The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-10-29
MANY LIVES LOST At Least Fifty Perish Like Rats in a Trap Near
 Atlantic City.
 N. j.
MAY REACH SEVENTY-FIVE
ELECTRICTRAIN LEAVES TRACK AND FLUNG ES INTO THE
 WATER.

Passengers in First Two Coaches NitI
 One or Two Exceptions All Drowned
 Cause of the Wreck Cannot be Dea-
 nitely Established Until the Cars Are
 Raised--Accident Witnessed by Many
 on ShOre-Road on Which it Occur
 Jersey and Seashore and Is Owned by
 the Pennsylvania.
 Atlantic City, N. J., Oct. 2S.-By the wrecking of three coach electric tralr on the West Jersey and Seashore rail road this afternoon at least fifty pas sengers perished, and the list may reach total of seven'ty-five. While crossing drawbridge spanning the waterway known as "The Thorough fare" which separates Atlantic City from the mainland, the train left the track and plunged into the water. The passengers in the finst two coaches with one or two exceptions were drowned. Up to midnight tonight twenty-five bodies had been recovered and it Is believed that at least tWen- ty-five and possibly fifty more bodies are still in the submerged coaches.
 The disaster, the worst that has hap pened since the terrible meadow wreck of July 30, 1896, occurred about 2:3( this afternoon. The train, made up oi three heavy vestibued electric coaches which left Camden at one o'clock in the afternoon, carried probably eighty eight passengers, as that number of tickets are held by the conductor That official is uncertain, however, just how many passengers were aboard and until all the bodies have been talk en out of the submerged coashes it will not be possible to give even an ap- proxfmate estimate of the dead
 The cause Of the wreck has not been established. It was probably due eith- CT to defective rails, the breaking oi some part of the superstructure of the first coach. It has also been suggested that the drawbridge, which had just been closed after the passage of a yacht, may not have properly locked the rails. All theories tonight, how ever are purely speculative as to the cause
 While running at speed said to have been moderate and not unusual the first coach left the rails and dragged those following it over the ties for a distance of fifty feet. Sud denly sewerving the first two coaches plunged over the side of the bridge into the water fifteen feet deep. The third coach struck heavy abutment, broke its couplings and for brief time hung perilously suspended over the water Brief as was this period, however il gave more than a score of passengers an opportunity to escape by the real door. Then the car slid off and fol lowed the other two into the water. Il is believed every one in the rear ol third coach escaped alive, although al were more or less injured.
 The accident was witnessed by many persons on shore, and assistance was promptly sent from Atlantic City. Lit tie could be done, however, toward say ing 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 al first, but as they quickly settled in the mud, and as the tide rose they wert hidden from sight, except for the trol' ley poles. Divers were sent dawn tc try to reach the dead bodies the coaches, but as darkness set in, and as the tide rose more swiftly, they were unable for long time to reach them
 Late in the evening wreck1ng crew arrived on the scene, and with then aid and the use; of derrick a dozen ol more bodies were taken out and brought to this city. Of the twenty-five bodies about twenty were identified, and 1t i' believed no difficulty will be experienced in establishing the identity of the oth' CTS, General Manager W. w. Alter bury, of the Pennsylvania railroad, ar rived on the scene tonight and wil make a thorough investigation into tho cause of the accident.
 Atlantic City, N. J., Oct. 29.-1:45 a n1.-Nlneteen more bodies have jus been brought into the improvisec morgue, and a diver, who has made 2 thorough inspection of the submerged cars stated that at least thirty bodie: were still in the coaches. At this houl it is impossible to identify any of thu newly recovered bodies. The total deaC including the nineteen above mention ed is forty-four.