbr.l through, literally
cleaving it in twain. The engine of the
Reading train was shattered to pieces.
Every car was damned to its fullest ca
pacity
AS soon as the news reached Atlantic
. City the utmost CONSERVATION prevailed,
but the authorities were equal to the
emergency. Relief trains were dis
patched to the scene, loaded with cots
--aHd bearing staffs of surgeons. As quick
as the bodies were recovered they were
carried into the local hospitals and un-
dertakers shops. A general fire alarm
was sounded and the department prompt
ly responded and aided in the work of
digging for the victims. Fear grew into
despair and horror as the work of the
relief gangs revealed the full extent of
the disaster.
The first Reading relief train bore into
this city twenty-sevcn mangled corpes.
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 proceeded to the
wreck and came back with its CHASTITY
load. the sanitarium, which did duty as
city hospital quickly found its capacity
overtaXed. Meanwhile others. dead and
injured, were being carried to the pri-
waite hospitals at Ocean and Pacific ave-
nues.
Edward Farr. engineer of the Reading
train, was killed outright as was an
other man who rode on the engine whose
name is unknown. This man saw the
collision coming and jumped from the
cab an instant before the crash AL
most at the same instant the engine cut
its way through and caught him direct
ly in its path. His body and that of FAIR
were found under heap of debris, but
the engineer hay in what remained of
the cab and his right hand still tightly
clasped the throttle. He had been faith
full unto death and met it at his post
The fireman on the train had leaped
few seconds before and escaped with
trhing injuries.
Samuel Thorne, baggage master on
the Reading road, is among the dead
Richard Trenchard, Bridgeton ma
chinist, and his wife were both dead
As time progresses it seems almost GER
tain that fifty persons were killed.
Conductor Kelly of the Pennsylvania
train. had both legs and arms broken
and was internally injured.
Albert J. Mosbach of Philadelphia was
on the Reading train. He escaped I'M
hurt.
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
tumbled into ditch at the roadside.
The responsibility for the accident can
not now be fixed.
Charles C. Renck of Bridgeton, who
was in the excursion party, was IN one
of the rear cars. He escaped with
several bruises, and. so far as his asita-
ton would permit, told the story OF his
experience.
"When we saw that a collision was
unavoidable" he said, "the scene IN our
car was terrible. Women tainted and
men rushed in a mad panic for the
door. But it came almost before we
knew it. The third car was cut right
in two and the portions tumbled over.
Every car was crowded and it Is hor-
rible to think of the numbers who must
be laying under those ruins. The roof
of one of the cars fell in mass and
every one in that car was buried under
if It simply dropped on the people. L