September 15, 1958. A commuter
train of the
Jersey Central Railroad ran three
warning signals as it neared
Bayonne, tripped an automatic derailing device, and
plunged through an open
liftbridge into
Newark Bay, at
Elizabethport. Three coaches sank; 48 people died. Survivors said they saw the open bridge and watched in disbelief as the train sped toward it.
(this is one of the New Jersey disasters)