The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-28
A Pennsylvania & Reading Ex-
press at High Speed
Ploughs Through Local Pass
enger Train.
TWENTY-FIVE ARE DEAD
Three Cars of the Local Train
Caught Fire
Many Injured Believed to Have
Perished in Flames.
ENGINEER AT FAULT.
He Acknowledged His Error Be-
fore He Died.
Secretary to Senator Platt
Among Those Killed.
AThird Train Plunged Through
Wreckage.
ENGINEER AT FAULT.
He Acknowledged His Error Be-
fore He Died.
Secretary to Senator Platt
Among Those Killed.
AThird Train Plunged Through
Wreckage.

Nreckages
New York. Jan. 2s-Up to noon to-
day the total loss OF life by last nights
train wreck on the Central Railway of
New Jersey at Graceland. n. J.. was be-
lieved TO be % of these Is bodies had
been identified and the rest were held
at Plainfeld for Identification. From
the wreckage u bodies were taken, in
Guiding w. E. Davis. engineer of the
Reading express. and Thomas Nc
Carthy fireman. The former died in a
hospital today More than so persons
were injured, some of them very Sc
vereiy- The hospital reports today were.
however, that with perhaps one or two
exceptions all would recover.
The blame for the accident is placed
by the railroad officials on Engineer
Davis of the Philadelphia and Reading
express. and according to a policeman
who took Davis from the smashed cab.
Davis admitted that he had taken
chances and disresarded the danger sig
nails because ne expected to see the red
and green lights change to white as he
neared them. They did not change but
&c was too late to stop and ia an in,
stant the crash came, carrying death to
more than q score.
The scenes following the wreck were
unusually horrible because the cars
were splintered almost to kindlng wood
hot Goals from the engine fire box
poured out and the wood was soon burn
ing fiercely. What hope there had been
of rescuing the wounded in the last caI
c,f the local had to be given up as the
flames spread and undoubtedly some OF
the wounded. imprisoned 10y the debris
were burned to death. An east-bound
train ran into the wreckage and added
to the loss Of life. Most Of the pas
sengers on the local. or which all of
those killed were riding. We're wen-to-do
residents OF Plainfeld. N J.. and near
by towns who were returning to their
homes from their places of business in
New York.
GENERAL MANAGERS VERSION.
w. G Hesler vice president and gen
eral manager of the Central Railway of
New Jersey, who made an Investigation
of the wreck gave out a statement to-
day in which he said that the accident
was due to the element of human falli-
bility'' in railroad operation.
The company" he said has in
stalled what is known as the electro
Dneumatic-automatic system of block
signalling( the signals working before,
during and after accidents. The sig.
nails were working all right before and
after tie accident as we sound on in
vestizauon. It seems then that along
came the Philadelphia express. one of
our hourly trains between New York
and Philadelphia, and flying past all the
warnings was driven by its engineer
info
to telescope three of its coaches. So
far as I can ascertain. the only expla-
nation Davis. the engineer of the
express gave is that he dill
not see any red lights But he was
In such critical condition that he
barely knew what he was saying. Da-
Wis was a thoroughly competent engi-
neer. and had a very good record.
Soon after the wreck the Somervir.
local came through on another track
and its cars We're sratched a little. but
the reports that this train ran into the
wreck and caused further loss of life
are wholly false"
STORY OF THE WRECK
New York. Jan 2s-One of the nnosr
appalling railroad wrecks that has oc-
CURED i'm the vicinity of New York for
Graceland. on the Central Railway of
New Jersey near Westheld, n. j., when
the Philadelphia & Reading express
ploughed at top speed into the rear Of
a local train.
Immediately after the crash three OF
the shattered cars of the local train
TOOK Iire, rendering impossible the res
cue OF many of the wounded who were
pinned tast In the wreck
Two wrecHng crews worked all night
taxing the bodies from the wreck. In
al u bodies were taken from the wreck
age and the following identihcations
have been made.
IDENTIFIED DEAD
ROWLAND T. CHANDLER. Plain
field. N. J.
THOMAS A. CUMMING. PlainfeId.
I'D W ARD FLYNN. Plainfeld.
N J. 'le IL
n 's'liiS'
G z. THAYER, Plainvine.
EDWARD WILLIAMS. PlafnfeId
FREDERICK WALSER. Plafnfeld
w. z. DAVIS. the engineer Of the
Reading EXPRESS, died today.
IHOS. MCCARTHY. fireman on the
Reading express; died today.
HARRY ROGERS. PIainheld.