Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-28
TWENTY ONE ! KILLED
Terrible Accident on New
Jersey Central Railroad.
THREEGARSTELE COPIED
EXPRESS RUNS INTO REAR END
OF LOCAL
Fire Adds Its Horrors to the Situation
-Carelessness Of Engineer
the Cause.

NEW YORK, January 29-Up to noon to-
| day the total loss Of life by last nights s
train wreck on the Central Railroad of
New Jersey at Graceland, N. j., was be-
lieved to be twenty-one. OF these fourteen
bodies had been Identified and seven were
held at Plainfield for Identification. From
| the wreckage twenty-one bodies were
| taken, and w. E. Davis, engineer of the
Philadelphia and Reading express, died in a
hospital today.
More than fifty people were injured, some
OF them severely. The hospital reports to-
day, however, were that with perhaps one
| or two exceptions, all would recover
The blame for the accident is placed by
the officials Of the Jersey Central on w.
E. Davis, engineer Of the Philadelphia and
Reading express, and, according to a po-
liceman who took Davis from the smashed
up cab of his engine, Davis admitted that
he had taken chances and disfegarded the
danger signals displayed because he ex-
pected to see the red and green lights
change to white he neared them. They
did not change, but it was too late to stop,
and in an instant almost, the crash came
carrying death to more than score of
human beings.
Terrible Scenes Witnessed.
usually horrible. The cars were splintered
almost to kindling wood by the force of
the collision, hot Goals from the engine
fire-box poured out and the wood was soon
burning fercely. What hope there had
been Of rescuing the wounded in the last
car OF the local express had to be given
up, as the flames spread, and undoubtedly
some OF the wounded imprisoned by the
plled-up debris were burned to death
~ hn l.
on which all of those who were killed were
riding, were well-to-do residents Of Plain
field, N. j.. and neighbering towns who
were returning to their homes from their
places of business in New York. OF the
identified dead, seven lived in Piainficld,
and in the long list Of injured Plainfield
is given as the home of majority Nearly
every block in the town seemed t. have
one or more of wounded In it today, but
the city's facilities for caring for It's strick-
en- people were ample.
The Jersey Central tracks were cleared
before daylight, and the only signs left
today are three black patches on the SLOW,
where the wreckage burned.
The Dead and Injured.
The following identifications have been
made: Rowland r. Chandler, Plainfield, NJ
j.; Thomas A. Cunning, PIainf1eld, N. j.;
Edward Flynn, Plainfield, N. j.; Harvey S.
Patterson. Dunellen. N. j.; George e. Reed,
Scotch Plains. N. j.; c. P. Thayer. Plain
held, n: j.; III. w. Tomlinson, Plainfield,
Frederick Walzer. Plainf1eld, ~ j.; w. p.
Davis engineer of the Reading express:
Harry Rogers, Plainfield; Craig Baldwin.
adiit tanned; Frederick Hardingham. Plain
Shanado, Plainfield, N. ].
Inc injured. SO far as known, are as fol-
lows: Richard Clark, PIainfeld. both legs
oroken; William Sampson, Plainfe.d, cut
cod oh
erlck, Dunellen, scalded about the body;
Miss Lizzie Cutter, Piainfeld face cut; Will
nam Dunn, plainheld, right leg broken. face
cut ana bruised: George Force. Plainiie,d,
cut on ne ad; j. II. Freeman, Plainfield, bad
~ injured about the head and body; James
| r. Clark, Philadelphia, seriously hurt about
mead and body; Howard r. George. Plain
Held, leg broken and scalp injured; Edgar
George, slightly injured; Miss Mildred Ev-
erett. Piainfield. badly injured about head
MRS. ID. Cumming, injured about head and
oody; Roy Bradford, Plainfield. injured on
face and head; Miss Fannie ,Canayoe, body
and face badly cut; Frederick Kannen,
body and face badly cut; Roy Apgar Dun
eHen, badly injured about head: E. NJ. Bro
| kaw, cut and bruised; Miss Cora Brokaw,
slightly injured; William Geddies,. Dunellen,
both legs broken; George Chandler, Plain
field, spine injured; Charles Longworth,
Plainfield, injured on body. Mrs. Belch.
Plainfield, legs broken and body injured
Mary Ryan, Plainfield, injured about head
William Van Venter. Plainfie!d, cut about
face and body; Everett Reighton. Plainfleld,
both legs cut off; Miss Lizzie Keller. Plain
| field, scalp torn off; Percy Irving, Dunellen,
| legs crushed; Mrs. Quelean Plainfeld, in
| jured about body and head.
Secretary to Senator Platt.
c. P. Thayer, who was killed, was secre-
tary to United States Senator Thomas c.
PIatt
A train conveying the bodies of thirteen
victims of the wreck arrived at, Plainfield
| at 3:05 am. Many of them were not rec
| ognizable. The people of the city were in
a frenzy Of grief. All sorts Of rumors were
afioat, and 1t was reported that the num-
ber Of the dead would reach a hundred or
| more. The great majority of the dead and
injured were either residents of Plainfield
or lived in neighboring places, and were
well known in Pla.nfield. Many of them
were wealthy commuters who had their
places Of business in New York,
Many of the injured, after they had their
wounds dressed, went to their homes with
out giving their names.
The stories Of dreadful incidents accom-
panying the collision were numerous.
The engine that drew the express plowed
half way through the rear car. of the local
express before 1t came to a standstill.
Bodles were crushed against the front
| OF the locomotive, on the pilot and on the
crown sheet, and could only ,bel removed
after the firemen had drenched the iocomo-
tive front for two hours and cooled. off the
plates. =
Express and LEGAL.
The local express train that was run into
| leaves New York at 5:45 pm. and runs to
Bound Brook. 1t stops at EIizabath, West
| field and Plainfield, and beyond Bound
Brook is run as local. The through ex-
press which crashed into the local express
leaves New York fifteen minutes later. bur
travels at higher rate of speed 1t stops
only at Elizabeth. The slower train
switches from track No. at Graceland to
track No. 4. and the through express should
pass the local at that point. After the
| through express passes the other train re-
turns to the express track
Last evening freight train occupied
track No. 4, and the local express was or
dered to continue on the express track as
| far as Dunellen, and there switch on to
| track No. 4. Soon after receiving the order
the local express had to stop to allow hot
box to cool on. The local had just started,
and was going at q slow rate of speed when
the Phiiadeiphta and Reading express came
The seven unidentified bodies were badly
burned. and 1t will be difficult to make posi-