1903 — Jan 27, Trains Collide/burn, NJ Central RR, Graceland, near Plainfield, NJ  –23-24

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-14-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–23-24  Blanchard. The majority of sources noted below note 23 deaths. Only the NYT of the next day notes 24, and we discount this as a too-early next-day report. The listing of fatalities noted at the end of this document (above “Sources” section) comes to 25 deaths. One of these, however, is our addition of Harvey Martin whose luggage was recovered from the wreck but not his identifiable body. One article notes that he had not been seen or heard from as of Feb 11. We added his name because there was one unidentified body which was kept until Feb 27, when it was buried never having been identified. We speculate this could have been Harvey Martin. In any event even if his name is removed, the listing, to the extent it is accurate, comes to 24 fatalities, including the one unidentified body. If there were mistakes in reporting fatalities by name, which we repeat, then it is quite possible that there were but 23 deaths.

— 29  Altoona Mirror, PA. “1903 in Review. Notable Occurrences of the Year.” 12-31-1903, p. 9.

— 25  Blanchard count of named fatalities (24) and one unidentified buried on Feb 23.

— 24  New York Times. “Twenty-Four Killed on Jersey Central.” 1-28-1903, p. 1.

— 23  Boston Daily Globe. “Engineer’s Fault…for Wreck at Graceland, N.J.” 2-15-1903, 8.

— 23  Chester Times, PA. “Probing Jersey Central Wreck.” 2-4-1903, p. 9.

— 23  Daily Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport PA. “Graceland Wreck…Grand Jury.” 2-18-1903

— 23  National Railway Historical Society. “This Month in Railroad History. January.”

— 23  New Brunswick Daily Times, NJ. “Two More Wreck Victims Dead.” 1-31-1903, p. 5.

— 23  NY Times. “More Wreck Victims Die; J.E. Reighton and W.M. Clark…” 1-31-1903 p. 1.

— 23  Trains Magazine. “On This Date in Railroad History.”

— 23  Warren. “The worst disaster in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.” NJ.com, 2-25-2019.

— 23  Wikipedia. “List of Rail Accidents (1900-1909).” 5-9-2025 edit.[1]

— 22  Racine Weekly Journal, WI. “Twenty-Two Slain; Engineer’s Fault.” 1-30-1903, p. 2.

— 20  Railway Magazine. “Appalling Accident on the N.J.C.R.R.” March, 1903, p. 255.

— 20  Titusville Herald, PA. “Victims of Jersey Central Wreck.” 1-29-1903, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Railway Magazine, March: “An accident, by which twenty people were killed, happened on the New Jersey Central Railroad on January 27th at Graceland. The scene of the accident is a perfectly straight stretch of four-track road eight miles in length, which is fully protected by automatic block signals. The engine-driver was entirely familiar with the road at this point, and in long service had established an enviable record for complete reliability in every particular. The rules which he violated were those with which he had shown perfect familiarity throughout his many years of service, and were also those made standard by the approval of the American Railway Association.  Every signal was properly set, and three men, including the rear brakesman of the delayed train, made strenuous efforts to stop the oncoming express. Yet the engine-driver rushed by the cautionary and danger signals of the blocks, gave no heed to the lights swung by two crossing men, and, disregarding both the signal of the brakesman and the rear red lights of the train ahead, crashed, without the slightest abatement of his terrific speed, to his own death and to the awful sacrifice of the lives of others which ensued. At the coroner’s inquest a verdict was returned exonerating the railway, and placing the blame upon the driver of the express train. A recommendation was added that a railroad commission be appointed to investigate the possibility of preventing a repetition of such accidents, and attention was called to the greater safety obtaining on the railways in Great Britain under more difficult conditions.” (Railway Magazine. “Appalling Accident on the N.J.C.R.R.” March, 1903, p. 255.)

 

Warren. “The worst disaster in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.”  NJ.com, 2-25-2019:

“1903 Westfield train wreck – Disaster struck the Central Railroad on January 27, 1903, when an engineer focused on fixing engine troubles missed multiple signals and crashed into another train near Westfield, killing himself and 22 other people.”

 

Newspapers

 

Jan 27: “January…27.  24 killed and many injured by a rear end collision on the Jersey Central R.R. near Graceland, N.J.” (Altoona Mirror, PA. “1903 in Review. Notable Occurrences of the Year.” 12-31-1903, 9.)

 

Jan 27: “Westfield, N.J., Jan 27. – Twenty-four persons were killed and a score were injured in a rear-end collision on the Central Railroad of New Jersey tracks near Graceland station this evening. Many persons are missing, but it is impossible to give any authentic list of the missing…

 

“The Royal Blue Line express, which left Jersey City at 6 o’clock, crashed into a combination local and express train, which had started from the terminus fifteen minutes in advance.

 

“The train that was run into was scheduled to run as an express to Bound Brook, making, stops at Elizabeth, Westfield, and Plainfield.  Beyond Bound Brook it was to run as a local. The Royal Blue train made no stop except at Elizabeth, and there only to take on passengers. Its higher speed permitted of its overtaking the slower train just beyond Graceland.  The slower train’s running orders were to switch from Track 3 at Graceland on to Track 4 and to permit the Royal Blue, to pass.  After that the slower train was to swing back on to the express tracks.

 

“A freight train was blocked upon Track 4 this evening, and the slower train received orders to proceed on the express track to Dunellen and there take the outside or No. 4 track.  Soon after receiving these orders the train had to stop for a hot box under one of the cars.  That delayed it so that when it got under way again it was due at Dunellen.  It was moving slowly forward when the Royal Blue, traveling apparently at full speed, which at that point usually approximates sixty miles an hour, crashed into the rear end.

 

“The heavy engine of the Royal Blue tore its way into the rear car, and at the same time drove the forward end of that car into the rear end of the car ahead, which in turn was driven into the third car, and that was forced into the fourth car from the rear. The fourth car was only partly wrecked, but the last three of the train were torn in pieces.

 

“As the Royal Blue plowed her way into the train ahead the engine of the Royal Blue left the rails and turned over on its side. The engineer and firemen had not left their posts, and went down in the wreck.  They are now in the Muhlenberg Hospital at Plainfield. And the engineer is not believed to have a chance of living. The passengers of the Royal Blue, with one exception, escaped without a scratch, but were badly shaken up.

