The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-01-30
TWENTY-F0UR ARE
KILLED IN A WRECK
Royal Blue Express Crashes
Into Rear of a Local at
0raceIand. N. J.
FATALITIES ON LOCAL
FATALITIES ON LOCAL
Passengers on the Flyer Escaped IN.
injured, Except for Triflins Bruises
Many Dead Consumed
by Fire.

New York, Jan. 29-One OF the most
appalling railroad wrecks that has oc-
Cured in the vicinity of New York for
many years-the estimated loss of life
ranging from twelve to thirty persons
took place last night at Graceland, on
the Central Railway of New Jersey,
near Westfield, N. j., when the Royal
Blue Line 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 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 consumed.
On board the flyer all the passengers,
although badly shaken up, escaped un-
injured, except for trifling bruises.
List of Killed and Injured.
The dead, so far as identified, are:
EDWARD WILLIAMS, New York law
G; P. THAYER Of Plahheld, secretary
HARRY g: HAND Of New York city.
HARRY PATTERSON of Dunellen.
GEoRGE RED Of Scotch Plains.
EDWARD FYLNN of Plainfield
In addition to this list there are many
charred bodies unidentified still at the
scene of the wreck
The list of the injured at the hospital in
Plainfield is as follows.
Edward Clark.
William Sampson
4 Miss Lizzie Gutter
William Dunn.
George Force.
Howard R. George.
Miss Mildred Everett
Mrs. d. U. Cumn,ing.
E. NJ. Brokaw.
Frederick kannen, all Of Plainfield.
i 4
William Frederick of Dunellen, N. j.
The train which was run into left
New York at 5:45 o'clock and runs ex-
press to Bound Brook, making stops at
Elizabeth. Westfeld and Plainfield. Be
yond Bound Brook it runs as a local.
The Royal Blue train left fifteen
minutes later, but travels at higher
speed and makes no stops except at
Elizabeth, and is scheduled to overtake
the slower train just beyond Grace
land, where the latter switches to per-
nit the Royal Blue to pass.
Hot Box Caused Wreck.
This evening a 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. Shortly
after receiving orders the train had to
stop for a 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 usually
approXimates sixty five miles an hour,
crashed into the rear end.
The heavy engine of the Royal Blue
tore it's 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.
AT 2:30 a. m. it is known there are
twenty-four dead. Sixteen charred
bodies have now been taken out Eight
dead We're previously taken from the
wreck.
OF the twentyf four dead only one ap-
pears to be a woman, and there is some
doubt whether the body is that of
woman.