The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-11-01

six paving fares. twenty-five of TINS
number have been accounted for
which. with the bodies recovered bring
the total to Seycnty-SiX. This leaNe>
fifteen persons not accounted for ana
who are supposed To have been drown
ed. 1t is possible that some OF these
may never bee found. as it is the belief
of the divers that the bodies foated
through the broken WINDOWS out into
1.-The Thoroughfare and were carried 10y
the swift current out into the Atlantic.
Scene Of the Disaster.
The wreck took place at the draw
bridge which spans the Thoroughfare
a small waterway about one mile out
side Of this city. just on the eastern
edge Of the meadows and was directly
due to the draw falling to work proper
". The fishing schooner Snbad. which
was recently wrecked off Winter Quar-
ter shoals light short distance from
the Delaware hreakwater. had just
passed through the drawbridge. As
the schooner was leaving the draw the
electric train came in sight aud started
across the meadow from the direction
IF Pleasantville. Before the draw had
swung into position the three cars,
which were running at high rate OF
speed. dashed on to the trestle. With
"a lurch the forward car let the rails
and dashed into the guard rail. the 9th
er two cars following At the point
where the cars jumped the track the
top Of the trcstle is nearly twenty feet
high Even had the ears been open it
is doubtful whether many of the pas
sengerS would have escaped. because
they must have been stunned by the
dive from the treStle
The first two cars were instantly sub
merged. but the third car Of the train
caught on an abutment and remained
suspended. 1t was this car from which
nearly all of the injured escaped.
The news Of the awful disaster was
quickly telegraphed to this city. and
in less than an hour rescucrs were nj
work. At the time of the accident the
tide which rises about ten feet. was
running in. and the work of the divers
was necessarily slow. 1t was not until
several hours later that the divers were
able to make any progress. Then the
awful evidence Of the disaster became
more apparent.
Thousands Of persons quickly gath.
epa1 of flo ..ano Of fIa 1f1aefav. aud a
score Of boats soon surrounded the
spot where the cars disappeared. bat
they We're unable to render any aid
and could only await the arrival of the
1ivers.
Terrible Sight Met Eyes Of Divers.
When the two cars struck the bottom
IF the waterway they stood almost on
end. and the first man to descend re
ported that the victims were packed
IN the lower ends Of the submerged
ears so tightly that il was difficult to
move them. He said that the bodies
Of men. women and children, many of
them badly cut and bruised. bore grim
proof Of the terrible sufferings of the
victims. Faces were distorted and
clothes torn during the brief -agonies
which the victims must have endured.
one by one the bodies were carried
10 waiting train and laid side by
side later TO he borne to this city and
placed in the old Empire theater which
was pressed into service as q morgue.
Pathetic Scenes at Morgue.
At the mOrgue the scenes were pa
thctic. Persons who had friends on the
i'll fated cars crowded about the Ell
trance and were with difficulty re-
strained from forcing their way into
the building. One Of the most heart
rendlng incidents was furnished by
Frederick Benckert, who lost his en-.
tire family a wife aud two children.
Benckert was not informed of the ac-
cident until too late to catch a train.
and he hurried here in an automobile.
When he saw the bodies of his wife
and two little boys lying side by side
on the floor Benckert collapsed and
had TO be carried from the building
Samuel McElrOy OF 2O29 Green street.
philadelphia, after sleepless night
found his family wiped out by the dis
aster. His wife and daughter were
lying dead in the morgue and his three
year-old boy missing. With none but
strangers to sustain him he entered
and with face drawn with anguish
identified the body of his daughter
Olivia. Eve years old. In the row OF
mature bodies that of a woman was
pointed out by McElroy as that Of his
wife, Then when the officials max
ing record Of the Identification asked |
for his address the broken hearted man
replied: "It was 2020l Green street, but |
sheil never rs,ara }bere. seSo9 only
ls9o0o ffS. our bfns''sa ~ Auipss' :
s' troops with more modern wea