 

“They say the engineer applied the brakes hard just a minute or so before the wreck. The train ahead had sent a flagman back, but he was recalled when the train got under way and, although he left torpedoes the Royal Blue did not heed them or else was going too fast to stop in the short distance remaining. The man who went back to flag the train had just swung onto the rear end of his train and was among those killed. It is supposed he was crushed just as he was entering the rear car.

 

“The engine and the three worst wrecked cars were piled into a heap.  From it came fearful screams for aid. A minute later the situation became more awful, for the wreck caught fire from the overturned locomotive. The screams of the injured were intensified as the flames added to their agony.

 

“The passengers in the two forward cars of the first train and all the men from the express and everyone in the neighborhood started work at once in trying to get out the injured before the flames could reach them. At times while some of the rescuers were in the wreckage trying to take out the injured the flames reached them and their clothing took fire, but they put the blaze out and worked on in constant danger of being killed themselves. 

 

“Some of the injured were burned to death in sight of the would-be rescuers, who stood by them as long as possible, but the flames soon gained complete mastery of the two last cars.

 

“One of the rescuers related an experience which startled him. He had climbed on to the worst wrecked coach.  The fire was burning below him.  There were two men there. One of them begged for a drink, and a bottle of whisky was passed in. The injured man grasped it eagerly and began to drink. While he clutched the bottle he died. The rescuer dragged the bottle from him and passed it to the other man, but although he had been alive a few minutes before, he was then dead.

 

“The rescuer then started to get out as it was getting too warm. He started out by a way he had not entered, intending to drop out of a window. As he was climbing for the window he knelt on a body and found it to be that of a child. He determined to take the body with him and reached down for it.  He was startled to find the child alive. The little one was got out apparently uninjured, and is now in a house at Westfield….

 

“The engineer of the express, John S. Davie, was not the regular engineer. He was a ‘relief’ engineer for the fast train, and had been put on in the absence of the regular man, who had a day off. He was, however, perfectly familiar with the running of the train, as he ran it at least once a week, and always ran express trains, being held on relief for that purpose….

 

“The firemen from Westfield were summoned by telephone, and reached the scene within a short time. They came too late, however, to save the lives of most….

 

“The only person hurt on the Royal Blue train was walking in the aisle of one of the cars when the crash came, and the impact hurled him up in the air, then sideways across the heads of several persons in chairs, and finally through a window. One of his hands was cut and he was bruised.  He said he was a son of John Wanamaker of Philadelphia. He did good work later on after his hand had been bandaged.

 

“Dr. Sinclair of Westfield went into the wreck itself, and there bandaged and treated the injured even before they were released. Some of those he treated were afterward suffocated or burned to death….

 

“One of those who tried to take out a man pinned in found that he was held down by one leg near the ankle, and seeing it would be useless to do anything else, is said to have finally severed the man’s leg and then carried him to one of the parlor cars. Both rescued and rescuer were burned, but it is said the doctors said the rescued man’s life would be saved….

 

“When the engine ploughed into the rear car it partly split the car open and at the same time lifted it up. In this manner those in that car, besides being crushed, were scalded and burned by the steam from the engine.  This car was the first to take fire, and most of those in it are dead. Some of them are believed to be beneath the overturned engine.

 

“Those who were in that car suffered less than the others, although more were killed. Their end was in most cases quick, and when the fire started they soon were suffocated.

 

“Those in the car ahead, which was lifted on to the rear car, were those who suffered the greatest agony….” (New York Times. “Twenty-Four Killed on Jersey Central.” 1-28-1903, p. 1.)

 

Jan 28: “New York, Jan. 28. – The total loss of life by last night’s fearful collision on the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Graceland, N. J., is up to twenty tonight. In addition to these Engineer

Davis and Fireman McCarthy of the Reading express, who are i the hospital at Plainfield, may die at any moment, and it is believed that several of the injured passengers cannot recover. The number of those known to be injured is upwards of fifty, of whom thirteen remain in the hospital.

 

“Following is a list of the dead:         [19 names.]

 

Chandor [Chandler (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)] ROWLAND, Plainfield.

Currid, Edward, Plainfield.

Cuming [Cummin (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)], THOMAS A., Plainfield.

Flynn, Edward, Plainfield.

Giles, Elias, Plainfield.

Hallet, Jos.. R., Plainfield.

Hand, Horace G., Elizabeth. [Plainfield  (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)]

Happerson, R. W, Plainfield.

Hardingham, Fred, Dunellen [Plainfield (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)]

Hoger, Henry, Plainfield. [Harry Rogers (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)]

Linbarger, Lera, Plainfield.

Mahan, Henry L., Plainfield.

Patterson, Harvey M. [or S.], West Dunellen.

Reed, Charles B. [George E. (The World, NYC. “Two Widows…” 3-17-1903)], Plainfield.

Smith, F. A.. Plainfield.

Thayer, C. P., Plainfield.

Tomlinson, Harold W., Plainfield.

Waldron [Baldwin (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)], CRAIG, Plainfield.

Williams, Edgar W., Plainfield. [19 names]

 

“Two persons are still missing, James Beekman of Plainfield [leaves off in going to page 2]

 

“Of the wounded it is probable that four or five will die within a few hours. 

 

“The blame for the disaster is placed by the railroad officials on Engineer Davis, who, according to a policeman who took him from the shattered cab of his engine, admitted that he had seen the red and green danger lights displayed; but, expecting to see them suddenly change to white, rushed on until it was too late to check speed before he plunged into the rear of the train ahead. No statement has been obtained from Davis in the hospital, in intervals of semi-consciousness and -delirium he moans, “I saw nothing.”

 

“According to the statement of the station agent at Cranford, an attempt was made to hold the express at that point by the operator, but almost at the instant the message was received the train thundered by at upwards of sixty miles an hour and the crash followed two. Minutes later.

 

“New York, Jan. 28. — A jury was called at Plainfield today to hold an inquest and adjourned until tomorrow morning, when an exhaustive investigation will be begun in order to fix the responsibility for the disaster. The grand jury which was to have been dismissed tomorrow will be held in recess in order that the evidence taken at the inquest may be submitted without delay.” 

