The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-28
IN AWFUL WRECK
MANY LIVES ARE LOST ON NEW
JERSEY RAILWAY.
ROYAL BLUE LINE EXPRESS
CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A
LOCAL PASSENGER TRAIN.

Last Four Cars Were Shattered by
the ShOck-Last Two Piled Upon
the mOtive-Wreckage Took
Fire from the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Efforts of Uninjured Crew and
Vicinity to Save the Injured.
Some Burned Before Their Eyes.
New York, Jan. 27.-One of the most
appalling railroad wrecks that has oc-
Cured in the vincinity of New York
for many years, the estimated loss of
life ranging from twelve to thirty
persons, occurred tonight at Grace
land on the Central Railway of New
Jersey, near Westfield, N. j., when the
Royal Blue Line express ploughed at
top seed into the rear of a local train.
Immediately after the crash three
of the shattered cars of the local train
took fire, rendering impossible the res
cue of many of the wounded, who
were pinned fast in the wreck. Many
bodies are believed to have been con-
sumed.
On board the flyer, all the passen-
gers, although badly shaken up, es-
capped uninjured except for trifing
bruises.
The dead taken to the morgue at
Plainfield are: Edgar Williams, New
York lawyer; c. P. Thayer of Plain
field, secretary to Thomas C. Plat;
Harry G. Hand of New York
City; Harry Paterson of Dunellen;
George E. Reed of Scotch Plains;
Thomas Cumin of Plainfield: Rowland
r. Chandler of Plainfeld Edward
Flynn of Plainfeld.
In addition to this list there are
many charred bodies. unidentified, still
at the scene of the wreck.
Among the injured are:
William Geddies of Dunellen. both
legs broken.
George Chandler, spine injured.
Charles Longworthy, injured all over
body
Mrs. Belch, both legs broken and
body crushed.
Mary Ryan, injured about head.
William VanVenter, cut about body
and face.
Everett Reighton, both legs cut off.
Miss Lizzie Kelly, scalp torn off.
Percy Irving, Dunellen, legs crushed.
Mrs. Quelan, bruised about body
and head.
The train run into left New York at
5:45. 1t runs as an express to Bound
Brook. making stops at Elizabeth,
Westfield and Plainfield.. Beyond
Bound Brook it runs as a local. The
Royal Blue train left fifteen minutes
LATER but travels at a high rate of
speed and makes no stop, except at
Elizabeth, and is scheduled to over
take the slower train just beyond
Graceland, where the latter switches
from track No. onto track No. to
permit the Royal Blue to pass.
This evening freight train was
blocked on track No. 4 and the local
received orders to proceed on the ex-
press track to Dunellen, and there
take the outside or No. track.
Met 1t at Full Speed.
Shortly after receiving orders the
train had to stop for hot box, which
delayed her so that when she got I'M
der way again she was due at Dunel-
len. She had just started, and was
moving slowly when the Royal Blue,
travelling apparently at full speed,
which at that point usually approx
mates sixty-five miles an hour, crash
ed 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 a head, 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 Muhlenberg Hos
pital at Plainfield, and the engineer is
not believed to have a chance of living
more than fewahours.
Passengers on the flyer say the en-
gineer applied the brakes hard a min
ute or so before the wreck. The train
ahead had sent a flagman back, but
it seems he was recalled when the train
got under way. and although he left
the torpedoes, the Royal Blue did not
heed them or else was going too fast
to stop in the short distance remain
ing.
The man who went back to flag the
train had just swung onto the rear end
of his train and is among the dead.
The engine and three worst wrecked
cars were piled into an awful 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.