The Dickinson press., 1903-01-31
APPALLING WRECK
FULLY THIRTY PEOPLE KILLED
IN A COLLISION ON JERSEY
CENTRAL RAILROAD.
"a
:'7Eh' =,
UPWARDS OF SEVENTY OTHERS
SUSTAIN INJURIES, some OF
WHOM WILL DIE.
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FIRE ADDS TO HORROR OF THE
SCENE AND MANY BODIES
ARE CONSUMED.

New York, Jan. 28.-The most ap.
palling railroad wreck that has oc.
CURED in the vicinity Of New York In
many years, the loss Of life being es'
timated at not less than thirty persons.
took place during the night at Grace.
land, near Westfield, N. j., on the Cen.
trail Railroad of New Jersey, when the
Royal Blue Line express, westbound.
plunged at top speed into the rear of a
local train.
Seven bodies only have been iden-
titled, while sixteen more almost unrec-
ognizable corpses have been recovered.
In addition. it is a:.nost certain that
many bodies remain in the wreck.
OF the twenty-three dead, only one
some doubt whether the body is that
of woman.
Immediately after the crash, three
of the shattered cars of the local train
took fire. rendering impossible the
rescue of many of the injured who
we're pinned fast in the wreck. Many
bodies are believed to have been con.
sumed.
On board the flyer all the passengers
but one, although badly shaken up, es.
capped uninjured except for trifling
bruises.
Was a Rear.End Collision.
The train which was run into left
New York at 5:45 and runs express to
Bound Brook, making stops at Eliza
beth, Westfleld and Plainfeld. Beyond
Bound Brook it runs as local. The
Royal Blue train left fifteen minutes
later, but travels at 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 to permit the Royal
Blue to pass.
During the evening q freight train
was blocked on track 4, and the local
received orders to proceed on the ex.
press track to Dunellen and there take
the outside or No. 4 track. Shortly
after receiving orders. the train had to
stop for hot box, which delayed her
SO that when she got under way again
she was due at Dunellen. She had just
started and was moving slowly, when
the Royal Blue, travelling apparently
at full speed, which at that point usu
ally .approximates sixty-five miles an
hour, crashed into tho rear end.
The heavy engine OF the Royal Blue
tore it's way into the rear car and al
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.
Flames Add to the Horror.
When the engine ploughed into the
rear car, it partly split the car open
and at the same time lifted it up and
onto itself. This car was the first to
take fire and most Of those In it are
dead Some Of them are believed to
be beneath the overturned engine
Those in the car ahead. which vas
lifted over the rear car, suffered the
most, for, some time before the flames
reached them from the car below and
behind them, they were enveloped iu
smoke and steam, and It was here that
the worst scenes were witnessed. The
imprisoned ones begged for death to
end their agonies and implored those
who were laboring to get them free
to crush their heads with the axes
they we're using to chop away the
wreckage.
The railroad officials say the signals
were in working order and that they
were properly set, and 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 signals
and even when he saw the tail lights
of the train ahead did not realize for q
moment that they we're on the same
track that he was, instead Of being on
track 4, where they usually were
Travelling over sixty miles an hour
with heavy train behind him, 1t was
utterly impossible to stop when he re-
allied the truth.