The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-29
THREE ELECTRIC CARS
HURLED FROM TRESTLE
Continued from Page I

out a statement showing that according
TO information received here, no more
than fifty-seven Of the eighty persons in
the train lost their lives in the Atlantic
City accident The statement follows:
Electric train No. 165. consisting of
three coaches, which left Camden at l
p. M, left Pleasantville on time and was
running al a speed OF about twenty miles
an hour. and left the rails at the west
end of the drawbridge over the Thor
Oughfare," near Atlantic City, at about
2:25 p. m, and plunged into the water.
Signal Was Clear.
The first two cars were entirely sub
merged, and the third car partially sub
merged with the rear end resting on the
crlbbing under the drawbridge. The bridge
was found closed properly and locked,
the signal showing clear movement.
The track was in good condition and I'M
til the cars can be raised out of the wa
ter ii is not possible to find the cause
of the accident. 1t was necessary TO pro-
cure divers before the train could be
raised, and these are now working on the
wreck. Divers not being available at At
lantlc City, they nad to be procured from
Camden and Philadelphia. General Man
ager Atterbury, with a force of men, is
OF the ground, and every effort is be-
ing made 10 remove the cars from the
water and recover the bodies. 1t is hoped
that with the removal of the cars a criti-
cal examination of the equipment can bt,
made so that the cause of the accident
may be determined.
Equipment Was New
All possible effort is being made To
learn the names OF the passengers on
the train. The bodies recovered are be-
ing placed in charge of undertakers to
await Identification. The equipment OF
the train was entirely new having been
in service but few weeks and is he
nRXRd have haan aarfa IN,
Spect- The train had. leaving Pleasant
VILE. seventy-nipe passengers of whom
twenty-three have been accounted for as
being safe, and it is believed that sew
eral more escaped
The motorman, Walter C. Scott. was
drowned. The conductor, J. O Curtis
and the brakeman. X. 3. Wood escaped
Eleven bodies have been recovered
Story of Survivor.
The stories of terrible experiences are
told by those who escaped death in the
submerged coaches. A Mrs Mcdonald of
Philadelphia, who was in the third car
had the following experience;
When the ears went overheard ] was
looking out of the window. 1t was ter
rible. ] saw that we We're all doomed
and my first thought was of my husband
The cars plunged over and the water
rushed into the doorways and windows
Fortunately, L am good swimmer. The
Lord only knows how l broke my way
through a window but l did. As / rose
TO the surface, L thought of my husband
and l dove down in the faint hope that L
could reach him. L went down and down
and finally grabbed a body. l came UP
with ii and discovered that / had rescued
some other man. ! dove two times more
and each time I brought up a strange
man. The fourth time ! went down
reached my husband and succeeded in
landing him safely ashore"
Mrs. Mcdonald is now at the home of
Mr.. and Mrs. I. Y. Townsend in this city.
and her husband is with her. Both are
pretty well bruised and suffering from
shock.
Saw Train Go Down.
J. S Deford. a trainman who was on
the Meadows about fifty yards from the
bridge when the accident occurred. said
al was looking out of my bunk window
and noticed the train as it entered the
bridge AS I looked ] saw it give a twist
and the next instant the whole train went
over into the water. / hurried over to do
what l could and caught two dead bodies
and saved one man. As we were working
the tide began TO rise and the cars which
first showed the tops of their roofs,
gradually disappeared. ! can well imag-
Inc the horrible state of affairs that eX-
listed within the cars. There We're hats.
coats and umbrellas and every sort of
wearing apparel floating around on the
waters surface.
1T was not long before crowds began
to arrive. and the work of rescue COM
menced Charles Kessler local commits
sion merchant, was the first man To jump
/ in and act as leader. He seized an AK
! and began to hack away at the top of the
4 car trying to liberate the entombed pas
| sengers. He could not make much head
way About this time John COoney. a
| diver arrived. and hastily donned his
| diving suit and went down and made a
| survey of the situation and tried to
/ break the windows and pull out the
/ bodies. As the electricity was shut off,
we could get no lights to work by, and
| the wrecking crew had to work as best
| they could