Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-02-04

TerrlbIe aallroad wreek In New Jersey.

n
New York, January 2s.--The
most appalling railroad wreck that
has occurred in the vicinity of New
York in many years, the loss of life
being estimated at not less than
thirty persons, took place o-night at
Graceland, near Westfield, N. j., on
the Central Railroad of New Jersey,
when the Royal Blue line express,
westbound, plunged at top speed,
into the rear of local train.
After the crash three cars of the
local train took fire, rendering inn
possible the rescue of many of the
wounded who were pinned fast in
the wreck. Many bodies are be-
lieved to have been consumed.
On board the flyer all the passen-
gers, although badly shaken up,
escaped uninjured except for triAing
bruises.
The train that was run into left
New York at 5.45, runs as an ex-
press to Boundbrook, making stops
at Elizabeth, Westfield and Plain
field. Beyond Boundbrook it runs
as local. The Royal Blue train
left fifteen min Stes later. 1t travels
at a high speedN md makes no stops
except at Elizabeth and is scheduled
to overtake the slower train Just be-
yond Graceland, where the latter
switches from track three on to
track four to permit the Royal Blue
to pass.
This evening freight train was
blocked on track four and the local
received orders to proceed on the
express track at Dunellon, and there
take the outside, on No. 4 track.
Shortly after receiving orders the
train had to stop for hot box
which delayed her 80 that when she
got underway again she was due at
Dunellon. She had just started and
was moving slowly when the Royal
Blue, travelling apparently at full
speed, which at THAT point usually
approaches 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 for
ward 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 Royal Blue engine left the rails
and turned over on its side, the en-
gineer and firemen sticking to their
posts and going down in the wreck,
and the engineer, it is believed, can
live only few hours.
Passengers of the flyer say the
engineer applied the brakes hard a
minute or 80 before the wreck. The
train ahead had sent fagman back,
but it seems he was recalled when
the train got under way, and, al
though he left torpedoes, the Royal
Blue did not heed them, or else was
going too fast to stop in the short
distance remaining. The man who
went back to flag the train had just
swung into the rear end of his train,
and is among the dead.
The engine and the three worst
wrecked cars were piled into a heap,
containing at least one hundred
dead and injured. From the mass
came fearful cries for aid. "A minute
later the wreck caught fire from the
fire box. The screams of the in
jured in the heap were intensified as
they found themselves hemmed in
by the flames.
The eight while the wreck was
burning was horrifying. Men could
be seen in the wreckage pinned fast
amid the timbers of the cars and
struggling to be free, while the
flames roared around them. The
rescuers were helpless to aid them.
ENGINEER CAUSED THE WRECK.
New York, January 28.-Police-
man Lynch, speaking of last nights
railroad accident at Graceland, N. j.,
said this morning: "I assisted in
carrying Davis, the engine driver,
from the engine. He was terribly
injured. He said: Il was response
BILE for the accident. / saw the dan
ger signal, but expected 1t to turn
white