Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-07-31

car was terrific Women tainted and men
rushed in mad panic before the door But
u came almost before we knew it,
Tho third car was cut right in two and
the lower portion OF 1t lifted bodily from
the track and tumblcd over. Every car
was crowded. and 1t is HORRIBLE tc think
OF the numbers who must be lying under
those ruins. The roof of one of the cars
fell in as mass, and everybody in that
car was buried under it. 1t simply
dropped in on the people. ] know many
OF those aboard, but / will hope for tho
best. / know positively of two in our car
who Were killed. They were Mr.. and Mrs.
Frank Bell, Of Bridgeton. Their daugh-
ter was In another car farther back, and
was not hurt.
II don't know who is to blame When
we were about two miles from Atlantic
City we cnmc 10 n stop out in the mead
ows and stayed there for several minutes,
but l do not know why. i think there
must have been fully eighty or 100 killed.
The only person with me was my 6-year.
old soI and he was not hurt, thank God :"
An Associated Press reporter was on one
of the first relief trains sent out by the
Pennsylvania railroad and he was the
first newspaper reporter on the scene The
train was in charge of a number of rail
road officials and Prosecutor Perry, of At
lantic county. 1t drew up in the darkness
4 few feet this side OF the fatal point Tho
scene was wildly picturesque. Staggering
in and ont OF bitches and stumbling over
masses of broken timber, with only few
ftful lanterns TO help their straininS evcs,
the rescue gang set bravely to work
Axes and shovcls were piled with the
greatest vigor, and almost at every half
dozen blows n mapgled form was brought
up and laid ;enderly on the waiting pal
let's 1t was gigantic and sickening
task, and the strongest of men turned
aside faint from n revelation of the work
OF the spades. A heap of blood-stained
timbcrs turned aside by one Of the res
cuers brought to sight u woman's arm.
1t had been wrenched off almost by the
roots, and nothing remained but drip
ping stump. Even the hand was gone
1t had been clad in u dainty while linen
glove, the sleeve OF which still clung to it.
Not five minutes later a chance blow
from pick revealed a still more ghastly
rcmncnt, a human heart that only few
short hours before had been throbbiny
with life and love. One woman whose
body was recovered still held in her dead
hand plate bearing picture Of Atlantic
City. II was unbrQken. . Scattered absut
the grouns near the wreck We're many
pieces of clothing which had been torn
from the bodies of the victims-hats,
dainty parasols, fans and gloves.
Just ns one uf the relief trains reached
the Pennsylvania station with its terrible
| lnad one man v-ho laid in u corner horribly
| injured rccaiEcd his senses FOR a moment,
| and clasying his hand to his head cried i'll
hcartrcnding agony: Who did this:
| My God, where are my wife and children =
| superintendent l. y. Swciglrd, OF tho
Philadelphia and Reading company, places
| the number of dead at thirty-scycn and
| the injured at about the same number.
| He ~rut telegram to Philadelphia
which said: There were thirty. per
sons killed, ~ follows: Twelve women
| ttNcuty-"nc men, two boys and two girls.
| About the SAME number injured