(Titusville Herald, PA.  “Victims of Jersey Central Wreck.” 1-29-1903, p. 1.)

 

Jan 28: “New York, Jan. 28. – Up to noon today the total loss of life by last night’s train wreck on the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Graceland, N. J., was believed to be twenty-two. Of these fifteen bodies had been identified and ten were held at Plainfield for identification. From the wreckage twenty-one bodies were taken, and W. E. Davis, engineer of the Philadelphia and Reading express, died in a hospital today….

 

“The scenes following the wreck were unusually horrible, because the cars were splintered almost, to kindling wood by the force of the collision, hot coals from the engine fire box poured out and wood was soon burning….

 

“Nearly every Week in Plainfield seemed to have one or more of the wounded in it today, but the city’s facilities for caring for its stricken people were ample….

 

“List of Identified Dead…. [showing here only the name not listed above]

 

  1. B. Shanado, Plainfield…. [Possibly a reference to Rowland Chandor.]

 

“A policeman who aided in the work of rescue made the following statement concerning Davis: “I assisted in carrying Davis, the engine driver, from the engine. He was terribly injured. He said:  ‘I am responsible for the accident. I saw the danger signal but expected it to turn white’.”….

 

“The wrecking crews at work began to clear the tracks and get out bodies with the assistance of hundreds of persons from Westfield, Cranford, Plainfield and other places who had been brought to the scene by the news of the collision. Big bonfires were built of the wreckage and of old railroad ties to light up the scene and enable the men to see to do their work.  More than a thousand persons remained at the spot all night and there were many pitiful scenes as bodies were dug out of the wreckage and recognized by relatives and friends.

 

“C.P. Thayer, who was killed, was secretary to United States Senator Thomas C. Platt. A train conveying the bodies of thirteen victims of the wreck arrived at Plainfield at 3:03 a.m.  Many of them were unrecognizable. The people of the city were in a frenzy of grief. All sorts of rumors were afloat and it was reported that the number of dead would reach a hundred or more. The great majority of the dead and injured were either residents of Plainfield or lived in neighboring places and were well known in Plainfield. Many of them were wealthy commuters who had their places of business in New York. 

 

“It is known that more than fifty persons were injured, but many of them after they had their wounds dressed, went to their homes without giving their names.

 

“The stories of dreadful incidents accompanying the collision were numerous. The engine that drew the express ploughed half way through the rear car of the local express before it came to a standstill. Bodies were crushed against the front of the locomotive, on the pilot and on the crown sheet, and could only be removed after the firemen had drenched the locomotive front for two hours and cooled off the plates.

 

“The local express train which was run into leaves New York at 5:45 p.m. and runs to Bound Brook.  It stops at Elizabeth, Westfield and Plainfield and beyond Bound Brook is run as a local.  The through express which crashed into the local express leaves New York fifteen minutes later, but travels at a higher rate of speed. It stops only at Elizabeth. The slower train switches from track No. 3 at Graceland to track No. 4 and the through express should pass the local at that point. After the through express passed the other train returns to the express track.

 

“Last evening a freight train occupied the tack No. 5 and the local express was ordered to continue on the express track as far as Dunellen and there switch onto track No. 4.  Soon after receiving the order the local express had to stop to allow a hot box to cool off. The local had just started and was going at a slow rate of speed when the Philadelphia and Reading express came along and ran into the local train.

 

“The seven unidentified bodies were badly burned and it will be difficult to make positive identifications. 

 

“Of the injured, the condition of Everett Reighton of Plainfield is the most serious. Both his legs were cut off and he was badly scalded about the body. He is too weak to stand an operation and it is feared he cannot recover.

Disregarded All Warnings.

 

“W. G. Healer, vice president and general manager of the Central railroad, who was at the scene of the accident forty minutes after it occurred and has since made an investigation, gave out a statement today in which he said that the accident was due to the “element of human fallibility” in railroad operation. ‘The company,’ he said, ‘has purchased and installed what is known as the electro-pneumatic-automatic system of block signaling, the signals working before, during and after accidents. Signals were working all right before and after the accident, as we found on investigation. It seems then along came the Philadelphia express, one of our hourly trains between New York and Philadelphia, and flying past all the warnings was driven by its engineer into the local train with such force as to telescope three of its coaches. So far as I can ascertain the only explanation Davis, engineer of the express, gave is that he did not see any red light. But he was in such a critical condition that he barely knew what he was saying. I understand he jumped and his injuries were received in that manner. The air brakes were applied just before the crash, I think by the engineer, though they might have been set by being torn apart in the crash.

 

“`Davis was a thoroughly competent engineer and had six years’ experience running on the road between New York and Philadelphia. He was 33 years old, of good habits and had a very good record….’

Stories of Survivors.

 

“Philadelphia, Jan. 28. – A number of Philadelphians who were passengers on the express train, arrived here today. Their stories describing the scenes which followed the collision were practically identical. M. M. Reinhard, a salesman, said:

 

I was in a day coach of the express. My car was the second in the train.  We were going at least 60 miles an hour when I felt a terrific shock and was thrown from my seat, as were all the other passengers in the car. The first shock was followed by the second almost as hard as the first, and when we came to a stop there were on each side of our car the split halves of another car that we had literally ploughed through. Before I could get out a train from Philadelphia passed in the opposite direction on the far track, ploughing through the wreckage of our train and the one we had run into. The wreckage was thrown back upon us and caught fire.

 

“Chas Herman said:

 

“The accident occurred at 6:35 p. m. I know this definitely because I had just looked at my watch an instant before it. Three persons inextricably wedged in the burning wood slowly burned to death, while the other passengers, looking on in horrified silence, were unable to render them any aid. We then quickly tore the seats from the cars, piled them up against the wreckage and strove to rescue all of the living we could. Several of the escapes were remarkable. Two men were sitting together in the same seat. One escaped with only a slight cut on the ear, the other was terribly mangled and cannot live. A husband and wife also sitting together were thrown high in the air and alighted on top of the car. When we reached them the woman was holding up the man. She was virtually uninjured, but he was in a very bad way’.” 

 

(Racine Weekly Journal, WI.  “Twenty-Two Slain; Engineer’s Fault.” 1-30-1903, p. 2.)

