Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1896 — FORTY-FOUR WERE KILLED. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FORTY-FOUR WERE KILLED.

Terrible Results of the Railroad Disaster at Atlantic City, N. J. Now fh&t the excitement lias more or less subsided, the actual fatalities and injured in the Atlantic City, N. J., railroad accident, are definitely known. The dead number forty-four, aiwi forty-three were seriously enough hurt to he taken to the hospital. Of those in the hospital, twen-

ty-eight were so far recovered two days later as to he able to go to their homes. Of the fifteen persons remaining in the hospital several are suffering from terrible injuries, the nature of which makes their recovery doubtful. There are still people who contend that the Reading train was racing with a train on the parallel track of the Camden and Atlantic, and that the Reading train was going at such a terrific rate of speed that it could not be stopped when the danger signal was suddenly shown. The story that the Reading train was racing wheu the accident occurred continues to be repeated, but it' cannot be substantiated. If two trains were racing the engineers were violating one-of the strictest rules of their roads, and were liable to instant dismissal, if discovered. On the other hand, a man whose name is withheld, and who witnessed the accident, says the trains wore not racing.

No verification of the racing between the two trains can be obtained from, the railroad people, as they either refuse to talk Or flatly deny that the engineers could have been racing. Nevertheless, people who daily use the two roads, assert that races occur frequently on the level stretches, where the tracks are parallel, and bets among the passengers would be made over the result. Two of the wounded at the sanitarium are in a very serious state. These are Mrs. Fralinger, of Bridgeton, whose leg was amputated, ami the unknown woman with the fractured skull. The latter recovered eonsciousuess Saturday morning, but could only talk incoherently, giving no explanation of herself. It is probable her skull will be trephined in the effort to save her life, The terrible event has east a gloom over the city and sobered the gay throngs, of summer pleasure seekers. Besides the death and suffering entailed by the collision, it is likely to seriously affect the business of the city for the rest of the summer. The fear is expressed among hotel men that the accident will muke people timid about traveling on the lightning expresses, and as this has been a poor season so far, the outlook is viewed with anything hut cheerful minds by business people.

A little incident that is not without pathos is connected with the sufferers in the sanitarium. Directly across the street- from the hospital is the Frotestaut Episcopal Church of the Ascension. Every Sunday morning the chimes in the belfry _ are rung. Saturday Rev. J. H. Townsend, rector of the church, came to the hospital and inquired if the ringing of the chimes would affect the patients. Each of the wounded was asked if lie would rather that the church chimes would not ring, and each replied in the negative. Strangely enough, several asked that “Nearer. My God,, to Thee,” be rung, and this hymn wasq>l*yed into the dying ears of the men and women.

THE NEW JERSEY RAILROAD HORROR. (Scene at the signal tower from which the fatal switch was turned)