New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-11
THE GREAT RAILWAY CRIME
THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE pIsAsTER-THE FATAL
WHITE sIGNAL-THE RAILWAY COMPANY TO
BLAhE-THE LOCOMOTIVE NOT YET RAISED
TIE MQUEsr-TnE FAITHFUL ENGINEER.

aSteT, 81 whom 1Ny ONelhlIu were iAfllcs All were
anxious ths locomotive raised believing that with
it would the body VI the engineer. Simmons quite
number Of the spectators have been pretty thoroughly
soaked with ice-water in their anxiety 70 see
thing by venturng too near the edge, and step
ping on cakes Of ice too small TO bear their
weight Fortunately no one was drowned
BY O'Clock large gangs from both divisions Of the road
arrived and Immediately begun the work Of rigging the
purchases 10 raise the locomotive Constitution which
for the fourth time has been plunged by accident be
meath the waters Of the Hudson River She Is looked
upon by the railroad employees as an "unlucky ma
chine" superintendent Toucey and Roadmaster Jos.
wheeler took charge OF the work. and in the OF
hour the channewsy atiho draw spanned by sub
stantal working platform. placed that It's outer limits
lay on each side Of the locomotive, which lies its
right side with the cylinder barely dicernible at low
water. After the platform had been rugged, scow
capable OF holding baltdozen persons was
brought over the Ice and put in the open
water directly over tho engine, and several
men begun to sound around with poles so as TO get
a sling around strong iportiOn Of it. About this
time the Coroner and the jury came down from Pough-
kcepsie and viewed the wreck, remaining but few
minutes and then returned 20 proceed with the inquest
pair Of sheers then prepared and erected with
heavy fourfod purchase attached the fail OF which led
through block and to the main track where an engine
stood ready 20 haul IL up that could be slung with
chains This being accomplished il was proposed to dig
out a slideway and to lay skids on which the engine
would be drawn out. over 500 men were ehg"oeu III 'S
task.
While these ORGANIZATIONS were going a railway de-
tecve with gang OF rolled barrel of Kerosene oil
down 20 the remains Of the Inflated Buffalo sleeping
coach and by means OF bucket and coal scuttle the
wreck was set FIRE This fire burned all day. and SIN
there is part Of the wreck left As tie trains passed up
and down the road their Windows ana PLATFORMS were
crowded with spectators.
Finding that some hours must eapse before the engine
could be raised THE TRIBUNE reporter called upon
of the most influential and respectable Of the villagers
and learned some facts which put quite new phase
upon The cause Of this awful disaster. II appers that
within few weeks the force along the line Of the rail
road has been reducedOme say, onethird This relates
/ more particularly TO signal and bridge-men. AT the
New Hamburger drawbridge two men have been sta
toned ever since the road built p years ago, but
| under the economical management system they have
both been withdrawn, leaving the bridge without any
one TO look after il except TIE traeknan, VINO j. sup
psed TO walk up and down the line at stated intervals,
and the who looked at it when be III the lamps
This station important one, and considerable sur
prise was manifested by the citizens when IL wac eIt
without it, usual signal The station consists OF
framework 40 feet in hight, from which was as
PLAYED white light when the lire was clear and red
hight when the draw was open there any danger
To lie guarded against. These lights were plainly visible
from Low POnt-the station south OF NeW-lianDufgh-
distant by official timetable three miles The night
~ the accident the signal was liz at sundoSn, usual
| flames destroyed the framework When the oA-tialh
came to stop on bridge If sgnal-msn lad been III
attendance no could, In less than one minute nave SCI
the red light which would have warned the uI-'Fah III
ample time even allowing that the tram was Only Two
| miles distant or il IN attache Of the oil-tTain had
shifted the signal probable the disaster might nave
hcen averted But II questioned, he would say: am
on the oiltran. and ain NOS a draw bridge sgnaihah'
These facts the railroad officials have most strenuousy
tried to keep the reporters The TACT that the ara"
HgEfrffX cd a.
fore the reporters came the has tended to pre-
vent inquiry as to what precautions were provided by
the Company prevent accidents at that place Inc
uain truth Is that the lost train came numbering along
with bright sgBa-a beacon indicating " ais well -
hnrpine on the very bridge where lay disabled train
mart Of it in the path Of the up train waiting to
hurl it and than twenty souls into eternity Tie
man who should have ayeTed this danger VAS by the
! Companys orders, a half mile distant
| A r Golf respected resident Of New Hamburgh
who assisted In taking all one OF the bodies rom
tho wreck stated that he was ad4d by his tOwnsmcn
and one Of the railroad employees named Charley
Nj Golf charge OF the baggage as fast as IL was re-
/ covered and allowed no TO handle or examine It,
He continued in this trust for some ume and nothing
was stolen Aferward Ny. Toucey sent Harry Jones to
take charge OF the baggage and Conductor smith was
| also detailed for the purpose. BV this time
| crowds began 10 arrive from Newbureh and
! Poughkeepsie, and from that moment the
! pinagng commenced One man is represented to
have carried off less than six wstches The railway
officials either poweriess or TOO mindful of
the bridge 10 pay any attention 20 the baggage or TO
prosecute the for victims and the crowd had
| their own way. The citizens Of hew-Hamburgh feel
ageyed at being charged with robbing the dead and
from all that be learned, are apparently not en-
titled to blame, but rather t. credit FOR doing az ihey
cOuld 10 aid the officials majority Of them withdrew
rom the scene when they found the punderes were at
watch In his possession and that country official II
| endeavoring 10 secure the roober and his booty.
At noon the worEnen stopped toT lunch ana, al l2t
O'Clock, work wa resumed but, as the toe wa rHIg
swiftly, the graphing was rendered more dnSa ahI y
was q O'Clock before the WORD va gwen 70 .a.
After trying handp power for few minutes, the sings
srS In the interval several Of the employees busted
themselves in fishing for the bodies OF the engineer
brakeman and the unknown man who WA on the engine
Friends Of each OF the former have been here all day
waiting and watching. several Intellectual attempts were
was dispatched POughkeepe - the services OF
experienced diver, who win probably 20 down 70
may be raised. At o'clock the gangs quit work . -,
II is generally believed that others pershed in the
flames which destroyed the first sleeping coach and IL Is
fair " presume they have been entirely burned up.
This seems than probable from the effect OF the
fire upon sxes and other heavy iron-work connected
with the train, and Eed up to-day II Is stated on inc
York express No 50 which left Albany at 255 on Thurs
day afternoon barely missed another horrible accident
within less than mile Of the scene % Monday night 1t
appears heavy freight train bound south, running
az an extra" and was striving to make siding but
met with some slight delay ArflVllg al Ncw-hah-
burgh the conductor inquired at the siaoh Wnefe th
special was, aud Informed that II was 40
instantly dispatched feet messenger with "A nag 10
the the iclOW iOi utdI 10 MS
cred the special with Its six drawing cars
and two paseenger-ccaches coming at high rate OF
speed. In the time the extra was doing It's Dtst
get the siding. Fortunately the special saw the
flag and stopped just IS feet from the
center train through which IL must have passed
had not received the warning. something should be
have the working STAFF Of this road arranged 80
that they viii not report train 40 minutes behind when
II il actually only FIVE miles distant In the crowded
state Of the road just at this time the dngs at New
Hamburger nearly full aud there l. no acconmoda-
ton for dextra" trains. portion OF Tie train Is still
blocking up the siding.
VIEWS OF A RESIDENT OF NEw-HAMBURGH-
LIE WHITE sIGNAL THE CAUSE OF THE Dis