The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-30
CORONER TO IMPANEL JURY
THE BLAME FOR ATLANTIC
CITY WRECK-BODiES OF VIC
TINS RECOVERED BY DIVERS.

jured, several of whom, it is thought,
will die.
Fifty-eight bodies already have
been brought to the surface. There
were 81 persons on the train, 10
passes and rs fares.
At police headquarters it was
stated the effects found on the bod
les were not sufficient to permit iden-
tification of more than six and that
identification will have to be made
by personal inspection. The police
officials, worn out by their vigil, went
to their homes early in the day. The
trains brought many persons from
Philadelphia and other points, who
were anxious to learn if a dear one
had been swept to death by the awful
disaster.
The wreck occurred at the draw
bridge which spans the Thorough
fare, small waterway about one
mile outside of this city, just on the
western edge of The Meadows, and
was directly due to the draw falling
to work properly. The fishing schoon-
er Sinbad, which was recently wreck
ed off Winter Quarter shoals light,
short distance from the Delaware
breakwater, had just passed through
the drawbridge. As the schooner was
entering the draw the electric train
hove in sight and started across The
Meadow from the direction of Pleas
antville. Before the draw had swung
into position the three cars, which
were running at high rate of speed.
dashed on to the trestle. With lurch
the forward car left the rails and
dashed into the 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 remained suspended. 1t was from
this car that nearly all the injured
escaped
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 acct
dent the tide, which rises about 10
feet was running in, and the work
of the divers was necessarily slow.
that the divers were able to make
any progress. Then the awful evil
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 vicims
were packed in the lower ends of the
submerged cars SO tightly that it was
difficult to move them.
One by one the bodies were car
ried to waiting train and laid side
by side, later to be borne to this city
and placed in the Empire theater,
which was pressed into service as a
temporary morgue. Thousands of
persons quickly gathered at the scene
where the cars disappeared but they
were unable to render any aid and
could only await the arrival Of the
divers
At. the morgue the scenes were pa
thetic. Persons who had friends on
the Inflated cars crowded about the
door and with difficulty were restrain
ed from forcing their way into the
building One of the most heartrend-
ing incidents was furnished by Fred
erick Benckert, who lost his entire
family, a wife and two children.
Benckert was not informed of the ac-
cident until too late to catch train
and he hurried here in an automo-
bile. When he saw the bodies OF his
wife and two little boys lying side by
side on the floor, Benckert collapsed
and had to be carried from the build
ing.
Walter Scott, the motorman, was
killed because Of his anxiety to spend
a part Of the day with his wife here
II was SCOTS custom to run only as
far as Miilville, but he snapped runs
with another motorman, and his
death was the result
An attempt was made to cut the
first and second cars asunder and lift
a single car out OF the water. and the
cables broke at the first attempt and
on the second the already twisted car
buckled. The attempts TO lift the |
coaches were then temporarily aban- /
doned and all efforts were directed |
toward getting the bodies of the vic |
is certain that no more bodies are I
III TIE tdhSICu anu twisted cOaC1eS /
they will be broken up and pulled I
ashore
Among those who are mourning the I
losS Of relatives is George Prewitt, /
Ifnager Of the Hotel Walton, Pnila- !
felphia, whose sister-in-law. Mrs. /
Walter P. Bradish of Eastport. Me-, /
was drowned. Mrs Bradish was re-
burning from a trip to Philadelphia I
when the accident occurred /
General Manager W. w Atterbury /
II the Pennsylvania railroad, said. Il 1
10 not believe that Stewart, the bridge +
lender, said anything like what has I
,een attributed 70 him regarding the
jacking up or alignment of the rails.
t is not fact that when the draw
s swung the rails have to be reset
This drawbridge is of the latest i'm