Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1906-10-31

proved himself q hero. When the train
left the rails and was humping over
the ties Wood ran to the rear door OF
the last car, threw it wide open and
held is open for the passengers to es-
cape. He held the door open until the
car slid off the bridge, and went into
the water with it. He then swan to
the shore. His action in holding the
door open probably saved many lives.
When the third car dropped into
the water Henry Roemer was in the
act of crawling from a window. Free
ing himself with an effort and. being
strong swimmer, Roemer set about to
help others. Swimming along the side
of the fast sinking car he kicked out
the glass and thus gave several pas.
sengers an opportunity to escape. One
man was caught in window and was
drowned before he could extricate
himself.
An Italian named Marco Bona, was
rescued from the third car but died
from his injuries. Boats soon swarm
ed about the spot where the cars
went down, their location being mark
ed by the tops of their trolley poles.
Although the cars get power from a
third rail they also carried trolley
poles to take power from above if ne
cessary
Two causes have been assigned fol
the derailment of the train. One Is
that the rails spread and the other
that the rails were not properly lock
ed when the draw bridge was closed
after a pleasure yacht which had just
passed through.
The man who may best be able tc
tell what caused the accident is DAME
B. Stewart, the bridge tender. Stew
art, however. is in no condition to talk
The horror of the accident has temper
arily bereft him of his reason. He is
65 years old.
He was the only person who wit
messed the plunge of the train with
its human cargo from a close point oil
vantage. The scenes which FOLLOWED
caused him to lose his reason, and
when he was found hours afterward he
could not tell rational story.
Number of Passengers Uncertain.
From the officials of the railroad
company only meagre and disconnect'
ed story of the occurrence could b'
had. The train was made up of three
heavy vestibule coaches of the newesl
type, all electrically equipped. Walter
Scott was the motorman on the for
ward car; John L. Curtis, of Camden
was the conductor in charge, and Ralph
R. Wood was the brakeman. When the
train pulled out of Camden the coaches
were comfortably filled, women an(
children being in the majority. Thel
occupied the two forward cars. A
Newfeld Junction, few miles from
here, about 20 passengers were takel
aboard, making the total number Of
the train a few less than a hundred
The conductor does not appear to
certain as to the exact number H
had SO tickets in his possession whe
he was brought to this city, but h
thinks that several tickets were lost
and it is his opinion that there wer
from 10 to 100 passengers on tn
train.
| No Warning of Death.
On leaving Westville the third-ra
electric car was applied, and the trai
from there on bowled along at its Gus
tomary speed. Not the slightest inc
dent occurred to cause the motorma
To slow down. When the drawbridg
which crosses the stream popularl
known as the "Thoroughfare" was al
preached the motorman saw a cles
track before him. There was nothir
to warn him of danger, nothing to sho
that the rail might not have been
place, in fact nothing to indicate TIL
everything was not as it should b
So the train bounded along over Il
bridge with never a hint to the unsu
pecting passengers that death won
come to many so suddenly. All
once the forward coach lurched, Il
ponderous wheels leaped the rails al
came down upon the ties. Swervil
to the left. the first coach dragged t
others after and plunged over the ed
into the water. The third coach, ho'
: ever, struck a heavy abutment, a.
was left momentarily suspended
: midair.
, Wild Screams As Cars Sank.
: AS soon as the first coach was pl
cipitated into the water there We
' screams of men, women and childrt
: Caught like so many rats in a trf
they were thrown in heaps, and WI
I. little chance these might have had
escape was cut off by the wild scrai
BILE which ensued The two cars viii
t were hurled from the bridge. sa
5 quickly in 20 feet of water, and are NJ
completely hidden from view.
= 1t is doubtful If more than a h
Y dozen persons escaped from these t
b coaches. One instance of a heroic a
9 almost miraculous escape from the fl
coach is the case of David S. Enley,
: Camden. Enley reached Atlantic c
suffering from bruises about the +;
|. and body, carrying in his lacera
e arms S-year-Old Helen Gilbert also