 

Jan 30: “Plainfield, N.J., Jan. 30. – James H. Davis, engineer of the Reading railroad fast express that ran into the Easton express near Graceland on Tuesday night, died in the Muhlenberg hospital during the day.

 

“At Elizabeth during the day Judge Vall called the attention of the Union county grand jury to the railroad accident of Tuesday evening in which the Easton local on the Central Railroad of New Jersey was telescoped. The courts said it was the grand jury’s duty to make a careful investigation, and if it found the accident due to negligence of any one an indictment for manslaughter should be found.

 

“County Prosecutor English said he would arrange for a special session of the grand jury to investigate the disaster. Engineer Davis’ statement, made just before he died, will, it is understood, be in the evidence presented.

 

“The other victims of the wreck who are in the hospital are reported to be doing as well as could be expected, but it is feared that some of them may not recover. One body has not yet been identified….

 

“New York, Jan. 30. – General   Manager Besler of the Central Railroad of New Jersey denies that a train order sent to Cranford for No. 621, the express which wrecked the Easton local Tuesday evening, was received too late to be delivered to the express train. Mr. Besler says that the order was received in time, and a red signal was set out, as usual, to notify the engineer that there was an order for his train at that station. The order was for No. 621 to pass No. 13, the Easton local, which was wrecked at Dunellen, beyond where the accident occurred. A duplicate of this order had been received in time by the conductor of No. 13 and was in his possession when the express ran into it.

 

“The red light at Cranford was two miles from the scene of the wreck, says Mr. Besler, “yet it was disregarded, as well as the red lantern swung by a crossing tender farther on and all the red lights and warning signals, seven of them. It’s strange what the engineer of the express was doing along there. I understand the fireman of the express says he was shoveling coal at the time and knows nothing about what the engineer was doing.

 

“Mr. Besler said that the county authorities had secured statements from the firemen and engineer and that these statements were locked up pending the beginning of a legal investigation. He knew nothing of their contents.” (Lock Haven Express, PA. “Engineer Davis Dead. Man Blamed for Graceland Wreck…” 1-30-1903 3.)

 

Jan 31: “Plainfield, N. J., Jan. 31. — Two more deaths have occurred as a result of the railroad disaster at Graceland on Tuesday evening, making the total number of lives lost twenty-three. The latest victims to succumb to their injuries were J. Everett Heighten and William M. Clark, both of this city. Heighten lost both legs in the wreck, but was doing surprisingly well in the Muhlenberg hospital until he learned of the nature of his injuries. When he found that he was hopelessly crippled, he declared that he did not want to live. He declined to take stimulants or medicines, and his mental condition caused a pronounced reaction in his physical condition. He sank rapidly and died. He was only eighteen years old.” (New Brunswick Daily Times, NJ. “Two More Wreck Victims Dead.” 1-31-1903, p. 5.)

 

Jan 31: “Plainfield, N.J., Jan. 31. – William M. Clark, of Plainfield, one of the victims of the railroad wreck near Graceland on Tuesday evening, died yesterday. The condition of Samuel McCarthy, fireman of the Reading flyer is critical, and J. Everett Reighton of Plainfield, another victim is very low. The other persons in the hospital who were injured in the accident are holding their own.” (The Courier, Connellsville, PA. “Another Graceland Wreck Victim.” 1-31-1903, p.1.)

 

“The agitation for “three men to an engine” revived and strengthened by the disaster near Westfield, on the Central Railroad of New Jersey tracks, finds endorsement among railroad employes. They cannot be outspoken publicly on a question which, though it affects them directly, is considered by General Managers and Division Superintendents to be none of their business, but among themselves they point out that almost every disastrous collision in recent years in all human probability would have been averted had the engineer had an assistant lookout.

 

“Enginemen, brakemen, and conductors, homeward bound after their runs, tell tales in the smoker of incidents of railroading that, had they been witnessed by passengers, would have induced nervous prostration. That familiarity with ever-present peril which breeds contempt in the most cautious of engineers is instanced by these men as the chief argument in favor of the plan of having an assistant engineer, though the danger of the man in control of the rushing machine falling dead or going insane is given due weight. These latter contingencies, they say, are exceptional — the carelessness resulting from long association with danger is ever present.

 

“A story illustrative of another source of peril, fortunately rare, was told the day after the recent wreck. It dealt with one of the most popular engineers on a road leading from New York. He was to take out a special, on which were several members of the Board of Directors. The man was obviously ‘under the weather,’ and fell as he descended from his cab to make a last inspection of the sides and. Rods. For an instant he lay as if paralyzed, with his legs between the drivers, but only for an instant. The fireman, who had been peering apprehensively up at him from the after deck, was at his side with a single bound, and struck him a violent blow across the face with his greasy cap. ‘Make out we’re skylarking,’ he said, ‘or our folks ‘l notice you and you’ll lose your job.’

 

“Quickly he raised his mate to his feet. Then he boosted him, laughing and striking back, up to the footboard. Then he jammed him on his seat at the lever, struck him one final blow, and agile as a cat climbed back to his own place with a broad grin on his face. None of the witnesses who understood the incident interfered, and two minutes later when the air whistle sounded, the special roiled away on her course to the mountains and the forests as though controlled by the clearest brain and steadiest hand on the whole long line.

 

“The engineer is dead. He did not die that day, nor did any of those who rode behind or before him suffer as a result of his condition. But it was a long chance.

 

“They told one story on one train of an engineer on another line who was running at a fifty-second clip through a ten-mile stretch of forest with more than a dozen crowded cars when his pipe went out. His racing locomotive, so the tale ran, was one of the newest type, built to meet the requirements of modern traffic. Her firebox was the full width of the widest sleeping car, so that the greatest volume and pressure of steam could be developed. This left no room for the crew to stand beside it. So the driver stands all alone in his cab just back of the roaring stack, where his view of the track is of the best, and his stokers — for there often must be more than one — protected by a massive steel wind shield, leap from tender to furnace on a narrow firing deck set low down at the rear of the whole machine.

