The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-04-28

Robert G. MibbIe, head brakeman
the freight train, and residing at 223
Burkley street, Camden, married. was
the only man seriously injured, and
may die. He sustained compound
fracture of the left knee and thigh
bone and had his right leg ripped open.
He was also terribly injured internally.
He was taken to the General Hospital.
The police obtained the names of only
two others of the twenty-one who wero.
hurt They were Henry Markthaler, of
227 Railway avenue, Elizabeth, ana
James Flood, of 153 Bridge street. Eliz-
abeth. They We're badly bruised and
shaken up.
Paxon Boose, conductor of the pas
senger train, and one of the oldest men
on the road, was badl. shaken up So
was the front brakeman. Among those
injured from Railway were Louis Dietz
and David Long. Neither was serious
ly hurt.
The accident was caused by Broken
axle on thc fifth car of the freight
train The freight was numbering past
the South Elizabeth station at the rate
of fifteen miles an hour. when the pas
senger train dashed into the station
No sooner had the latter train again
got under headwe and its locomotive
had just -.eared the South street bridge
than the front axle Of the freight car
loaded with brick snaop In twain.
In flash the heavy car lurched to
the right. jumping the track and
crashing into the side of the first pas
senger coach as it was passing. There
was roar and crealIing of riven wood
and twisted steel and the passenger
coach toppled on its side and fell on
the stone abutment of the bridge over
South street. Had ii not been for the
telephone pole, the car would surely
hive fallen into the street, fifteen feet
below the embanI1ment ON which the
railroad runs through Elizabeth.
The passengers in the other five
coaches were tumbled into the aisles by
the shock of the collision, but all Of
them escaped injury.
No sooner had the train come to
stop than the terrified passengers, all
of whom We're men, began tumbling out
of the coaches. In front of them the
four tracks of the main line were lit
tered with piled up freight cars.
An unusual sight then occurred.
While 1t onlookers from other cars
expected to discover that the occupants
of the first coach were all killed or
badly injured, they were amazed to
sec the passengers begin crawling out
of the doors of the overturned coach.
A nunl1er of the passengers in this
| first car were cut by broken glass, but
none of them asked for medical atten-
ton.
/ The car with twenty-five commuters,
all in a heap, was rolling straight toward
} the embankment at the side OF the
! track. when it struck the telegraph pole
and poised on the brink. As soon as II
| stopped those within began to crawl
out of windows and doors.
Blood flowed from cats due to broken
! glass, while many We're so bruised they
! had to be dragged out of the car. As
soon as ambulances arrived. the sur
geons got to work, and found that none
of the twenty-five passengers in the car
had received serious injuries.
Superintendent Abercrombie, of the
New York division. was Immediately
notified and ordered out a wrecking
crew.
He declared later that the accident
was peculiar, in that no lives We're lost,
and, despite the comparatively slight
damage. never in his experience had he
seen a wreck that paralyzed traffic both
east and west more completely
RumOrs that terrible accident had
occurred brought thousands of persons
to the scene. II became necessary I"
call out the Elizabeth police reserves
10 handle the crowds.
Wrecking cars from New Brunswick,
Jersey City and Elizabeth, with der
rick, were soon at the seer and began
the work of remc Ing the wreckage.
The wreckirg crew at noon had
cleared the west-bount freight and
west bound passenger tracks, ana on
these passenger traii- only win be run
until the two east-bound tracks -<N
cleared.