The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-28

were wrecked were piled in a heap,
containing at least 100 dead or injured
From the mass came fearful cries for
aid minute later the wreck caught
fire from the firebox Of the locomotive
The screams of the injured in the heap
were intensified as they found them
selves hemmed in by the flames.
Work of Rescue.
The passengers in the two forward
cars Of the first train and all the men
from the express and every one IN
the neighborhOOd started to work at
once to get out the injured before the
flames could reach them. AS times the
flames reached the rescuers and their
clothing took fire, but they worked on,
though in constant danger Of being
killed themselves. Some of the Injured
were burned to death in sight of the
men who were working WITH despera-
SiOn 20 save them. The flames soon
gained complete mastery Of the last two
cars.
Firemen from WestfleId were sum
moned by phone, but arrived too late
/ to save many lives. Surgeons were
called from Elizabeth, Westfield and
Plainhels. and there were a score on
hand The parlor cars of the Royal
Blue train were converted into a tenn
porary hospital The dead, as they
were taken out, We're laid In a row
alongside the track until means could
be found to convey them to Plain
field.
Horrifying Scenes.
The firemen after a time mastered
the flames. Then the wreckage was
attacked again and the work Of recov-
ering the bodies was begun. out OF
the first car eight bodies We're taken.
The sight while the wreck was burn
ing was hOrrifying- Men could be seen
. IN the Wreckage pinned fast amid the
umberS of the cars and struggling to
be free, while the flames rOared around
them The rescueTs were helpless TO
aid them, as they already had been
driven from the wreck by the flames
One of those who tried to take out
a man pinned under Wreckage found
that he was held down by one leg
near the ankle, and. seeing it would be
useless TO do anything else, is said TO
have finally severed the mans leg and
then carried him TO one of the parlor
cars The rescued and rescuer were
badly burned When the engine plOWed
into the rear car it partly split the
car open and at the same time lifted
il uD and onto itself. This car was
the first to take fire, and most of those
N it are dead Some of them are be-
iieved to be beneath the overturned
engine. Those in the car ahead. which
was lifted over the rear car, suffered
most
blcIlnS Begged For Death
Tor some tire efore the flames
reached them from the car below and
behind them they were enveloDed in
smoke and steam. It was here that the
worst scenes were Witnessed The i'm
prisOned ones begged for death 10 end
their agonies and implOred those who
were labOring to get them free to crush
their heads with the axes they were
using to chop away the wreckage
One passenger only was severely hurt
on the Royal Blue. He was walking in
the aisle of one of the cars when the
crash came. He was hurled through
the window. One of his hands was cut
and he was badly bruised. He said he
was a son OF John Wanamaker of
Philadelphia He did good work later
on, after his hand had been bandaged-
A Doctors Bravery.
A Westfield doctor went into the
wreck and bandaged and treated the
injured even before they were released.
Some of those he treated were after
ward sunocaIed or burned TO death.
Just as the wreck occurred an east
bound train was approaching on track
No. ?. Before it could be stopped the
engine crashed into the Wreckage
which had been hurled on the track.
but it was light stuff and the engine
brushed it aside and crushed part of it
own length beyond the wreck. stopped
and, after ascertaining it had sustained
no injury itself. proceeded TO New York.
Up to 1:30 it is known that twenty
four are dead. Sixteen charred bodies
have been taken out Eight bodies were
previously taken from the wreck OF
The twenty-fOUr only one appears to
be a woman, and there Is some doubt
whether the body is that of woman.
Signals In Working Order.
The railroad officials say the signals
were in working order and that they
were property set; that the express
Overran and dashed into the block in
which the slower train already was.
Railroad men here say the engineer
probably failed TO notice the signal.
and even when he saw the tail lights
of the train ahead did not realize for
n moment that they were on the same
track as he was Travelling over. sixty
miles an hour with heavy train be
hind him, it was impossible to stop
when he realized the ruth.
The engineer of the express train,
John s. Davies. was not the regular
engineer. He was. however. familiar
with the running Of the train.