 

“This engineer struck several matches, but he couldn’t hold the fire. Then, so the story went, he climbed out of his cab, back along the narrow running board, through the wind shield to the firing deck, lit his pipe, spoke to his subordinate, and then slowly wended his way back to where he belonged. A casual observer with frightened face glued to the pane of the forward car, did not compute the time all this took, for he was glad only to know that he was alive. This story created not even surprise in the little group that heard it. ‘Well, he couldn’t have stopped if he’d had to on that grade,’ was one comment. ‘He’d ‘a’ been killed quicker than anybody else,’ remarked a second listener.

 

“Another story dealing with an incident fraught with even great possibilities was of a dark and dangerous stretch of rails close to a great terminus. It was guarded by every mechanical safeguard that ingenuity could devise, for its evident perils have had costly demonstration. Engineers there, it was whispered through long immunity come to regard this as about the safest part of the whole long line because of the appliance, and at times, when they have a dinner engagement or other personal reason for hurrying away from their labor, they have been, known-to leave the train in charge of their fireman and wash up at the tender tank. They had a bad wreck there since and it cost much money and many human lives.

 

“A grizzled engineer who has spent the greater part of his life at the lever put the proposition this way:

“By law it is required that every ferryboat shall carry two men in her pilot house. The law is obeyed, too, except in emergencies. River pilots come cheaper than locomotive engineers, but is it not strange that the great transportation companies do not find it to their own best interests, in the light of so much past experience, to urge the passage of a measure providing that on all fast passenger trains there shall be a pilot engineer?  What comparison can be drawn between the horrible possibilities of a wild steamboat and a runaway engine?  The pilot engineer would have nothing to do with the operation of the locomotive’s mechanism.  His function would be to watch the track, to report signals, and to watch the other engineer.” (NYT. “Need for Pilot Engineer. Railroaders’ Views of the Lesson of the Graceland Disaster.” 2-1-1903, p. 24.)

 

Feb 3: “Plainfield, N.J., Feb. 3. – There was direct contradiction in the testimony adduced today at the first session of the Coroner’s Jury, called to place the responsibility for the railroad disaster near Westfield on Jan. 27. The death-bed affidavits of James Davis, who was the engineer of the Philadelphia express that crashed into the rear end of the Easton local passenger train, were read, and the testimony of many railroad employees was taken. [Summarizes Davis statement quoted in Chester Times article.]

 

“Against these statements were the witness-stand stories of the Master Mechanic and the Road Foreman of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and of engineers who were familiar with the engine at the time of the accident, or had been previously. These were to the effect that the engine was in good condition. That it had not been a short time previous to the fatal run, was evident from the story of the Master Mechanic, who testified to many repairs having been made on it at Philadelphia on Jan. 7, but he contended that the fact that these repairs had been made certified to her good condition on the date of the accident.

 

“Another man, W. H. Wilkinson, an engineer who turned the engine over to Davis, promises to corroborate the testimony as to the good condition of the locomotive. He arrived too late to be heard this afternoon, but in an interview he said that when Davis took the engine from him, the injector, of which Davis complained, was in perfect order, and that he had not noticed any leak in the steam chest.  He believed he would have noticed such a leak had there been one. Asked as to the strength or delicacy of an injector, Wilkinson said: ‘It’s hard to break one. I haven’t had one break on me during the last ten years, it is a most unusual trouble.’….

 

“The contradicted point is as to the condition of the engine. Officials of the railroad said that if, as Davis said in his affidavit, the engine was in poor condition, he would not have been compelled to take her out on the trip had he reported the defect. Whether Davis made such a report the jury was not able to ascertain, but hopes to do so. Upon this, it appears, rests the question of the engineer’s responsibility.

 

“N. C. J. English of Elizabeth, Prosecutor of Pleas for Union County, conducted the inquisition today. John K. Large, general claim agent for the Central Railroad of New Jersey and John F. Conover, an attorney for the Reading Company, were the only representatives of the railroads in attendance. They took no part in the proceedings. The inquest was held over the body of John Gurrid of Dunellen, a telegraph operator in the employ of the Central Railroad….”  (New York Times. “Davis, Dying, Swore Engine Was Faulty…Graceland Disaster.” 2-4-1903, p. 1.)

 

Feb 4: “Plainfield, N.J., Feb. 4. – The coroner’s inquest on the collision a week ago between a Philadelphia express train and a local near Graceland, on the Central Railroad of New Jersey, when 23 persons were killed or fatally hurt and 50 badly injured, was begun yesterday before a jury composed chiefly of city officials and merchants. 

 

“The most important testimony was that introduced by Dr. Westcott, county physician of Union county, who read the statement made to him by Engineer Davis, of the Reading express. Dr. Westcott said he obtained the statement from Davis on the evening of January 28. It is as follows:

 

I started from Jersey City, going west, at 6:13 p.m., with a leaking steam chest, which had been cracked for a month or so. Steam in large quantities was escaping, and it was necessary for me to shut down the steam to see the tower signals. I said to the fireman:  ‘We must go carefully in order to see the signals.’ We arrived at Elizabeth two minutes late. Between Cranford and Westfield the front injector broke, and jumping up to put it back I missed my signal after passing Cranford. I saw the Westfield station and the passenger train when within 50 feet of it. I applied the emergency brakes and knew no more until I found myself in the back of the cab, with a car seat upon me and fire all around me.  I am 34 years old, had have been an engineer for 12 years.

 

“The statement was sworn to by Davis before Dr. Westcott as commissioner of deeds. A similar statement by Davis to the chief of police of Plainfield was also put in evidence.” (Chester Times, PA. “Probing Jersey Central Wreck.” 2-4-1903, p. 9.)

 

Feb 5: “Plainfield, N.J., February 5 – At today’s session of the coroner’s jury investigating the wreck on the New Jersey Central road near Graceland on January 27, several witnesses residing at different points along the road testified to having seen the Philadelphia express pass by with the locomotive seemingly enveloped in steam. 

 

“John B. Dick, the telegraph operator at Cranford swore that he received orders from the train dispatcher to allow the Easton local to proceed to Dunellen on track No. 2 where the Philadelphia express was to pass the local train. After receiving these orders a red lantern was placed between the tracks five or six minutes before the Philadelphia train was due. The witness saw steam coming from the locomotive of the train but he did not think it was sufficient to obscure the engineer’s vision.

