The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-01

AXcEyx4CNfSI3
lem and nefrhbortng villages In Soatn
Jersey. II was an excursion q the Inn
proved Order Of Red Men, and dve rrtoes
wa~. we'll represented The first car on
n. Reading train and the second on fns
West Jersey were upset Tie third car
on the latter caught the fui force ..
the impact and Was literally cut IN naii
and each half shiversd N splinters- When
IL Is remembered that this car as wels
as every other was damned with human
freight. TIE horror Of the situation can
be realized.
For strstohers 70 carry ne dad and IN
turei on car doors we're ripped on iI7
car seats arranged In twos and 90 eo1ns :
means fastened together. After the refer
trains were filed the patroi wagon W.
pressed into service, and wagons Wets
relieved Of their freight and used as am
buiances-
The crowd ct tho scene OF the accsten.
by this time had grown in size from hu'-
creds 10 thousands. and noswithstansiias
the large numbers. there was good orGsf.
The people seemed 10 realize that tae
rescuers needed room. and. once q man.
woman or child was seen being carried 20
the ambulance an instant rght-of-wAy
was given and the annoyingly curious n
tfyftuai for same reason. was ansenl.
There were quite a 1arnosr VINO ihse'eo
by the wreckage ali nigat, teniering Fer
services and anxious 70 be OK help Inc
only regrettable thing about II All was tag
fact that the officers had 10 keep close
watch for thieves. who weso assonD uhS
TO rob the dead
A horrible sight vas preseuset when inc
body Of an unknown was Drought 10 TEE
light The face was q mass OF req Hesas
the skin having been completely torn OK
There were worse cases than his. beg
caring pen description.
~nsf9 Ap4
told of an Amos, miraculous escape he
and his wife had from death. He was In
the third seat Of the first car when the
crash came They went down II the fal.
They were buried beneath cushioned seats.
with hardly room enough 10 move. They
were extricated from their pe-ilous posi-
ton. but at the elbow or mo husband
little child lay dead
w. p. Pudry. one of the SURVIVORS in
describing the scene IN his car until the
collision occurred, said he was on tho
Reading train and had just awakened
from a doze He looked out OF the win
dow, to see that the crash was unavoid-
able. He was at q loss y hat 10 do. but n
an instant 1t was ali over The first thing
he knew he was lodging ptrsons tramplnz
over his body. They dasf ed about 10
wild people, tramping each other down
in their frantic ende2yors for their o1n
safety. He got out safely, but how, &c
could never tell.
A pathetic fact which has come 10 light
Is that the run which ended Engineer
Fairs life was 10 have ended his career
as a raliroader and established him and
his wife as storekeepers today. The man
who accompanied Farr on the last run.
and who was also killed. was TO have sue
ceeded him on the engine and was taking
a preliminary lesson. The statement that
Mrs Farr dropped dead on learning OF her
husbands fate proved 10 be untrue.
About o. clock the rescue wlISers found
a babe lying in the grass few feet from
the point OF the accident. 1t was sleeping
peacefully and was unhurt.
Eye Witnesses Describe the Wreck.
Philadelphia. July si-Dr. Charles A.
Smith. of Harrisburg. tells graphic story
OF the scenes he witnessed at the ralroid
wreck at Atlantic City last night. only
four or five bodies had been taken from
the wreck when 1 arrived there" he SAIL
The Reading express had struck TN. ex-
cursion train on the Pennsylvania. cutu 7g
il clean in tive. The Reading engine striiek
the second passenger coach OF the excur-
sion train. There was nothing left Of the
coach except a tangle OF splinters- Mixed
UP with 1t were the mangled and torn
bodies OF men. women and children The
third coach lay overturned, with one side
torn OF. The engine and baggage car OF
the excursion tram stood on the rails IN
harmed. as did the cars on the other end
OF the train. In the luckiess car which
opposed the great Reading engine rushing
on al nearly a mile minute scarcely one
passenger was not killed or severely in
jured. The Reading engine lay, heap OF
scrap iron and rubbish, piled up with the
smashed car The wreckage caught fire.
and a fire engine from Atlantic City was
called The flames were soon suhoued. l
could not tell whether arfy OF the victims
were burned 20 death. / saw one little bow
laid out on the bank with his clothes
burned quite of bat he might have been
dead before the flames reached him. Those
spared on both trains stood about dazed
and helpless until the screams OF the
wounded and dying brought them TO their
senses Physicians came thick and fast
| assisted them temporarily IN dressing
wounds on the field, but II seemed as II
almost every victim pulled from the wreck
had been killed at the instant OF the col
llsion. The sights were heart-breaking.
Mothers were looking for children, hus-
bands for wives. and the air was filled with
groans and cries"
Tahn Peiois. OF this city. who was on the
West Jersey train and Jumped when he
saw A collision was inevitable. arrived
here this morning and said: The trains
were crossing the meadows az terrific
trying 10 catch the switch before the
other. So far as could see. the red light
IN the tower was up blocking the Read
ing train and giving the right-of-way 10
The PENNSYLVANIA Neither train stopped.
Escaping steam covered the wrecked
trains for few minutes, and when II
lifted 7 conid see a broken car and the
dead and injured. / saw ne rescuers VII
a number OF bodies scaiaei from the trunk
unward. others with heads crushed 20 a
pulp. Several were alive when taken from
tha wreck. but before they could be placed
in a comfortable position they died
The crossing Was Dangerous.
phuaaeiphia, July si.-The crossing
where last nights accident occurred has
long been a bugaboo TO travellers between
this city ana Atlantic city. IL Is locatcd
about two and one-half miles from the
Atlantic City terminus OF the rival roads.
A block tower Is placed as close 20 the
crossing as safety VIII permit This tow
ar IL occupied by an operator charged
usth the duty OF seeing that the train
having riEht-of-wEy crosses first and the
other train - aasged- There = a differ
euce Of opinion as 20 which train had ire
rtvht-of-way last night Telegraph OPP
erator William Thurston and Switch
Tender Hauser are IN the Atlantic City
IA ara win remain thers until an Of
ariaI investigation definitely places the
rssDonsshHity. The competition between
TIE West Jersey ard Reading railways
for Atlantic city business Is very keen
Fofh roads vur hysra wbich average
nearly mile minute between Camden
ara Atlantic CITY. There are fro :
rs~es across tire stretch o. cren ccuntTy
= - rrTles outside % Atlantic cry
t~evx- a. the r,rallows. and pass gers
wbo are ret timid regard the race -
o-a ~ thf cNhfiarafiors - the UP.
Tf~riA ones however. are always arpre-