The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1903-01-30
IAN APPALLING WRECK.
Express Train Ploughs Into Local
and Fire Adds TO Horror.
It Is Known That % Persons Lost
Their LiVes-Sixteen Charred
Bodies Have Been Recovered
From the Debris.


New York, Jan. 28.-One Of the
most appalling railroad wrecks that
has occurred in the vicinity of New
York for many years, the estimated
loss of life ranging from 20 to 80 per-
sons, occurred Tuesday night at
Graceland, on the Central railroad, Of
New Jersey. near Westfield, N. j.,
when the Royal Blue line express
plowed at top speed into the rear of a
local train.
Immediately after the crash three Of
took fire, rendering impossible the res
cue of many of the wounded who were
pinned fast in the wreck. Many bod
les are believed to have been con-
sumed.
On board the flyer all the passengers,
although badly shaken up, escaped un-
injured except for trifling bruises.
Tuesday 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, or No. 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 slow
ly when the Royal Blue, travelling ap-
parently 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 it's side,
the engineer and fireman sticking to
their posts and going down in the
wreck. They are now in the Muhl-
enburg hospital at Plainfeld and the
engineer, it is believed, can live only
a few hours.
The firemen from Westfield were
summoned by telephone, but arrived
too late to save many lives. Doctors
were called for from Elizabeth, West
field and Plainfield, and there was a
score on hand. The parlor cars of the
Royal Blue line train were converted
into temporary hospitals. The dead
as they were taken out we're laid in
row alongside the track until means
could be found to convey them to
Plainfield.
The firemen after a time mastered
the flames. Then the wreckage was
attacked again and the work Of recov-
ering the bodies was begun. Out Of
the first car eight bodies were taken.
The sight while the wreck was burn
ing was horrifying. Men could be
seen in the wreckage pinned fast amid
the timbers of the cars and struggling
to be free while the flames roared
around them. The rescuers were
AOAPlCOo W oIO lHOu1y DIS LuOy dl"
ready had been driven from the wreck
by tn flames. One of these who tried
to take out a man pinned in the wreck
found that he was held down by one
leg near the ankle and knowing it
would be useless to do anything else,
is said to have finally severed the
mans leg and then carried him to one
of the parlOr cars. The rescued man
and his rescuer were badly burned.
The imprisoned ones begged for
death to end their agonies and i'm
plored those who were laboring to get
them free to crush their heads with
the axes they were using to chop away
the wreckage.
At 40 o'clock Wednesday morning
it was known there are "a dead in the
railroad wreck at Graceland, N. J. Six
teen charred bodies have now been
taken out. Eight dead were either
recovered before the fire or died after
bling taken out of the wreck. Among
the dead is c. P. Thayer, secretary to
Thomas G. Plat.