The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-11-02
53 Of the Passengers Found
WateTy Graves.
:cAUGHT LIKE RATS IN TRAP
The Cause of the Accident ;
Mystery.
The Scene One of Horror-Many Mir
aculouS Escapes Made-Unceasing
Activity. Gruesomc Scenes and Pa
thetic Incidents Marked the Day.
Entire City Thrown Into a State of
nent.

Observation-Disclosures Issues State
ment.
Atlantic City, n j., October 2S-A
railroad accident that was even worse
than the meadow wreck of July 80,
1896, sent about 81 out of so people to
a sudden death this afternoon, catch
ing them like rats in trap. The cars
Of the 1:30 electric train of the West
Jersey and Seashore lines, due here at
2:30, jumped the track on the trestle
bridge over the Thoroughfare, and be-
fore any one could get out the passen-
gers were hurled 10 watery grave.
The trestle is about Is feet above the
water and the drop to the water re-
quired several seconds, giving time for
the passengers, men, women and chill
dren, to see and calculate their fate.
The entire city was thrown into 4
state OF excitement as the news reach
ed town about half-past 2 o'clock, a
few minutes after it happened Fully
5000 people crowded the Meadows and
thetreStle, many relatives and friends
crying out in despair, asking for loved
ones. Chief of Police Maxwell had a
Gordon of police swung around the
death circle, and Chief Black. of the
| fire department, called out in his men
on an emergency call and made them
police temporarily. There were seven
bodies recovered up to Z o'clock to-
| NIGHT and tho uraolyino SC
at work trying to hoist the submerged
cars from the water, where nearly
three score dead bodies must be en-
tombed.
DUE TO RAIL TURNING IN.
The accident was due to rail turn
ing in.' It appears that the rail,
which was an outside one on the
right hand side coming down, must
have been out of plumb about an
eighth of an inch. The sharp fange
of the electri ctrain caught this and
twisted inwards. Had it spread in
stead of twisting inwards, the acci-
dent never would have happened.
This twist threw the first car off the
| track and into the water. The result
was that the second and third car was
dragged with it, and while the third
car was descending the rear portion
struck piece of the abutment, hung
| fer a short time, and then slid into the
water. But this brief stop saved sew
! eral lives. A number of men and a
few women leaped out of the windows
and the rear door either into the water
or caught hold of post and were
rescued. 1t was stated that fully so
passengers were aboard, mostly all
crowded into the first and second cars
| Atlantic City, n. J. October 29.-The
total number Of dead in the appalling
/ wreck Of the electric train which on
| Sunday afternoon loaded with passen-
| gers plunged into the waterway sepa~
| rating this city from the mainland. is
now placed at fifty-three. or these
forty nine bodies have been identified,
| two bodies remain unclaimed in the
temporary morgue and two people are
known to have been drowned but their
! bodies have not as ye been recovered.
| A special car containing the bodies
| Of the Philadelphia victims left to-
night for that city
| The day has been one Of unceasing
activity, of gruesome scenes and pa
| thetic incidents.
! Wrecking crews with derricks sue
| ceeded in bringing one of the two sub
"@ged cars to the surface and divers
working in relays, brought up bodies
until their task was completed and
they reported that no more dead re-
main either inside the second car or
anywhere in the vicinity.
/ Interest now centers in the work OF
| the coroner's jury which today made
a careful inspection of the scene of the
wreck and the drawbridge at which
/ the train left the rails. The jury
sworn in by Coroner Gaskill is made
up Of the following citizens:
State Senator Edward S. Lee, fore
man; Isaac Bacharach, Samuel Fl.
| Headley, John p Ashmead, Charles p.
Roesch and David r. Barrett These
| jurors met at l o'clock and accompan-
led by the coroner. prosecuting Attor-
ney Abbott, City Solicitor Wooten and
several other city officials, proceeded TO
1.-THE scene Of the tragedy At the
/ bridge they were joined by Mayor
Stoy and W. ". Atterbury, Of the
Pennsylvania railroad
| After the forward car and two sub
merged coaches had been hoited to the
surface and the divers who had been
at work on the wreckage all day had
made final examination of the second
yxyffh fh<rE.f Ev,d ds~r~~ Wy