Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-10-29


4 Is electric line OF the West Jersey q
Seashors, railroad developed during the
might. the disaster became more ap-
pallinR. Tho total number Of persons
whose lives were snuffed out almost
instantly IL probably sixty-six with
nearly score injured, and several OF
them, 1t is thought, will die. Forty
eight bodies have already been brought
to the surface. There were ninety -one
persons on the train. fifteen passes and
seventy-six fares. Twenty-Five Of this
number have been accounted for,
which, with the bodies recovered,
brings tie total to seventy -three. This
leaves eighteen persons not accounted
for and who are supposed to have
been drowned. Il Is possible some OF
these may never be found, as 1t is the
belief OF the divers that some of the
bodies floated thru the broken VIM
dows out into the thoroughfare, and
were carried by the swift current out
into the Atlantic.
lAany Seeking Relatives.
Early morning trains brought many
persons from Philadelphia and other
points, anxious to learn II their dear
ones had been swept to death by the
awful disaster. The dead thus far
Identified were residents Of either
Pennsylvania or New Jersey. The
wreck occurred at the drawbridge
which tpans the thoroughfare of a
small waterway about a mile outside
the city just on the eastern edge of the
meadows and was directly due to the
draw falling to work properly. The
fishing schooner Sinbad had just pass
ed thru the drawbridge. AS the schoo-
ner was entering the draw. the electric
train hove In sight and started across
the meadow from the direction OF
>Pleasartville Before the draw had
swung into position the three cars,
which we're running at high rate of
speed, dashed onto the trestle With
q lurch the forward car left the rails
and dashed, into the guard rail, the
other two cars following. At the point
where the cars jumped the track the
top of the trestle is nearly twenty feet
high. The first two cars were instant.
ly submerged, but the third car caught
an abutment and remained suspended
It was this car from which nearly all
the injured escaped.
Rescue Work Slow.
The 1ews Of the disaster was quick
ly telegraphed to this city, and in less
than arl hour the work of rescue had
been begun. At the time Of the acci-
dent the tide, which rises about ten
feet, was running in and the work Of
rescuing lives was necessarily slow.
It was not until several hours later
that the divers were able to make any
progress. Then awful evidences of the
disaster became more apparent. When
the two cars struck the bottom of the
Waterway, luSy SlOOu dliAOSI OA clltt
and the first man to descend reported
the victims were packed in the lower
ends o. the submerged cars so tightly,
that 1t was difficult to move them. One
by one the bodies were carried to a
waiting, train and laid side by side, Ia
ter to be borne to the city and place1
in the Empire theater, which was
pressed into service as a temporary
morgue. Thousands Of persons quick
ly gathered at the scene of the disas-
ter, and score of boats soon sur
rounded the spot, where the cars dis
appeared, but they were unable to rem
der any aid, and could only await the
arrival of divers. At the morgue the
scenes were pathetic. Persons who
had friends on the i'll fated cars,
crowded about the door and were with
difficulty restrained from forcing their
way into the building
Heartrending Scenes.
One Of the most heartrending incl
dents was furnished by Frederick
Benickert, who lost his entire family.
Df wife and two children. Benickert