Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-06-24
A REAR End COLLISION.
In WOODBURY.
Maurice River Fast Freight Dashes Into
The Cape May Express at classboro
Bead Crossing.
NO LIVES LOST

The express train that leaves Cape May
at as, in charge of conductor Dan"
Packer, usually passes Woodbury. at $50.
Last night she was stopped Just south Of
the Glassboro Road crossing to cool hot
journal The statement of the conductor
is that he sent his fagman back 500 yards
to flag the Maurice river express freight,
heavily laden with fruit and vegetables.
The express had been standing thirteen
minutes, and many passengers were out in
adjoining fields gathering daisies and wild
flowers, when the danger shrek of loco
motive rent the air, followed almost
instantly by crash Maurice river
freight running at rate of 80 miles per
hour, had collided with the express. The
time was 6 AZ
Just here, fortune favored the passengers.
because very few were in the cars. None
were killed, and only the following were
injured -
Rey. DR.. Arthur w. Spooner, pastor Of
the Calvary Presbyterian church, Camden,
was thrown through window. His face
and hand were cut with the brokeg glass,
and his side was injured by striking a
railroad tie in his fall.
Jacob Sobel. of Spring Garden street,
Philadelphia, had his hand cut by broken
glass.
Mrs. Martha Brick, 1850 South Eleventh
street, was injured by being thrown against
seat in front of her.
w. c. Henszey, of Germantown, Pa, has
his leg injured by being thrown from the
platform of the car he was on. Several
others were slightly injured.
Among the first of our citizens to reach
the spot was ex-Mayor Walton, who seeing
passenger cars and engine in promiscous
heap, sent in an alarm of fire, which brought
the department to the scene. His first i'm
preston was that passengers were buried in
the wreck, which must soon be on fire. Bat
happily the wrecked coach was empty when
the collision came.
THE WRECK.
The express was made up of four coaches,
parlor car and two combination smoking
and baggage CARS. One combination car
was in the rear. The freight engine buried
itself in this car, the tender being hurled on
top of it; the freight cars mounted each
other and fell both ways two falling on the
east side and two on the west or south
bound track one car was turned COM
pletely over; one lay diagonally from the
tracks. Where the coach and engine came
together, was a mass of broken wood,
twisted iron, and the contents Of the freight
cars-a scene of destruction such as few
here eyer before witnessed.
CLEARING THE ROAD.
The work of clearing the wreck was at
once commenced, and at 10 o'clock the
south bound track was clear, and at five
o'clock this morning the engine and COM
bination car were pulled apart. An eye
witness says that the wheels of the freight
engine rested squarely on the track when
they were drawn apart.
THE WRECK TAKES FIRE
About ten o'clock, after most spectators
had left the'wreck, the combination car in
which the freight engine was buried, took
fire. Friendship company was on the
ground, and was just taking mp their hose,
when the flame broke out with great fury,
and threatened to burn the entire train.
Hose was quickly connected, and the fire
soon put out. The train manager said that
if the accident had occurred almost any
where else, both trains would have burned
up. Friendship company was on duty at
the wreck until five o'clock this morning
WHO is RESPONSIBLE?
1t is not the business of q newspaper to
reflect responsibility in so important a
case as this. but by general consent it seems
to lie between three telegraph operators
at Wenonah, Woodbury., or the signal
tower where the express stopped to cool
the hot journal.
The accident was the result of careless
ness somewhere, and the Pennsylvania
Railroad must place the responsibility.
That no lives were lost is cause for
general congratulations. but not to the rail-
roads good management.
Place the responsibility, and guard
against repeti ion.