The Wilmington morning star., 1943-09-07
DEATHS MAY RISE
Crack Pennsylvania Limit.
ed Breaks In Two While
Making Curve
MANY CAUGHT IN CARS
Rescue Squads Laboring To
Free Injured Others
From Ruins
PHILADELPHIA. Sent. &

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 6,
- R) - The Pennsylvania
railroads fastest flier, the
Congressional Limited, broke
in two on a curve in North
east Philadelphia tonight,
killing an estimated 100 per-
sons in the most disastrous
wreck in recent railroading
history. The death toll may
be still greater.
By 10 o'clock, a check of
hospitals and morgues show
ed AZ dead, with more being
brought in one by one, and
observers at the wreck said
40 or more were still trapped
in the wrecked cars.
The railroad had not chang
ed it's first estimate of "25 to
50 dead" but Deputy Coro-
ner Luke Barrett, at the
scene, said he believed more
than 100 were killed, and
Chief Deputy Coroner Mat
thew Ross placed the number
at $50.
Judge Harry S. McDevitt
said after a tour of the scene
at 10 p. m. that four cars had
not yet been opened. "They
seem to be welded together"
he said.
McDevitt, and Army and
Navy officials at the scene,
estimated there were 40 dead
in these cars. The living, Nc
Dewitt said, were wedged be-
tween seats and under fur
nishings of the car.
Some Partly Clear
Some were half in and half out
of the cars. One of these was
Miss Christiana Nix of Long Is
land City, N. Y.
AS DR.. Roy Chappell admins
tered morphine to ease her pain,
she looked up and moaned, there
are dead people in here all around
me-"
Contingents Of soldiers and sail
ors armed with sub-ma chine guns
arrived on the scene after 9 p. m.
and kept onlookers at distance.
At least Is dead were reported at
frankfort hospital alone, where
the basement was turned into a
morgue and the dead and injured
came in so fast they couldn't be
counted.
A priest, who entered one Of the
wrecked cars of the 16-car train to
administer last rites to the dying,
said there were IS persons in the
car and he believed at least half
of them were dead.
Father Leo Palmer, who entered
another car said there were still
10 dead to be removed, and an
inferno reported five dead in a
third car.
Hours after the wreck rescue
workers were still struggling fran
tically to get to other trapped per-
sons.
Nine cars of the hier, bound
from Washington to New York,
were derailed and hurled across
the tracks and embankments. The
locomotive and first six cars and
the last car remained on the
tracks.
w. c. Higgingbottom, general
manager of the railroads eastern
division, said the wreck was caus-
ed by burned-off journal on the
lead truck of the seventh car.
The crash occurred three miles
from the Pennsylvania North
Philadelphia station in the crowd
ed frankfort business and residen-
tia1 section, and within a few min
utes the scene was one of indie
scribable confusion.
Every available ambulance and
police car sped to the scene. May
or Bernard Samuel called out po-
lice reserves and civilian defense
units and directed their opera
tons.
Thousands Of spectators gather
ed, watching in horror as search
lights played on the demolished
cars.
II never heard such crying and
screaming before " said Norman
Ebinger, an air raid warden.
| (COntinued m Pare Two. Col n