Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-01-31
MANY KILLED
AND INJURED
Appalling Wreck on Jersey Cen.
trail at GraCeIand.
"a BODIES RECOVERED
Many Bodies Believed to Have
Been Cremated.
HoRRIFYINe SCENES AT WRECK

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 Rescuers.
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 30 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 Plainf1eld; Harry G..
Hand, OF New York city; Harry Pat
terson, of Dunellen; George E. Reed,
| of Scotch Plains; Thomas Cunning, OF
Plainfeld; Rowland r. Chandler, 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
1t 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 Hammer, all of
Plainfield; 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 Crook. making stops at Eliza
beth. Westfield and Plainfield Be-
| yond Bound Brook IL 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
| 3 onto track 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.
The train ahead had sent a flagman
back, but 1t 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
1 going too fast to stop in the short dis.
lance remaining.
| The engine and the three worst
wrecked cars were piled into an awful
4
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
they found themselves hemlned 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
their clothing took fire, bat they work.
ed on though in constant danger of be-
Ing killed themselves. Some OF the in
tured were burned to death in sight
Of the men who were working with
desperation to save them. but the
flames soon gained complete mastery
| Of the last >wo cars.
L Yha Ara.