The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1906-11-01
Enormous Death List as Re-
suit Of an Appalling
Wreck.
DISAPPEAR IN THE WATER
Although Heroic Efforts Are Made TO
Save Passengers, Scores Of Them
Perish in the Awful
Trap.


improviScd morguc. and n diver. who
has made "a thorough inspection OF the
submerged cars. stated that ut least
thirty bodies were still In tho coaches
AZ this hour IL Ia impossible To Identify
any OF the newly recovered bodies. The
total dead recovered now number for
/ ty-four.
| THIS awful condition. the result of
n railroad accident even worse than tho
Meadow wreck OF July 30. 1896. sent
about eighty persons TO sudden death
Sunday. catching them like rats In a
trap.
The cars or the electric train OF the
West Jersey and Scashorc railroad
lines due here ut $50 o'clock jumped
\ the track on the trcstle bridge over the
| Thorough.are river and before any
| one could get out they were hurled TO "A
! wntcry grave. The trcstle Is about flf-
I teen feet above the water and the drop
To the water required sevcrnl seconds.
giving time for the passengers, women
and children. to see and calculate their
1 fate.
Whole Town Excited.
The entire city was thrown into n
state OF excitement Fully 1900 people
crowded the Meadows and the trcstIe.
many relatives and friends crying out
in despair. asking FOR loved ones.
Chief OF Police Maxwell had "a Gordon
OF police swung around the death cir
Gle and Chief Black. of the fire depart
mcnt. called out his men and made
them police temporarily.
The accident was due to n rail-
turning In This twist threw the iirst
car on the track ana into the water.
The result was that the second and
third cars were dragged with " and
while the third car was descending
the rear portion struck a piece OF
the abutTacnt. hung FOR n short time
and then slid into the water,
But this brief stop saved several
lives. \ number of men and Few
women icapcd out Of windows and
the rear door. either Into tho water
or caught hold or post and were
rescued.
II was stated that fully so to 100
passengers were aboard
Among the passengers were twenty
men OF the Royal Artillery band. VINO
were on their way here from PklIa-
dclphia. One or two bodies OF the band
mon were recovered early in the after
noon.
Charles KcSsicr. n merchant. was the
first TO reach the scene or tue wreck
He secured an aX. jumped ON top ~
the submerged car and began To- mack
the roof To libcratc the imprisoned Uas-
sCngcrs. The task was a difficult one
and he WAS unable TO rescue many. lie
managed To get some women out ana
above water.
Heroic Service.
The third traiumnn. Brakeman Wood.
proved himself a hero. When the tram
LEFT the rails ana was humping over
the ties Wood ran 10 the rear door or
the last car threw II Wide ul,u ana
held IL for tAc pugs myers 60 escape.
lie held the door ou'n until th" car
slid on the hridg" and went int" The
water with a. lie then SWAIN % tho
shore. HIS action lu holding the door
Op,n probably saved many lives.
when the third car dropped ia the
water Henry ku,m"r waa lu the act uf
crawling from a window. Freeing
himself with an EFFORT and byiug %
strong swimmer, Ruymcr set about 90
help others. Swimming alongside the
fast sinking cur BE- kicked out Tie
glass and thus gave several passenger
an opportunity Co escape. on" was
caught In window und was drowned
before nc could ,NtgiCaic himself.
The accident was Witnessed By many
people. and rescue work was prompt.
Many strong swimmers underworld To-
dive Co tho submerged cars In search
of bodies. but 40 strong was the tide
they were forced to drslst. Profession
al divers were then secured, who
donned their uruur and went down.
isht even ittN WIRE ullAbit 10 90 ANY
thing against the tide that swir!cl
around the suulIcn cars.
Only Trolley Poles in Sisht.
Boats soon swaTncd about the spot
where the ears went down. ih,ir loCa- .
ton being marked 10y the tops OF their .
trolley poles. Although the ears got i
power from a rail they carried trolley .
poles Ia take power Grom above IL
necessary.
..sl. - IL
out or iioat,d 70 the surface II Was .
removed 90 the city morEuc.
\ Camden physician. whose name F.
Is not as yet known, together with his .
wife. Was In the first car. and both .
are believed To- bc among the dead. al
though the bodies have not been re-
covered.
one instance az a heroic and almost
miraculous escape from the FIRST coach .
s. the case 81 David Enlcy OF Camden.
Fnlcy reached Atlantic city suffering
from severe bruises about the face ana
body and carrying la his hccrItrd
arms the S-year-old Helen Gilbert. aiso .
or Camden.
~ the first lntimatlon OF danger
Finley lelped iu the platform. taking
The child with him. A. the coach .
plunged downward he sprauE into the
water and succeeded in swimming
ashore with the httlc one.
Mary Saved Themselves.
Most ~ the passengers in the coach .
were able 10 help themselves and with
the arrival 81 assistance from the city
they were removed to hospitals.
pcryhcd OF the roof Of the last car
the TcS,UCrs found Conductor Curtis
almost cyuzcd with terror and fright.
lie WAS bleeding from several cuts on
the head and wls otherwise injured.
When asked now thc accident hap
rcned his only reply was. Good God.
what IN it,"
when finally induced to talk hr
could give no clear story. When asked
about the number 81 passengers hc re-
Ilici that lac had counted 10. then
b, said $50 and finally that ne dld not
know exactly how many. Elghty-eicht
full fare tickets were found however.
and from this fact II Is taken that the
total number of passengers correspond
with the number 81 tickets
Stories Of terrible experiences are
told by those who escaped death in the
submerged coaches.
Woman Tells OF u.
a Mrs. Mcdonald. OF Philadelphia.
who WAS In tho third chr had IA. fol |