Helena Weekly Herald

LONG BRANCH, N. J., June 29.—The express train leaving Long Branch this morning, on the New Jersey Central road, met with a terrible accident while crossing the bridge over a branch of the Shrewsbury river, near Little Silver Station. The accident was caused by spreading rails. Six cars—four ordinary passenger, a smoking and a parlor car—left the rails and ran over the ties of the bridge, tearing them into splinters. The cars kept on the bridge until the train was half way across, when the four passenger coaches and the smoking car went over into the water with a crash. The cars laid on their sides in about four feet of water. The scene that followed beggars description. An unknown man from Ocean Beach was taken out dead. The cars were filled with passengers, and the number of injured is unknown, but there were nearly 100 persons hurt. Demorest, of Faust, Demorest & Co., of Reade street, New York, was injured on the base of the skull, and will die. William R. Garrison, son of Commodore Charles E. Garrison, is terribly hurt in the chest. Charles M. Woodruff, of Newark, and J. Mitchell, of Scranton, were also injured. It is impossible to get names. Physicians around the neighboring towns have been summoned.

Charles H. Foster, the fireman of the engine, pulled ex-President Grant out of the smoking car. Grant was not injured. Robert Robertson, iron merchant, New York, was injured badly. A grocer named Edison, of Branchport, was crushed terribly. James Brooks, of Brooks & Dickson, theatre troupe managers, had his collar bone broken. W. H. Brown, a son of T. J. Brown, Superintendent of the Erie road, received a severe blow on the head and had his back injured. C. J. Fox, of Richmond, had his head crushed. James Mallory, of 202 Broadway, had his head so badly crushed that he cannot recover.

The dead man has been identified as James L. Bradley, produce dealer, New York. G. W. Demorest is dead. President Galloway, of the elevated railroad, was slightly injured. William R. Garrison has been unconscious since the accident, suffering from concussion of the brain. He is at Hollywood Park, the residence of John Hoey. George R. Blanchard, Vice President of the New York and Lake Erie Western Railroad; Robert B. Minturn, ex-President Grant and Arthur L. Sewell were slightly injured. Annie Irwin, of Brooklyn, was seriously hurt and is unconscious. William A. McCall, the brakeman, had his throat fearfully cut; William Woodruff and Mallory are nearly dead; John T. Raymond, the actor, had his collar bone broken and was otherwise severely injured; Fox, his father-in-law, is badly hurt.

The cause of the disaster was in moving the track for the Monmouth races. The switch was not properly spiked, and therefore spread when the wheels struck it. It was a case of inexcusable carelessness on the part of those intrusted with the task of altering the track. Mr. Garrison has both legs broken, besides his other injuries.