The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-11-02
TROLLEY CARS
TAKE TUMBLE
And Seventy-Five Passengers GO
Down to Watery Grave.
MOST FRIGHTFUL HORROR
Catastrophe Occurred at Atlantic City.
Cars Fell From Bridge Into 30 Feet
Of Water.

VI WdlGIs
A special from Atlantic City, N. j.,
says By the wrecking of a three
coach electric train on the West Jer-
seyand seashore railroad Sunday af-
ternoon, at least 80 passengers per
ished and the list may reach the total
Of rs when all is known. The victims
were caught like rats in a trap.
While crossing over drawbrdge
spanning the waterway known as
THE Thoroughfare," which separates
Atlantic City from the mainland, the
train left the track and plunged into
The wator. The passengers in the first
two coaches, with one or two excep-
lions, We're drowned.
The trestle is about Is feet above
the water and the drop to the water
required several seconds, giving time
for the passengers-men, women
and children-to see and calculate
their fate.
The disaster, the worst that has
happened since the terrible Meadows
wreck, OF July 60 1896. occurred at
2:30 O'Clock D. m The train made
up Of three heavy veatlbuIe electric
coaches which left Camden at
o'clock, carried at least IS passengers,
as that number of tickets are held
BY the conductor That official IS I'M
certain. however lust how many pas
sengers wore on the train,
The cause OF the wreck has not
been established. It was probably due
either to g defective rail or the break
ing Of some part of the superstruc-
ture of the first coach. 1t has also
been suggested that the drawbridge,
which had just been closed after the
passage ol yacht. may not have
been properly locked to the rails, All
theories as to the cause of the acct
deny, however are purely specula-
tive.
While running al a speed said to
have been moderate. The first coach
left the rails and dragged those fol-
lowing it over the ties for a distance
OF SO feet. Suddenly swerving, the
first two coaches plunged over the
side Of the bridge into the water
rs feet below The third coach
struck an abutment broke its coup
lines and, for Q brief time, hung sus
pended over Che water Brief as was
this period. however, it gave more
than score Of passengers an op-
portunity to escape by the rear door
Then the car slid off, and followed the
other two into The water 1t is be.
Heved every one In the third coach
escaped alive, although all were in
iured.
The accident was witnessed by
mauy persons on shore, and assist
ance was promptly sent from Atlantic
City Little, i is believed, was done,
however, toward saving the lives of
those imprisoned in the submerged
coaches. The water at the point where
the train plunged in was not deep
enough TO cover the coaches at first,
but as they quickly settled in the
mud ard rs the tide rose, they were
soon hidden from sight except for
the trolley poles. Divers We're sent
down ia try to reach the dead bodies
in the coaches. but as darkness set
in and as the tide ran more swiftly
they were unable for long time to
reach them
Late in the evening q wrecking
crew arrived on the scene and with
their aid, and the use Of a derrick,
many bodies were taken out.
From the officials of the railroad
company only a meager and discon-
necJed story Of the occurrence could
be had
Up to midnight the total dead re.
covered numbered "A. The bodies
were placed in an improvised morgue
at Atlantic City.