Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-11-01

Atlantic City. N. j., Oct. 3O,-The |
total number of dead in the wreck of
the electric train which Sunday, load
ed with passengers, plunged into the
waterway separating this city from
the mainland. is now placed at So. Of
these, 40 bodies have been identified
two bodies remain unclaimed in the
mortuary ard two people are known
to have been drowned, but their bod
les have not yet been recovered.
Draw Fails to Work.
The wreck occurred at the draw
bridge which spens the 'Thoroughfare,
small waterway about one mile
outside OF this city, just on the east
ern edge of the Meadows, and was
directly due to the draw failing to
work properly. The fishing schoon
err Sinbad, which was recently
wrecked off Winter Quarter shoals
light, snort distance from the Della
ware breakwater, had lust passed
through the drawbridge. AS the
electric train hove in sight and
started across the meadow from the
direction of Pleasantville.
Two Cars Submerged.
Before the draw had swung into
position the three cars. which were
running at a high rate of speed,
dashed on the trestle. With a lurch
the forward car left the rails and
dashed into a guard rail, the other
two cars following. At the point
where the cars jumped the track the
top of the trestle is nearly 20 feet
high. The first two cars were in
stantly submerged, but the third car
of the train caught on an abutment
and remain suspended. 1t was this
car from which nearly all of the in
jured escaped.
Tide Was Coming In.
The news of the disaster was quick
ly telegraphed to this city and in less
than an hour the work of rescue had
been begun. At the time of the &C
cident the tide, which rises about ten
feet, was running in and the work
of the divers was necessarily slow. 1t
was not until several hours later
that the divers were able to make
any progress. Then the awful evi
dences of the disaster became more
apparent. When the two cars struck
the bottom of the waterway they
stood almost on end and the first man
to descend reported that the victims
were packed in the lower ends of the
submerged cars so tightly that it was
difficult to move them.
Bodies Taken to Theater.
One by one the bodies were carried
to a waiting train and laid side by
side. later to be borne to this city and
placed in the Empire theater, which
was pressed into the service as
temporary morgue Thousands d
persons quickly gathered at the
scene of disaster and a score Of boats
soon surrounded the spot where the
cars disappeared, but they were un
able to render any aid and could onl!
await the arrival of the divers,
Sees His Whole Family Dead.
At the morgue the scenes were pa
thetic. Persons who had friends OF
tho Inflated cars crowded about tn
door and with difficulty were re
strained from forcing their way int
the building. One of the most heart
rending incidents was furnished D.
Frederick Benckert, who lost his en-
tire family a wife and two children
Benckert was not informed of the az
cident until too late to catch a train
and he hurried here in an automobile
When he saw the bodies of his viii
and two little boys lying side by sid
on the cold floor Benckert collapse
and had to be carried from the build
ing. Benckert had intended to com
to Atlantic City with his family bu
vas unable to get away.
Waits at Station; Bodies Brought Ir
DR.. Hudders and his wife were 0
their way to this city to purchase
cottage and intended visiting Mr.,
German. the doctors sisterin-laV
who resi- les in this city. The latte
was at the station waiting for the a
rival of the doctor and his wife an
when she learned of the accident til
woman collapsed. The bodies of tn
doctor and his wife were among tn
last brought in from the wreck
wife and Daughter Dead; Son Missin
Among the most pathetic cases wa
that Of Samuel McElroy Of Philade
phia, who. after a sleepless nigh
found his family wiped out by the di
aster. his wife and 5-year-old daug,
ter lying dead In the morgue and b