The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-10-29

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 Atlantic City. N. J.. Oct. 2s.-By the wrecking of three coach electric train on the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad this afternoon at least fifty passengers perished and the list may reach the total of seventy-nve when all is known.
 While crossing over a draw bridge spanning the waterway xnown as The Thoroughfare," which separates Allan tic City from the mainland. the train left the track and plung@l into the water. The passengers m the first two coaches. with one or two exceptions, were drowned. Up to midnight to- night twenty five bodies nave been re- covered and 1t is believed that at last twenty-five and possibly fifty more bodies still arc in the submerged coaches. ., -.- -..
 The disaster. the worst that has happened since the terrible Meadows wreck of July 30. 1886. occurred at half past two o'clock this afternoon. The train, made up of three heavy .yestibule alectric coaches. which .s left Camden at i o'clock in the Afternoon carried at least eighty nve passengers as that number of tickets are held by the conductor. That onlcial fs uncer- tain, however, just how many passen- gers were on the train and until all the bodies have been taken out of the submerged coaches it will not be pos sible to give the true ngures of the dead.
 The cause of the wreck has not been established. It was probably due eith- pr to defective rail or tho breaking of some part of the superstructure of the first. coach. It has also been suggest ed that the drawhridge, which had just been closed after the passage of & yacht, may not have properly locked the rails. ...-..
 All theories tonight as to the cause of the accident. however. are purely speculative. While ru..ning at a speeo said to have been moderate, the first coach left the rails and dragged those following it over the ties for a dis. tance of fifty feet. Suddenly swerv- ing. the first two coaches plunged over the side of the bridge into the water fifteen feet below.
 Coach Struck Abutmept.
 The third coach struck an abutment. broke its couplings and for a brief time hung suspended over the water. Brief as was this period, however, 1t gave more than a score of passengers an opportunity to escape by the rear door. Then the car slid off and eeI- lowed the other two into the water It is, believed every one in the third coach escaped alive, although all were injured.
 The accident was witnessed by many persons on shore and assistance was promptly sent from Atlantic City. Lit tie. 1t Is believed. was done, how ever. toward saving the lives of those imprisoned in the submerged coaches. The water at the point where tine train plunged in was not deep enough to cover the coaches at first but as they quickly settled in the mud and as the tide rose they were soon hidden from sight except for the trolley poles. Div CTS were sent down to try to reach darkness set in and as the tide ran more swiftly they were unable for long time to reach them.
 Late in the evening a wrecking crew arrived on the scene and with their aid and the use of a derrick, dozen or more bodies were taken out and brought to this city. Of the twenty five bodies about twenty have been identified and 1t is believed no dlftt- culty will be experienced in establish ing the identity of the others.
 The cars of the elctric train A, ,h. West Jersey and Saashore Rilroad lines due her at 2:30 o'clock iumned tha track on the trestle bridge over inc ''Thoroughfare. an arm of the sea which separates Atlantiq City from the mainland, and before any could oet out they wer hurled to a watery grave The trestle is about fifteen feet above water and the drop to the water rao quired several seconds, giving time for the passengers, men women and chil. dren, to see and calculate their fate
 The entire city was thrown into a state of great excitement when the news reached town. Fully 5000 peo- ple crowded the Meadows and trestIe many relatives and friends crying ont in des pair. asking for loved ones
 Chief of Police Maxwell had cor don of police strung around the death circle. and Chief Black. of the Fire Department, called out his men on the emergency call and made them police temporarily.
 Seven bodies had been recovered up 10 oclock tonight and the wrtcking the submerged cars from the water, where fully seventy bodies must be entombcd
 Rail Turned I'm.
 The accident was due to rail .turning in" It appears that the rail which was an outside one on the right hand side coming down. must have