Evening star., 1943-05-24
Rail Wreck Kills "a,
Injuries 80 in jersey;
Investigation Opens
Most Of 1900 on Train
Had Spent Week End
At Shore Resorts
BY the Associated Press.

AT SnOTe NeSoftS
BY the Associated Press.
DELAIR, N. j., May pa
crack Pennsylvania Railroad
passenger train, roaring north
from Atlantic City to New York
with nearly 1900 passengers
homeward bound after a week
end at the shore, wrecked on a
curve in this Southern New Jer-
sey community last night, kill
ing IA persons and njuring at
least 80 others.
At the break Of dawn today weary
workers gave up the search for more
bodies and turned to the task Of
clearing the right of way, blocked
since the crash at 1908 pm.
And in two hospitals in Camden,
miles south Of Delair, police and
railroad officials began the grim task
of attempting to identify nine
mangled bodies, including those of
a mother and child to which she
gave birth in the wreck. Both were
decapitated.
Identified Dead.
Already identified dead were:
c. H. Bohr, New York, conductor
H. N. Becker, New York, fireman.
Christian P. Horn, Trenton, N. j.
Bennie Schapiro. Montclair, N. j.
Louis Schapiro, New York City.
Five OF the unidentified dead were
women.
1t was the Pennsylvania worst
wreck IN years.
w. c. Higginbottom, general man
ager Of the railroads Eastern di-
vision, said a preliminary investi-
cation indicated the engineer was
exceeding the l5-mile speed limit on
e 14-degree curve.
Early checks show that the equip
nent and track were in good condi-
Hon," the official said in a state
Hent, but definite indications are
that the train was moving faster
shan the authorized speed limit
when the derailment occurred"
Investigations were begun by the
railroad, local officials and the Fed
aral Bureau of Investigation.
Most OF the passengers only few
hours before had been enjoying
gay holiday at shore resorts. Many
had just left sons and sWeethearts
stationed at Atlantic City.
The engine, pulling 15-car train,
left the rails on a sharp curve,
plunged down an embankment,
dragging four of the cars behind it.
All the cars formerly were Pull
mans and had been converted to
,oaches by installation of wooden
seats.
Car Perches Atop Engine.
Passengers and baggage were
aurled to the floor. Screams of Wom-
en- rose above the crash. One car
perched atop the engine Another
landed on its side near the tender,
with its rear telescoped by the third.
The fourth. slid underneath the
Wreckage and two others remaining
upright on the right-of-
Police, railroad crews and civilian
defense volunteers struggled to aid
phe injured and rescue trapped pas
tengers. For five hours workers using
scetylene torches cut into the
wrecked hrst car, seeking additional
bodies. Then two huge cranes
pulled the car away from another,
lifted 1t, and four bodies dropped
out. They were crushed so badly
ahat attempts at Identification were
confined to search OF their pos
sessions.
A soldier, seated in one of the cars
praying for his critically i'll mother,
'|hom he was rushing home to see,
suddenly found himself thrown to
his side, other passengers and their
baggage piled on top Of him, his foot
squeezed SO tightly against the side
OF the car he could not remove it.
The soldier, Pvt Felix A. Shagin,
10, of Passaic, NJ j., took his knife,
cut away his shoe to free his foot
and in doing it badly cut the foot.
He was treated at hospital, then
continued his journey home.
Some one screamed fire" as wisps
of steam curled through the car
from the shattered engine. Women
shrieked in panic as every one
fought to get out. Then cool-headed
soldiers restored order, began help
ing the safe and the injured outside.
Two priests, Fathers Raymond
Cavanaugh and Cletus Moran of
nearby st, Cecilia's Church, climbed
into the wrecked coaches to admin
lister to the dying the last rites of
the Catholic Church.
All available ambulances and
emergency equipment were sum-
moned to the scene Ambulances
made repeated trips to hospitals
over roads clogged with autos. An
emergency first-aid station was set
up in Delair High School, and m,ny
residents in the vicinity of the crash
opened their homes to give aid and
rest to passengers not requiring
medical treatment.
Within a short time thousands
had gathered at the scene, and
many remained through the night,
watching the work under glaring
floodlights.
Traffic on both tracks was halted
until shortly after an, when one
track was cleared sufficiently to per-
NIT slow movement of trains past
the wreckage. During the night
traffic was rerouted from Phila-
delDhia