Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-29
NEARLY AN ENTIRE
TRAIN LOAD WENT
DOWN TO DEATH.
But Few Escaped From the
Pennsylvania Wreck.
MANY DROWNED LIKE RATS
Passengers Did Not Have Chance to
Escape.
PATHETIC INCIDENTS ON SCENE
Accident Was Probably Due to the
Fact That Draw-span Was
u, Not in Place.
MANY DROWNED LIKE RATS
Passengers Did Not Have Chance to
Escape.
PATHETIC INCIDENTS ON SCENE

Fully seventy-fve persons and
perhaps more were killed in the train
wreck near Atlantic City. The
scenes attendant upon the recovery
of the bodies were heartrending in
the extreme. 1t is feared that all
the dead will never be recovered, as
the current of the river at the point
where the accident occurred is very
strong, and it is thought that some
of the bodies were washed down
stream. There has been no state
ment from the railroad officials yet
as to just how the accident occurred.
1t is said that the draw" span of
the bridge was not in exact align
ment with the solid span, because
heavy iron pin which holds the
two together had not dropped into
its place after the draw had been
closed. The right-hand rail was
about half an inch out of place,
which caused the wheels of the rush
ing train to push it still further
away. '@'' <''-' t'-'-'''
ATLANTIC CITY. N. j., October o.
Fifty-three persons are positively known to
have lost their lives in the waters Of the
Thoroughfare yesterday when an electric
train jumped the rails on the drawbridge
over the waterway. OF this number forty
seven have been identified, two are missing
and four yet remain in the morgue uniden-
titled. The two missing are known to have
persisted. They are young McElroy and
Burch.
Mayor Stoy made the following statement
today:
"At the present time l am not prepared
to say anything concerning or bearing upon
the cause of this terrible disaster. An in
vestigation will be conducted and wherever
the blame belongs it will be fixed, and the
public may depend upon that Coroner Gas
kill and l are one in this purpose and no
man shall get away from US who may have
had anything to do With the calamity or
who may have any light to shed upon It,
Coroner Gaskill will. before the day is over.
impanel jury. but neither of US believes
that 1t will be possible to hold an inquest
until the latter part of the week"
Total May Be Seventy-eight.
As the details of yesterdays terrible
wreck on the elecric line of the West Ter
sey and Seashore railroad developed dur
ing the night the disaster became moro
appalling. The total number of persons
whose lives were snuffed out almost In
stantly is probably seventy-fve, with
nearly score injured, several Of whom. It
is thought, will die Forty-eight bodies
have already been brought to the surface
There were ninety-one persons on the
train - fifteen passes and seventy-six
fares. Twenty-Five of this number have
been accounted for, which, with the
bodies recovered. brings the total to sew
enty-three. This leaves eighteen persons
not accounted for. and who are supposed
to have been drowned. 1t is possible that
some of these may never be found, as il
is the belief of the divers that some of the
bodies floated through the broken windows
out into the Thoroughfare and were car
ried by the swift current into the Atlantic
At police headquarters this morning it
was stated that the effects found on
bodies were not sufficient to permit of
Identification of more than six, and that
Identification will have to be made by per-
sonal inspection. The police officers, worn
out by their vigil. went to their homes
early in the day, saying they would not
return to headquarters until 9 O'clock In
the meantime all the bodies are being en-
balmed. The early morning trains
brought many persons from PHILADELPHIA
and other points. who were anxious to
learn If dear had been swept to
death by the awful disaster.
Draw Would Not Work.
The wreck occurred at the drawbridge
which spans the Thoroughfare a small
waterway about one mile outside of this
city, just on the eastern edge of the mead
ows. and was directly due to the draw
failing to work properly The fishing
schooner Sinbad. which was recently
wrecked off Winter Quarter shoals light
a short distance from the Delaware Break
water, had just passed through the draw
bridge. AS the schooner was entering the
draw the electric train hove in sight and
started across the meadow from the
direction of Pleasantville. Before the
draw had swung into position the three
cars which were running at high rate
of speed. dashed onto the trestle. With
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