1906 Atlantic City train wreck

In the railway accident at Atlantic City in 1906 on October 28, 1906 derailed a train on a railway bridge in Atlantic City, New Jersey, due to a technical fault on the bridge. The train plunged off the bridge. 53 people drowned.

Initial situation

The accident occurred on a recently electrified railroad in the West Jersey and Seashore Railroad, a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, just before the entrance to the railway station of Atlantic City. The route crossed there on a drawbridge a body of water, called "The Thoroughfare ", which was about 10 feet deep there.

The bridge over the water had been tested after electrification for their functionality and put into operation on the same day. It was secured on both sides by signals that only " free ride " showed, when there was the bridge in a horizontal position. She had been traveled already without interference from a train to the west.

From the west a three-part electric railcar from Camden now drove against 14 clock 20 by 87 travelers towards the bridge. The driven unit pushed the train. The doors of the cars were - as usual - closed.

Circumstances of the accident

The bridge was opened for a short vessel traffic to let a boat pass, and then been brought back into a horizontal position, so that they could be driven out of the train from Camden. This driving of the bridge at a speed of 60 km / hr. Contrary to signaling the bridge but had not fully closed and the eastern Zugbrückensegment sticking something about the Western. This derailed the train, slid about 50 meters above the threshold and then fell 5 meters deep in "The Thoroughfare ". The first two cars plunged into the water, pushing the car caught in the substructure of the bridge and hung there for a short time. Since the doors were shut, it was difficult for the trapped passengers to leave the car. An on-board in the last car brakeman closed immediately on one of the rear doors of that car and stopped her. Here escaped a number of passengers, while in the first two cars survived only one or two persons and any other drowned.

Investigation

The investigation revealed that the coming from the east first train had slightly upstanding bridge segment on which he ascended landside normal, pressed at his crossing by its weight at the contact point with the western folding segment in the correct position and the bridge therefore without problems could happen. The train from Camden on the other hand had hit the high- eastern bridge segment and therefore derailed.

The study of the signaling system showed that it reacted only to the horizontal position of the bridge segments, but no control was integrated that these really were flush against each other.

Follow

A consequence of the accident was the first press release. The public relations expert Ivy Lee, who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad, this convinced offensively with a press statement to the representatives of the newspapers at the accident site repayments. The New York Times printed the press release verbatim from October 30, 1906.