Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-07-31
FORTY-THREE WERE KILLED
An Awful Wreck at a Railroad Cross
ing Near Atlantic City Last
Night.
NEARLY A COMPLETE LIST OF VICTIMS
A Reading Train Runs Into West
Jersey Train Loaded with Excur-
sionists. Cars Literally
Splintered.

Philadelphia, July 3l.-The crossing
where last nights accident occurred has
long been bugaboo to travellers between
this city and Atlantic City. It is located
about two and half miles from the
Atlantic City terminal of rival railroads.
The block tower occupied by the
operator ia placed AS close to the GROSS
ing as safety will permit. The tower ls
occupied by an operator charged with
the duty of seeing that the train having
The right-of-way crosses. first, and the
other train is tagged.
There is a difference of opinion as to
which train had the right-of-way last
night. The telegraph operator, William
Thurston, and the switch tender, Hauser,
have been arrested.
The competition between the West
Jersey and the Reading railroads for At
lantic City business is very keen. Both
roads run "hyers," which average nearly
a mile a minute.
A railroad man, who came to this city
from Atlantic City to-day, is reported to
have said that the Reading train, which
ran into the Bridgeton excursion train,
was racing across the meadows with
train on the Camden e. Atlantic railroad,
which left Philadelphia about the same
time. The Reading officials deny this.
Atlantic City, N. 1.-The list of the
killed in last nights accident foots up to
forty-three; injured, forty-three.
APPALLING ROLL OF THE DEAD.
Following is revised list of the dead:
Charles Muta, Bridgeton.
John Griver, Bridgeton.
Charles Eckler, Salem.
Chas. p. Cagear, Brdgeton.
Mr.. and Mrs. Trenchard, Bridgeton.
S.P. Murphy Melleville.
Joseph Petus, Bridgeton.
j. 9. johnson, Bridgeton.
Charles B. Burrough, Bridgeton.
Charles Soil, ,Bridgeton.
H. +. Bell, Bridgeton.
W. G. Looper, Bridgeton.
Mr.. and Mrs. p. G. Goldsmith, Bridge
ton.
Samuel Thore, Atlantic City.
Frank Dubois, Cleartield, Pa.
j. Earnest, Bridgeton.
Woman's body, supposed to be- Miss
Jennie Sheppard, Bridgeton.
Mary Wentzell, Allowayne.
J.O. Cars, Bridgeton.
Pearl Muta, Bridgeton.
Mrs. Elmer May, Palatine, N. J.
Mrs. H. f. Bell, BrIdgeton.
Anna Fries, Bridgeton.
Edward -Farr, Reading railroad engi-
neer, Atlantic City.
Man, supposed to be Charles Sebert,
Bridgeton.
Chas. May, Palatine, N. j.
J.E. Wood, Camden, N. j.
G. B. Taylor, Bri1geton.
James M. Batteman, Bridgeton.
Boy, supposed to be A. Peters.
Rev. A. M. Loper, Yorktown, j.
Nine bodies not identified.
DIED LIKE BORN HERO.
Engineer Edward Farr, who died with
his hand on the throttle, was taken out OF
the wreck this morning. 1t was with
much difficulty that his rigid fingers were
unolasped from the lever.
Almost every bone in the body of one
victim was broken.
Many were so frightfully mangled as to
be beyond recognition.
The arrest of William Thurston, the
telegraph operator, at the signal tower,
confirms the theory that mistake in the
display signals was the first cause OF the
accident. However, the arrest may have
been merely for malice.
The West Jersey train was special ex-
cursion of seven coaches filled with ex-
cursionists from Bridgeton, Salem and
neighboring villages in South jersey. 1t
was an excursion of the Improved Order
OF Red Men.
DESCRIPTION OF THE WRECK.
The first car of the Reading train and
the second of the West Jersey we're upset,
but the third car on the latter caught the
full force of the impact and was literally
cut in half and each half shivered to
spliuters.
When it is remembered that this car, as
we'll as every other one, was jammed with
human freight, the horror of the situation
can be realized.