Milford chronicle., 1903-01-30
MANY KILLED
AND INJURED
4.
Appalling Wreck on Jersey Gen.
traI at GraCeIand.
"a BODIES RECOVERED
Many Bodies Believed to Have
Been Cremated.
HoRRlFYINe SCENES AT WRECK
"a BODIES RECOVERED
HoRRIFNNe SCENES AT WRECK

Royal Blue Express PIoughed Into Lo-
cal Train at Terrific Speed, shatter-
ing Three Cars. and Before Injured
Could Be Rescued Two of the Cars
Were Consumed BY Fire-Victims
Were cremated In Sight Of Reseuers.
New York, Jan. 2S.-One of the most
appalling railroad wrecks that has oc-
CURED in the vicinity of New York for
many years, the loss of life being esti-
mated at not less than 80 persons, took
place last night at Graceland, on the
Central Railroad of New Jersey, near
Westfield, N. j.. when the Royal Blue
line express ploughed at top speed
into the rear of a local train. Imme-
diately after the crash three of the
shattered cars of the local train took
fire, rendering impossible the rescue
of many of the wounded, who were
pinned fast in the wreck. Many
bodies are believed to have been con-
sumed.
The dead so far identified are: Ed
gar Williams, a New York lawyer;
c. G. Sayer, of Plainfieid; Harry G.
Hand, of New York city; Harry Pat
terson. of Dunellen; George E. Reed,
of Scotch Plains; Thomas Cunning, of
ChonIIo- Of
Plainfeld; Edward Flynn, of Plain
field.
In addition to this list there are
many charred bodies, unidentified, still
at the scene of the wreck.
It is known that there are "a dead.
Sixteen charred bodies have now been
taken out Eight dead were either re-
covered before the fire or died after
being taken out of the wreck.
Those injured are: Edward Clark,
William Sampson, Miss Lizzie Cutter,
William Dunn, George Force. Howard
R. George, Miss Mildred Everett, Mrs.
d. Cunning, E. NJ. Brokaw, Miss Cora
Brokaw, Frederick Kanner, all Of
Plainfeld; Roy Apgar and William
Frederick, of Dunellen, N. j.; William
Geddies, of Dunellen, both legs broken;
George Chandler, spine injured;
Charles Longworthy, injured all over
the body; Mrs. Belch, both legs broken
and body crushed; Mary Ryan, injured
about head; William Van Venter, cut
about body and face; Everett Reign
ton, both legs cut off; Miss Lizzie
Keller, scalp torn off; Percy Irving, of
Dunellen, legs crushed; Mrs. Quelean,
bruised about body and head.
The train which was run into left
New York at 5.45 and ran express to
Bound Brook, making stops at Eliza
beth, Westfield and Plainfield. Be-
yond Bound Brook it runs as a local.
The Royal Blue train left Is minutes
later, but travels at a higher speed
and makes no stops, except at Eliza
beth, and is scheduled to overtake the
slower train just beyond Graceland,
where the latter switches from track
onto track 4 to permit the Royal
Blue to pass.
Last evening a freight train was
blocked on track 4, and the local re-
ceived orders to proceed on the ex-
press track to Dunellen and there take
the outside track She had just start
ed and was moving slowly when the
Royal Blue, travelling apparently at
full speed. which at that point usually
approximates 65 miles an hour,
crashed into the rear end.
The heavy engine of the Royal Blue
tore its way into the rear car. and at
the same time drove the forward end
of that car into the rear end of the
car ahead, which in turn was driven
into the third car, and this in turn
was driven into the fourth car from
the rear. The fourth car was only
partly wrecked, but the last three were
torn to pieces.
The engine of the Royal Blue left
the rails and turned over on her side,
the engineer and fireman sticking to
their posts and going down in the
wreck. They are now in the Mullen
berg Hospital at Plainfeld, and the /
engineer is not believed to have a
chance of living. 3
Inc LIdlu dlCaA AeAa nNA-N "a AAeo--N---
back, but it seems he was recalled
when the train got under way and,
although he left torpedoes the Royal
Blue did not heed them. or else was
going too fast to stop in the short dis
tance remaining.
The engine and the three worst
wrecked cars were piled into an awful
heap, containing at least 100 dead and
injured. From the mass came fearful
cries for aid. A minute later the
wreck caught fire from the fire box
of the locomotive. The screams of the
injured in the heap were intensified as
thew found themselves hemmed in by
the flames. The passengers in the
two forward cars of the first train and
all the men from the express and
every one in the neighborhood went
to work at once to get out the injured
before the flames could reach them.
At times while toiling in the wreckage
the flames reached the rescuers, and