Then and Now.....The Accident of the Blue Comet Train

[Jerseyman]

Guy, this is such a nice report. You've inspired me to begin working on a report of an accident between Lakehurst and Toms River in 1918 which killed my great-grandfather. I have a newspaper article but to identify the exact location I believe I would need to refer to an official accident report either from the JCRR, ICC (if they existed then) or local police. There was also an inquest and a man was charged (I'll provide more when I complete the report). Can you refer me to a source that may have JCRR or ICC reports in this era. I think I know where to go for police/court reports if they exist. Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks!

RancocasRover:

Prior to congressional passage of the Accidents Reports Act on 6 May 1910, railroad accident reportage fell to the individual states. Here in New Jersey, the yearly publication, Annual Statement of Railroad and Canal Companies of New Jersey, published from 1852 through 1913, always carried a report on railroad accidents, particularly where employees, passengers, or the public suffered injury and/or death. The 1910 federal act mentioned above charged the Interstate Commerce Commission with the responsibility to conduct railroad accident investigations. In recent years, the NTSB scanned a selection of the original reports and posted them on the web, but the only 1918 report for the Central Railroad of New Jersey involves an accident investigation in Ashley, Pennsylvania, located near Wilkes Barre, where the Central operated an inclined plane for moving cars up a steep grade.

If you are serious about obtaining a copy of the ICC accident investigation report for the incident that took your great-grandfather’s life, I suggest you contact the National Archives in College Park, Maryland and make arrangements to visit that facility to view and order a photocopy of the accident report. The archivist in charge of the ICC records is David Pfeiffer and he can make arrangements with you for your visit. Alternatively, if you contact David, he may be able to arrange for having the report copied and mailed to you, but I do not make that suggestion with any certitude. David’s contact information is:

David Pfeiffer
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD

Phone (301)-837-2052
Email: david.pfeiffer@nara.gov
The New Jersey State Archives in Trenton holds microform death certificates for the 1918 time period. They also have microfilm of the Toms River newspaper, New Jersey Courier. I possess a portion of that newspaper run on film, but my coverage ends with 1915. I have checked other sources in my library and have been unsuccessful in finding any additional information for your quest.

I wish you all success with your research. If I can be of any further assistance, feel free to contact me through the conversation tool available on this forums website.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[RancocasRover]

RancocasRover:

If you are serious about obtaining a copy of the ICC accident investigation report for the incident that took your great-grandfather’s life, I suggest you contact the National Archives in College Park, Maryland and make arrangements to visit that facility to view and order a photocopy of the accident report. The archivist in charge of the ICC records is David Pfeiffer
Jerseyman

Jerseyman, this is incredibly helpful! Thank you. I work not too far from the NJ Archives maybe I can take some time off and get in there too. Thanks again.

 

[Teegate]

Just so you know, the manuscript room in Trenton is only open after 1PM so make sure you call before you go. I believe the microfilm is in that room but there is a possibility you can access the microfilm earlier. I am not sure so give them a call.

Guy

 

[Jerseyman]

Just so you know, the manuscript room in Trenton is only open after 1PM so make sure you call before you go. I believe the microfilm is in that room but there is a possibility you can access the microfilm earlier. I am not sure so give them a call.

Guy

Guy:

Manuscript material falls into the 1:00 p.m. restriction, but the microfilm reading room is open all day.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Hinchman's Hill]

I had a client this week who was proposing to drain stormwater that exceeds > 100 yr flow onto some adjoining light rail tracks. I sent them Jerseyman's article (and a link to the Blue Comet book), and the below snippet of Guy's initial post in this thread. I got back a great email yesterday: "I wish you hadn't sent me that link. And I'm NOT buying the book!!!"

On the day of the accident it was the job of the caretaker of the nearby Kennedy Cranberry Bogs to monitor the rainfall and drain the bogs accordingly. He found that 13-1/2 inches of rain fell, mostly in a 4-hour span. The water would drain into two 24 inch pipes and go under the tracks, but there was so much rain that day the rainwater from the bogs and the surrounding area headed further west and entered and overwhelmed two 24 inch pipes at milepost 86 which normally did not encounter that amount of water. A bridge engineer at the time estimated the drainage area in this section of the pines at 15 square miles, with most of the drainage usually crossing the tracks under the bridge east of the accident site near Chatsworth. Because of the massive amount of water crossing the tracks in the 86-milepost area, the ground underneath the tracks washed away.