 

“William Varson the flagman at the Broad street crossing at Westfield said that he tried to flag the Philadelphia train by waving a red light but was unable to do so.

 

“John W. Knapp, a policeman of Westfield saw Engineer Davis lying on the ground near his engine after the collision. Davis told him he had seen a red light and that he expected it would turn into a white light.

 

“W. L. Young, a policeman of Westfield corroborated the testimony given by Policeman Knapp as to the lights and added: Davis told me that he was late in leaving Jersey City and had orders that he had a clear track and was to run into Philadelphia on time.

 

“Thomas B. Smith, of Plainfield, testified that Davis told him it was impossible to see the signals on account of the dense steam. The witness, in answer to questions declared that in his opinion the leak in the steam chest in the engine had never been properly repaired, allowing the escape of steam.

 

“Edward McEwen, conductor of the Philadelphia flyer No. 621, which ran into the local, said his train left Jersey City three minutes late and as he had received no specific instructions he supposed that everything was as usual. After the collision he asked Davis how it happened, and the engineer replied ‘I did not see them until I was into them.’ McEwen asked him why. ‘I could not see with the steam, Davis explained.

 

“The testimony of Michael H. Meaney, the train dispatcher at Jersey City, went to show that train No. 621 did not stop for orders at Cranford, running past the red light that was displayed there…[unclear] that while he was duplicating the order to Westfield No. 621 went past the station.

 

“William G. Besler, the vice president and general manager of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, was next called. Prosecutor English asked Mr. Besler who, in his opinion, was responsible for the wreck, and Mr. Besler replied, ‘The engineer of the Philadelphia train, James Davis.’  Davis alone, he said, might have prevented the accident.”  (Atlanta Constitution. “Expected Red to Turn White.” 2-6-1903, p. 3.)

 

Feb 9: “Philadelphia, Feb. 9. – In consequence of the wreck at Graceland, N.J., on the New Jersey Central Railroad, recently, in which more than a score of persons were killed, the adoption of an entire set of new and revised rules to govern the dispatching and operation of passenger and freight trains on the joint Reading and Jersey Central system, has been decided at a meeting held at the operating offices of both roads. The rules will become effective on March 1st. They are made to conform in every respect and detail with the latest operating rules now recommended as the best and safest standard by the American Railway Association.” (Oakland Tribune, CA.  “Will Have New Rules.” 2-9-1903, p. 8.)

 

Feb 11: “The people of Quarryville, Lancaster county, think that Harvey Martin, until recently a resident of that place, was killed in the railway disaster on the Jersey Central at Graceland, N. J.  Martin’s trunk was unearthed from the mass of baggage taken from the wreck. His body was not found, and it is believed that it was either mutilated beyond recognition or destroyed entirely.”  (Star and Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Neighborhood News.” 2-11-1903, p. 1.)

 

Feb 13: “Plainfield, N.J., February 13 (AP).  The inquiry into the cause of the disaster on the New Jersey Central Railroad near Graceland on the evening of January 27 was concluded today. The verdict of the jury is expected tomorrow.

 

“Chief of Police Kelly, of Plainfield, testified that he went in Philadelphia with four of the jurors and spent some time in the Philadelphia and Reading roundhouse examining the records showing repairs to engines. They found entered in the records two complaints that had been made about engine No. 27, which drew the Philadelphia flyer on the night of the accident. One of these complaints had been made on January 23 and the other the next day. The witness said that the repairs were of a minor character and after they had been made the engine was sent out again….” (Daily Gazette…Bulletin, Williamsport PA. “Coroner’s Verdict Expected Today.” 2-14-1903, p1.)

 

Feb 14: “Plainfield, N.J., Feb 14 – The coroner’s jury in the case of the fatal railroad disaster at Graceland, N.J. Jan 27, when a Philadelphia & Reading flyer crashed into an eastern local causing the death of 23 persons, rendered a verdict this afternoon. The document is very long, and in it the jury says:

 

“We find that James M. Davis, who was in charge of the engine of the Philadelphia & Reading train, was to blame for the accident for falling to observe the signals.”

 

“These signals, five in number, are named, and continuing the verdict says:

 

Although from the evidence we cannot find that the railroad company or any of the officials can be held criminally responsible, there are certain mitigating circumstances in regard to the accident of the engineer which should be taken into consideration. There was evidence to show that the engine was in good condition, having been in the shops for repairs from Jan 7 to 17.

 

“Regarding the statement of the engineer that finding it necessary to get at the injector he missed the signal, the jury finds that this was probably the cautionary signal and that at the rate of speed he was going it would take 40 seconds after passing Westfield to strike the rear of train 13.

 

“ ‘There is no doubt,’ says the verdict, ‘that there was a large amount of steam escaping from some part of the engine during the run from Jersey City to Westfield on the night of the accident, and this is probably why the engineer did not see the signal at Cranford.’”

 

“The Philadelphia & Reading railroad and the Central railroad of New Jersey were exonerated from any criminal responsibility.

 

“The jury suggests an inquiry as to whether the railroad is handling a greater traffic than is compatible with safety, as to the advisability of the substitution of steam for stoves in cars and electricity for oil in headlights, and an additional man in cabs to look out for signals. The appointment of a state railroad commission is also suggested.” (Boston Daily Globe. “Engineer’s Fault. Blame Placed for Wreck at Graceland, N.J.” 2-15-1903, p. 8.)

 

Feb 17: “Elizabeth, N.J., February 17. The Union county Grand Jury today took up the matter of the railroad collision on the Jersey Central railroad at Graceland, N.J., in which twenty-three persons were killed. County Prosecutor English submitted to the grand jury the testimony taken at the Coroner’s inquest.” (Daily Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport, PA. “Graceland Wreck Before Grand Jury.” 2-18-1903, p. 6.)

 

Feb 27: “Plainfield, N.J., Feb 27. – The last victim of the wreck near Westfield, on the New Jersey Central Railroad, at Graceland, on Jan 27, was buried today from the Trinity Reform Church…. The expenses of the burial were paid by the railroad company. The body had been lying at the Morgue here ever since the wreck, and was the only body that was not identified. The officials kept the body at the Morgue in the hope that it would be identified.” (New York Times.  “In a Nameless Grave. Last Victim of Graceland Disaster…” 2-28-1903, 9.)

