The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-08-01

ing engine rushing on at nearly mile
a minute, scarcely one passenger was
not killed or severely injured. saw
the remains of the Reading engine in q
heap of scrap iron and rubbish piled up
with the crushed car. The engine was
smashed up so completely that it was
simply a scrap heap. / could not see
whether the engineer and firemen were
killed, but they could not have escaped.
The Wreckage Caught Fire
from the ruins of the engine, and fire
engine from Atlantic City was brought
out. The flames were soon subdued,
although could not tell whether any
Of the victims had been burned to death.
I saw one little boy laid out on the bank
with his clothes burned quite off him,
but he might have been dead before the
flames reached him. The Pullman car
OIL the rear of the Reading express did
not leave the track with the cars in
front of it, and the inmates suffered lit
tie harm beyond bruises, cuts and
sprains. Those who had been spared,
on both trains, stood about daZed and
helpless until the screams of the
wounded and dying brought them to
their senses.
"The physicians who had been sum.
moned from Atlantic City and brought
by special train over the Pennsylvanll
railroad, came in thick and fast.
Almost All Had Been Killed.
II assisted in temporarily dressing
wounds in the field, but it seemed as if
slmost every victim pulled from the
wreck had been killed at the instant of
the collision. I saw the body of five
children lying side by side on the grass
as they had been lifted out. The sights
horrible. Mothers were looking for
children, and husbands for wives, and
the air was filed with groans and cries.
was asked to go to the hospital at
Atlantic City, where the injured were
brought and put in bed. AS soon as
found that there were enough physi-
clans in attendance, completed my in
bSIIuptcu "Trip uOfile.
Raced For the Crossing.
John Peters of this city, who was on
the West Jersey train, and who jumped
when he saw the collision was inev-
titable, arrived here in the morning
Said he:
1.-THE trains were crossing the mead
ows at terrific rate, and it seemed to
me as if one was racing to catch the
switch before the other. So far as I
could see, the red light in the signal
trai1. ...a AID, :. ling the right of way to the
Pennsylvania.
"Neither train stopped, and then the
Reading plowed its way through the
center of the other. The escaping steam
covered the wrecked trains for few
minutes, and when it lifted l could see
the broken cars and the dead and in
iured. saw the rescuers lift out bodies
scalded from the trunk upwards, ano
others with the heads crushed to a pulp
hanging at the side.
Several men were taken from the
wreck and before they could be placed
in comfortable position, they died
The demand for vehicles was SO grea
that in many instances wagons wer'
hauled to the wreck by men, and tn
bodies taken away in this manner.
A Philadelphia physician. who ar
rived from Atlantic City, told an inter
esting story of the scenes at the hospital
after the injured were brought there
He said that he assisted in caring for 8
people. Soon after the accident at leas
, 30 doctors, who were sojourning at Al
lantic City, hurried to the hospital an
assisted in caring for the injured. Man
of those taken to the Atlantic City no
! pital were in dying condition, an
!, some of them survived only few mil
utes.
. The Crossing . Bugaboo.
. The crossing where the accident o
= Cured, has long been a bugaboo
travellers between this city and Atlant
City. 1t is located about 21a mil
from the Atlantic City terminal Of Il
. two railroads, and block tower Q
q cupied by an operator is placed as clio
, to the crossing as safety will perm
't This tower is occupied by an operat
who is charged with the duty OF seeh
that the train having the right OF VI
crosses first, and that the other train
y tagged. There is difference Of OPT
ion as to which of the ill-fated trai
% had the right Of way, but Telegra
n Operator William Thurston and Swift
at Tender Hauser are in the Atlantic @
y, iail now and will remain there un
y an official investigation definitely pla'
OF the responsibility. The competition
tween the West Jersey and Readi
Y. railroads for Atlantic City business
I'd very keen, and both roads run "flyel
which average nearly a mile MINI
'ss between Camden and Atlantic City.
Races Are Frequent.
nd There are frequent races across
I'm stretch Of open country, few mi
n. outside Of Atlantic City, known
tn 1.-THE meadows" and passengers on
mt rival trains who are not timid reg