 

[Teegate]

One way to keep the clients on the straight and narrow! I always enjoy your posts. Thanks!

Guy

 

[Hinchman's Hill]

Thanks, Guy. My client's a construction manager with whom I've worked for > 20 years. He has the right perspective; even though he gets enormous pressure to hit budget target, he said "I want to get this right. I don't want something like that on my conscience." Not everyone takes that point of view.

Dave

 

[Pan]

Forty years ago, Sept. 1971, I came across a train wreck in the Barrens, near the Carranza Memorial. Here's a photo I took of an upended Erie car by the NJ Central tracks.

 

[ecampbell]

Pan, was that near Pine Crest? There were a couple of box car doors there as recent as a couple of years ago but your picture is not of a box car. Please keep the pictures coming!

Ed

 

[Teegate]

Forty years ago, Sept. 1971, I came across a train wreck in the Barrens, near the Carranza Memorial. Here's a photo I took of an upended Erie car by the NJ Central tracks.

Pan,

I love your photo's! You should try to find a way to put your name on them so that nobody uses them and you get credit for your photo's.
Guy

 

[Pan]

Pan,

I love your photo's! You should try to find a way to put your name on them so that nobody uses them and you get credit for your photo's.
Guy

Thanks, Guy, but why would I need to do that? They've just been sitting around for all these years unappreciated. Perhaps, as I mentioned before on another thread, I might just put them on a thread of their own, or along with other old PB photos, so that they'd be more accessible, instead of scattering them around. Maybe as administrator you could do something about that if you want, or tell me what to do, if anything.

Ed - Where's Pine Crest? All that I rememeber is that the train wreck was near the Carranza Memorial, and yes I do recall a number of derailed railroad cars. I don't remember why I only photographed this one. I never learned anything about the wreck itself, though.

Many of the photos I've posted so far were taken in September 1971. I was on a three day hiking and backpacking trip. I parked my car someplace out of sight in the Plains and then set off walking, and taking pictures. I came across a Piney or two, but mostly no one at all. It was always pretty lonely in there. I slept in my tent at night. I remember the whippoorwills. I sure do miss the Pine Barrens - except for the ticks.

My avatar photo: That's me towering over a fully grown pine forest like Paul Bunyan. The photo was taken in May 1976. It's the Plains part of the Barrens, south of Rt. 72. I know that dwarf forest fluctuates in height over the years. I don't think it's as low now as it was then, at least it wasn't when I was last there a number of years ago. Is it?

 

[Teegate]

Pine Crest is where the road from Apple Pie Hill meets the Jersey Central Railroad. Basically, if you are at the top of the tower and see that long straight road to the RR that is where Pine Crest is. You can check out some of my photo's showing the sign at this link.

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/a-new-collection-of-old-photo.4500/

Guy

 

[ecampbell]

Pine Crest

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.78980820192016&lng=-74.58549499511719&z=13&type=topo&gpx=

 

[Pan]

I read your thread, Guy. It's great. This is a great website. There's so much here.

EC , thanks for the map. The track marked "abandoned", that must be the place all right. Has anyone ever heard of that train wreck? I should get on the Google and see if I can find something. What would cause a train to derail on a straightaway like that? Something on the track most likely.

 

[Pan]

I found another photo of the Jersey Central wreck that I came upon in Sept. 1971. Wrecked cars are visible on both sides of the tracks.

 

[Teegate]

I was in high school then and I remember the other students cutting class and going to the "train wreck." I got the impression that it was closer to Woodmansie and not on the Chatsworth side of 72, but that may be completely wrong. I did not start going to the pines until 1973 and they were gone by then.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

Your photo proves what many of us have been saying ...that the pines are much taller than they have ever been. Putting fires out have caused that.

Guy

 

[Pan]

Your photo proves what many of us have been saying ...that the pines are much taller than they have ever been. Putting fires out have caused that.

Guy

Probably especially noticeable in the Plains, I guess. And that was what made the Plains so awesome back then, the low forest and the 360 degrees of sky.

 

[dragoncjo]

My God if that is anywhere near Caranza its crazy how the much the area has change. If the picture of the train is where I think it is the area now looks nothing like that anymore, the trees are probably 30 feet higher.

 

[bobpbx]

I pretty much clearly remember that sand train wreck was east of woodmansie. I was there when the cars were all tumbled like childs toys. We even were in one. Kinda spooky...silent, dark, and sandy. If I'm wrong I apologize, but I'm pretty sure that is correct.