 

March 4: “Elizabeth, N.J., March 4. – The Union County Grand Jury, which has been conducting an inquiry into the wreck of the Philadelphia and Reading flyer on the New Jersey Central Railroad at Graceland on Jan. 27, to-day made a presentment in the Circuit Court to Judge Vail. The Grand Jury finds that Engineer Davis of the Philadelphia and Reading train, which crashed into the Easton local express, was primarily responsible for the wreck, he having passed signals set against him, but that a leaky injector had enveloped his cab with steam, obscuring his view. The jury censures the railroad for having cars of ancient make and so weakly put together that they were unable to withstand any shock, and also because they were heated by coal stoves.

 

“The jury also censures the railroad for not having notified Engineer Davis at Jersey City that Train No. 13, the Easton local, would take the main track instead of running over a siding at Cranford. The presentment says that, even if he was not notified at Jersey City, there was time to have notified him at Elizabeth of the fact that the Easton train was on the same track as the Philadelphia express.” (New York Times. “Graceland Wreck Censure.” 3-5-1903, p. 5.)

 

March 8, Edson: “Cut through the stratum of human nature, and you lay bare the varying layers which go to make up the average character. The layers differ in thickness according to the disposition of the  character under discussion. To label the infinite number of streaks would involve a long and tedious task, and carry one through all the shades and hues of the unfathomable idiosyncrasies of the genus homo.

 

“The streak of recklessness is traceable in almost every human character. It dips below the surface and for long time remains hidden and unobservable, and then it suddenly plunges into view above the upper crust of events and an item or columns in the newspaper are required to tell the full story of the chance that was taken and the terrible consequences following.

 

“Sometimes it is the train that must be caught. The chance is taken, the spring is made, and the moving cars rumble out the rest of the story as they crunch over the prostrate form that has rolled beneath the wheels.

 

“Sometimes it is the desperate speculation in the grain pit or on the stock exchange. The chance is taken (oftentimes with other people’s money), and the sequel is read in the ruin and wreckage of a human life and fortune, or by the banking of the jail door as it shuts in the criminal…

 

“Sometimes it is the engineer into whose hands has been committed precious lives and thousands of dollars of property, in whom the streak of recklessness appears. The opportunity of gaining a few moments of lost time brings to the surface the streak of recklessness. He takes the chance, and, like the toboggan once started down the icy slope is incapable of being checked in its lightning speed, his train plunges forward, and the splintering timbers, the crashing glass, the groans of the dying and the cry of anguish of the living as they bend in tenderness over their mangled loved ones, tell the rest of the awful story.

 

“The engineer in the wreck at Graceland, N. J., the other day before he relapsed into unconsciousness gasped: ‘I am responsible for the accident. I saw the danger signal, but expected it to turn white.’  His recklessness cost over 20 lives, and injuries to over 50 people, to say nothing of the loss to railroad property.

 

“The individual who gives play to his streak of recklessness, when it involves only himself, becomes the victim of his own madness, and his friends may be excused for dropping a passing tear on his grave, but the engine driver, the steamboat captain, the one into whose hands the lives and property of others is committed, and who takes the reckless chance and courts death and disaster, is a craven coward, though he may call his recklessness by another name, and deem it NERVE, and is worthy of a disgraced and dishonored name and grave….

 

“As it is now new mounds in the graveyard and depleted rolling stock are the only means of measuring the engineer’s streak of recklessness and then it is too late, except to furnish a text for the coroner and the moralizer.” (Edson, Willis S. “The Human Streak of Recklessness.” Perry Daily Chief, IA. 3-8-1903, 4.)

 

March 17: “Friends of George E. Read, who was killed in the Jersey Central smash-up at Graceland, N. J., on Jan. 27, are puzzled to know who was his real wife. Two women are claiming strenuously to be the genuine widow, and both of them will appear before Surrogate Fitzgerald on March 24 to tell why they think he was their husband.

 

“Curiously enough, by a clerical error in the Surrogate’s Office, letters of administration on the estate have already been awarded to each of the widows. This fact has served to mystify the officials of the Jersey Central Railroad, who are seeking to settle the claims for damages growing out of the Graceland disaster.

 

“What makes this case still more unusual is the fact that Mr. Read left no estate to administrate. The only material advantage that will accrue to the woman who proves herself to be the real widow is the privilege of securing from the railroad company whatever payment it may make for causing the death of the doubly claimed husband.

 

“George E. Read was one of the local representatives of the lumber milling firm of F. T. Nesbit & Co., No. 133 Nassau street. He had been connected with this concern for many years. He was about forty-five years old, and on the basis of his probable earnings had he served his natural term of life his proper widow will doubtless recover about $25,000 from the railroad company.

 

“At the time of his death George E. Read was living on Clinton avenue, Plainfield, N. J. He had lived there but a few weeks. His cottage was in an obscure portion of the town, and few people were acquainted with either him or the woman supposed to be his wife.  Prior to living in Plainfield, Read and his wife had lived for nearly a year at Dunellen, N. J. They went there from this city.

 

“When the Graceland accident occurred Mrs. Read was visiting friends out of town. She was notified by Mr. Nesbit, bought a lot in the cemetery at Plainfield, and buried her husband there. A few days later she moved to New York…

 

“Declaring that she had been married to Mr. Read three years before, Eleanor Read secured letters of administration on his estate on Feb. 27.  On March 2 similar letters were awarded to Mary Alice Read, she alleging that she had been married to Read on Sept. 29, 1891.

 

“Mrs. Eleanor Read had up to this time never heard of Mrs. Mary Alice Read.  Likewise Mrs. Mary Alice Read had never heard of Mrs. Eleanor Read.  Mr. Read’s business associates had never heard of the second wife, they understanding that he had separated from the wife he married in 189l. The existence of wife No. 2 was a surprise to them….

