Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-03
~ Train Bank at Wnop Junction. ~


INV God! sent 33 on the wrong
track!"
Towerman Collapses With Crash
The Atlantic City dispatcher's
of,,ce Immediately tried to raise De
W.ld by wire, but was unable to get
/. response. He had tainted, 1t later
s.veloped, as the terrific crash came
snd The roar Of the locomotive, hiss
a.. Of steam and means and shrieks
Of the victims arose. .t.
The wreck, one Of the most un-
,,.ual and deadly Of recent years,
oscurred 1000 yards east Of the
,unction on the right hand switch
- 70 Cape May. The tower, in which
M m Wald was on duty, is 300 yards
east Of the junction and is known as
"WA." F.. ..-.. ..
When the speeding express struck
.hs switch it tore up rails and bent
them into ring shapes like wooden
shavings.
vreckage Blocks p. r. r.. Tracks
r.o,x,nx beneath the tracks Of the
,one May Reading route. 100 yards to
hs eastward of the switch. lay the
,cnnsylvania's right OF way. Down
|he embankment., which from top to
"tton, was a distance Of sixty feet on
angle. the locomotive and tender
iarced. dragging the cars behind, some
wSich reared high in the air and fell
r.r and beyond the heavier locomo-
ri Tie first car, a Pullman, hurdled
rsr the engine and beyond over
"a Pennsylvania tracks. choking that
sbt OF way with debris. Immediately
,oye the locomotive, piled In indescrib.
ble confusion, were two more
peches in which were torn great rents
md cracks, with windows smashed and
caiding steam from the mechanism be-
bw ascending.
The Pullman lay upside down on the
locomotive, which was on its side. The
'ullman slid along on its roof for twcn.
~ feet, the vestibule digging up
mound OF dirt, which clogged the door
wsy. One of the Pullman chairs was
iommed out through the side of the
rar and lay on the wrecked engine.
lust above this on the side Of the
rmbankment were two more cars on
heir sides, filled with screaming women
and children and moaning men. Inc
rash had come with the suddenness OF
n thunderbolt and 1t was q minute or
two before the injured survivors OF the
rain crew could crawl out:
The wreckage did not take fire, due
% the steel coaches. The electric lights
IN The less damaged coaches were kept
lighted by storage batteries and added
20 the weirdness of the scene, which
,ppeared somewhat like cubist sketch, /,
.ars standing almost on end and piled
on those lower down In the cut where
he death leap stopped.
At daybreak, about s o'clock, wreck .
ng crews Of both the Pennsylvania and
leading roads began the work OF clear
ag the trucks. -.
,arting FIRE in shifting the debris.
Rescue Trains Rushed to Scene
There was prompt response to the
meals for aid for the injured and the
'mOval Of the dead aud dying from the
enc Of the wreck. The Reading dis.
ntched trains from Camden and At.
antic City almost simultaneously, car:
Wing surgeons, nurses and hospital
Iuipment. The entire countryside also
was aroused and automobilists return.
ing home after midnight hurried to the
wreck, where they turned their head.
lights upon the CHASTITY scene.
The rescue and wreck trains picked
ip doctors en- route and also firemen
brought from Mays Landing and Ham.
,monton. The work of removing the
rictims began In less than an hour
under the faring light of torches, Ian
terms and automobile headlights.
On the relief train from Atlantic
City were Drs. Lipschutz, Simcox,
Reed and ireland. Their coats were
peeled off for action when the train
pulled in and they went to the work
leroically.
Station hands and trainmen had al
ready extricated many of the survivors
and these received the immediate atten
ton of the physicians.
Woman, Five Children. Unscratched
Many of those found in the wreckage
were hysterical. Most Of them urged
the rescuers to try and save their chill
lren or some loved one in the family.
In the fourth coach of the train
which was piled high over another
coach, were woman and her five
children, one babe In arms and thu
others ranging in age up to eight years
None of the party was hurt by somt
freak of chance. All were shaken, bu
not one received an injury worthy o.
the name.
The firemen and State police of Ham
monton also gave valuable aid. The!
rushed to the scene in all sorts o.
vehicles and did all in their power II
save those In the shadow OF death
H. NJ. Phillips, head of the Harmon
ton Fire Department, directed the work
He took many last messages from suf
ferers, who believed that they coult
not survive.
The first train into Atlantic City car
ried more than forty injured and as tn
stretcher cases were taken out through
windows there were pathetic scenes
Babies clung to their mothers and tn
women were hysterical. Atlantic Cit,
had feet of automobiles and ambu
lances on hand and a dozen doctor
worked with the injured in the hospita
all night.
Doctor Tells Of Rescues
DR.. Lipschultz, of Atlantic City
was one Of the first surgeons to ar
rive back at Atlantic City, after work
Another Victim