Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-31

| n
Scene of the Disaster.
| and telescoring two others, and The en-
| gine was wrenched and twisted into a
| hundred pieces and dumped into a ditch on
! the other side of the Pennsylvania tracks.
| 1t was impossible last night to accurately
| state the number of killed and injured, but
| 1t was thought to be $50.
| To add to the horror of the catastrophe,
| fire broke out in the wrecked engine AMI
| communicated to the derailed cars and the
cries Of the wounded and dying as the
flames reached them were terrible to hear.
| The Excursionists.
| Yesterday morning some twelve hundred
| and fifty happy and care free excursion
| lists from Bridgeton, Millville, Vineland and
adjacent South Jersey cities. were taken
| down to the sea under the auspices of the
Associated Lodges of Red Men. They were
| scheduled to leave Atlantic City on the re-
| turn trip at 6:3O pm, but for some reason
the train was delayed and it was not until
a few moments before o'clock that the
| train left the Pennsylvania station at
| South Carolina avenue.
| 1t contained upward of a thousand pas
sengers and proceeded slowly, owing to the
| fact being behind time 1t had forfeited
| the right of way.
Darkness had fallen before the meadows
| were reached, but out the distance. and
| emanating from the switch tower at the
| junction of the tracks, there cleaned the
| white signal light which denoted a clear
| track and ordered the train on its way.
| The throttle was thrown wide open and
the train, bearing its load of tired and
| happy pleasure seekers. sped upon its way
| From the other direction the Reading
| express train leaving Philadelphia at $40
END due at Atlantic City at $50 was max
SrrpIn1a IN he ,l1,
ordinary conditions this train was entitled
| to the right of way, but up in the switch
tower George Hauser, the operator In
charge flashed the red light toward the
| Reading train, warning it that a slow-up
| was necessary.
How Engineer Edward Farrer came to
make the mistake will probably never be
Ncwn, for be was one of the first to pe
| Killed. Certain 1t is that he made a ter
| rible mistake and instead of needing the
uanger signal and applying the brake he
| opened wide the throttle and sent his trai,
| with its burden of hundreds of Phila del
Pfians hurting onward.
| The Crash.
| At the crossing the trains met The
pennsylvania engine and baggage car had
passed the crossing, but the first passenger
coach caught the full force Of the collision.
| The Reading engine struck a glancing
| blow, but one Of terrific force. This car
| was smashed into kindling wood, nothing
| being left but the roof, and as far as known
| not single soul of the sixty people whom
| the car contained escaped with their lives
| those who We're not instantly killed being
buried beneath the falling roof of the car
| and burned to death in the conf1a grafton
| which followed.
| Through the platform Of the next car the
| Reading engine passed completely, tele-
| scoping the car, which in turn wrecked the
| one behind 1t. The destroying engine then
left the tracks and plunging completely
| across the Pennsylvania tracks, was thrown
| into ditch, a twisted and splintered mass
Of iron. beneath which Engineer Farrer and
| Fireman Towne were buried, the former
| with his hand still grasping the throttle
From out the twisted and wrecked re-
| mains Of the cars there came a stimuli
| taneous shrek from the wounded and dy-
| ing which gave an inkling of the terrible
| disaster even before the switch tower
| operator had time to flash the news Of it
| over the wire.
| Aid Dispatched.
AS soon the full extent of the catas-
| trophe was made known at Atlantic City
| the entire fire department, with their en-
| CINE; the police department, with the patrol
wagons, and the entire medical force Of the
| city were hurried to the scene, while con-
| veyances of every kind were pressed into
| service as dead wagons and ambulances.
The only light was that given by the lurid
| glare from the burning cars and the flicker
| ing illumination Of a few improvised
| torches.
| The chemical engine Of the Goodwill Hook
| and Ladder Company speedily put an end to
| the flames in the burning engine and cars.
| Meanwhile the police and host of hastily
impressed aids We're working like Trojans.
| All along both railroad entertainments the
| dead were piled thickly, but no attempt was
| made to remove the bodies, the rescuing
| corps devoting their attention exclusively
| to those in whom the breath Of life still
| fingered. While the injured who lay in the
open were being hastily transferred to the
| baggage cars of relief train, which the
| Reading line had sent out, another force of
| rescuers were endeavoring to raise the roof
| of the first car of the excursion train, under
which fully forty passengers lay buried.
1t was fully two hours after the accident
occurred before the roof was lifted and be-
| fore that time any in whom the breath Of
life remained when the crash came Joined
| the dead.
| Awful Scenes.
Fathers mothers brothers, sisters and
| even babes scarcely out of arms were pulled
from the wreck in CHASTITY and bewilderng
| succession. Seats torn from the wrecked
| cars were hastily improvised as stretchers,
| and on these bodies of the dead and injured
were hastily stretched, placed in express
| wagons, omnibuses or any other sort of
| conveyance that came handiest end hurried
| to Atlantic City.
! The old Ascension Church, at the corner
| Of Kentucky avenue and Pacific, Atlantic
| City, was hastily improvised a morgue,
and there the bodies which the numerous
| local undertaking establishments could not
| accommodate were placed to await claim
| ants or Identification, while the city hos
pital, numberless hotels, and even the pri-
waite offices of local physicians were opened
| for the reception of the wounded, who
| number no less than three hundred all told
The scenes at the wreck were of the most
| heartrending character. All along the
| tracks of the two roads were strewn the
| bodies of the dead and dying.
1~111 I.-txl A.
mother lay little child dressed in white
with not stain Of blood on her clothing
| A look at her little form showed that both
| legs had been cut eff at the ankles. Other
| wise she was uninjured. But the mother
lying alongside was SO horribly mangled
| that were it not for her clothing no one
would be able to tell whether the body was
| that of g. male or female.
| Within a few feet lay the crushed and
bleeding forms of two more children a boy
and girl. The girl was almost completely