The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-01-28
Appalling Disaster Occurs on Cen.
trail Railroad Near West.
field, N. J.
FAST TRAINS IN COLLISION
Royal Blue Passenger Crashes
Into Local and Wreck Heap
Catches Fire From the
Locomotive.

New York, Jan. 27..r-One Of the most
appalling railroad wrecks that has oc-
Cured In the vicinity OF New York.
the estimated loss Of lie being al least
"a persons took place tonight az Grace
land. on the Central railroad Of New
Jersey. near Westfied, N. J., when u
Royal iIiue line express plowed at top
speed into the rear Of local train
Immediately after the crash three OF
the shattered ears Of the local train
took ilre. rendering impossible the res.
cue OF the many wounded who were pin
ned fast IN the wreck Many Of the
bodies wcrc believed 10 have been con-
sumed,
on board the ilyer all the passen-
gers, though badly shaken up. escaped
unlnlured except for triiing bruises.
The train which WAS run into leaves
New York at 5:i5 and runs as an ex-
press to Bound Brook making stops
a, Elizabeth, Westheld and plainheId.
Beyond Bound Iirook II runs AS local,
The Royal Blue train ltft IL minutes
later, but travels at higher speed and
makes no stops except at Elizabeth.
aud Is scheduled TO oyertake the slower
train just beyond Graceland. where the
latter switches from track No. into
track No. 10 permit the Royal Blue
10 pass.
This evening freight train was block
ed on track No and the local receIv-
ed orders TO proceed on the express
track 10 Dunucllen an dthere take the
outside or No. track, shortly after
receiving orders the train had 10 stop
for hot box, which caused u delay so
that. when II got under way again, II
WAS due at Dunnellen. The train had
Just started and was moving slowly
when the Royal Blue travelling at Is
miles an hour, crashed into the rear
end. The heavy engine of the Royal
Blue tore It's way into the rear car,
anl az the same time drove the for
ward end OF that ear into the rear end
OF the car ahead, which In turn was
driven into a third ear and this in turn
into a 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 its side, the
engineer and fireman sticking to their
posts ana going down In the wreck,
They are now In the hospital at Plaln>
field.
The engineer Is not believed to have
any chance OF living more than n few
hours, The passengers on the flyer say
the engineer applied the brakes hard a
minute or two before the wreck, The
train had sent n tlagman but 1t seems
he was recalled when the train got un-
der way. and. although he placed tor
pedoes, the Royal Blue did not heed
them. or else was going too fast 10 stop
In the short distance remaining, The
man who went back to flag the train
had just swung onto the rear of his
train ana Is among the dead.
The engine and three ears which We're
wrecked We're piled in a heap, contain-
ing at least 100 dead or 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 We're
intensified as they found themselves
hemmed IN by the flames,