 

“Mrs. Mary Alice Read says she was married to Read at the Church of the Sacred Heart, No. 457 West Fifty-first street, by the Rev. John J. O’Donnell. She has secured a copy of the marriage  record on the books of the church. She declares that in 1895 she and Read had a serious quarrel, and that as a result of it he left her. Since that time and until about a year ago he had supported her.  Since a year ago she has been unable to find him, and only learned of his death through her efforts to force him to support her. The newspapers spelled his name wrong in their account of his death, and that misled her….” (The World, NYC. “Two Widows Claim Victim of Wreck…Each Wants to Sue the Railroad for Damages.” 3-17-1903, 3.)

 

Fatalities noted in articles above

 

  1. Chandor [Chandler (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)] ROWLAND, Plainfield.
  2. Clark, William A. (or M.) from Plainfield. Died of injuries Jan 31.
  3. Currid, Edward, Plainfield.
  4. Cuming [Cummin (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)], THOMAS A., Plainfield.
  5. Davis, W. (James) E. engineer of the Philadelphia and Reading Express; died Jan 28.
  6. Flynn, Edward, Plainfield.
  7. Giles, Elias, Plainfield.
  8. Gurrid, John, of Dunellen, telegraph operator for Central Railroad.
  9. Hallet, Jos.. R., Plainfield.
  10. Hand, Horace G., Elizabeth. [Plainfield  (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)]
  11. Happerson, R. W, Plainfield.
  12. Hardingham, Fred, Dunellen [Plainfield (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)]
  13. Heighten (or Reighton[2]), J. Everett, 18. Died of injuries Jan 31 at Muhlenberg Hospital.
  14. Hoger, Henry, Plainfield. [Harry Rogers (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)]
  15. Linbarger, Lera, Plainfield.
  16. Mahan, Henry L., Plainfield.
  17. Martin, Harvey, of Quarryville PA. Luggage found but not body; not seen as of Feb 11.
  18. Patterson, Harvey M. [or S.], West Dunellen.
  19. Reed (or Read), Charles B. [George E. (The World. “Two Widows…” 3-17-1903)], Plainfield.
  20. Smith, F. A.. Plainfield.
  21. Thayer, C. P., Plainfield.
  22. Tomlinson, Harold W., Plainfield.
  23. Waldron [Baldwin (Racine Journal. “Twenty-Two Slain.”)], CRAIG, Plainfield.
  24. Williams, Edgar W., Plainfield.
  25. Unidentified body (as of Jan 30) Perhaps the body of the missing Harvey Martin. This body was buried on Feb 27, still unidentified.

 

Sources

 

Altoona Mirror, PA. “1903 in Review. Notable Occurrences of the Year.” 12-31-1903, p. 9. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=9599795

 

Atlanta Constitution. “Expected Red to Turn White.” 2-6-1903, p. 3. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5151548

 

Boston Daily Globe, MA. “Engineer’s Fault. Blame Placed for Wreck at Graceland, N.J.” 2-15-1903, 8. At:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=161134503

 

Chester Times, PA. “Probing Jersey Central Wreck.” 2-4-1903, p. 9. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com

 

Daily Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport, PA. “Coroner’s Verdict Expected Today.” 2-14-1903, 1. At:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=7344500

 

Daily Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport, PA. “Graceland Wreck Before Grand Jury.” 2-18-1903, 6. At:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=7344730

 

Edson, Willis S. “The Human Streak of Recklessness.” Perry Daily Chief, IA. 3-8-1903, 4. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=10302687

 

Lock Haven Express, PA. “Engineer Davis Dead. Man Blamed for Graceland Wreck Expires in Hospital.” 1-30-1903 3.  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=147249020

 

National Railway Historical Society, Rivanna Chapter, Charlottesville, Virginia. “This Month in Railroad History. January.” 1-15-2006 update. Accessed at: http://nrhs.avenue.org/histjan.htm

 

New Brunswick Daily Times, NJ. “Two More Wreck Victims Dead,” 1-31-1903, p. 5. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=137797131

 

New York Times. “Davis, Dying, Swore Engine Was Faulty…Graceland Disaster.” 2-4-1903, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52151209

 

New York Times. “Graceland Wreck Censure.” 3-5-1903, p. 5. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52151867

 

New York Times. “In a Nameless Grave. Last Victim of Graceland Disaster…” 2-28-1903, p. 9. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52151739

 

New York Times. “More Wreck Victims Die; J.E. Reighton and W.M. Clark…” 1-31-1903 p. 1. Accessed 5-14-2025 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1903/01/31/archives/more-wreck-victims-die-je-reighton-and-wm-clark-suc-cumb-to-their.html

 

New York Times. “Need for Pilot Engineer. Railroaders’ Views of the Lesson of the Graceland Disaster.” 2-1-1903, 24.  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52151144

 

New York Times. “Twenty-Four Killed on Jersey Central.” 1-28-1903, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=52151049

 

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Will Have New Rules.” 2-9-1903, p. 8. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=98084879

 

Racine Weekly Journal, WI. “Twenty-Two Slain; Engineer’s Fault.” 1-30-1903, p. 2. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=54791761

 

Railway Magazine. “Appalling Accident on the N.J.C.R.R.” March, 1903, p. 255. Google digitized at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=kt3NAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Star and Sentinel, Gettysburg, PA. “Neighborhood News.” 2-11-1903, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=2887085

 

The Courier, Connellsville, PA. “Another Graceland Wreck Victim.” 1-31-1903, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=32728680

 

The World, NYC. “Two Widows Claim Victim of Wreck…Each Wants to Sue the Railroad for Damages.” 3-17-1903, 3. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=160323014

 

Titusville Herald, PA. “Victims of Jersey Central Wreck. Now Number Twenty.” 1-29-1903, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=104685009

 

Trains Magazine. “On This Date in Railroad History.” Accessed 5-14-2025 at: https://forum.trains.com/t/on-this-date-in-railroad-history/147599/40?page=3

 

Warren, Michael Sol. “The worst disaster in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.”  NJ.com, 2-25-2019. Accessed 5-14-2025 at:

https://www.nj.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/02/6c318b30e95860/the-worst-disaster-in-each-of-new-jerseys-21-counties-.html

 

[1] Cites: Semmens, Peter. Railway Disasters of the World: Principal Passenger Train Accidents of the 20th Century. Patrick Stephens Ltd.

[2] New York Times. “More Wreck Victims Die; J.E. Reighton and W.M. Clark Succumb…” 1-31-1903 p. 1.