New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-08
A RAILWAY HORROR.
DREADFUL DISASTER ON THE HUDSON
RIVER RAILROAD.

accounts of an awful calamity which the night be-
fore befe one of the great passenger express trains
leaving this city for the North ana West All know
how the double track of the Hudson River Railroad
winds along from New-York to Albany, disputlng
with the river. its channel Through rocks and hills,
over bayous and creeks and along the lowlands,
it's way has been cleft and built its roadbed being
but a few feet above the waters edge; and for
many years trains have been passing and re-pass-
ing at short intervals the passengers with no memory
of any former disaster upon this line to disturb hem
placidly looking out upon the broad bosom of the
river sometimes gstening in reflected sunlight and
again. as at present surgng under bonds Of ice.
But now is recorded catastrophe upon this Road,
which, in utter horror and combination OF dreadful
circumstances is hardly equaled in the annals OF
railroading The disaster occurred soon after ~
o'clock on Monday night, and as the telegraph wires
were rendered useless for some hours, all who had
reason to fear that any OF their friends or kindred
had embarked in the unfortunate train were neces-
sary given up for imany Ihours to vague and DIS
tressng forebodngs to their fate, and the widest
rumors prevailed in the city and in many parts Oh the
country until true detaisiwere gradually made known
THE COLLISION.
At about 1920 ON Monday night az an extra
freight train of "a cars, loaded with petroleum, was
approaching New Hamburg Station. which Is eight miles
below POughkeepsie and was clearing the brd8e over
Wappingers Creek, coming down the road, an axle OF
the tenth car the engine broke and that car ana
the Il following it thrown from the track, one
car bearing tanks Of oil resting partly upon the other
or "uptrackp Just at the moment the Pactno or
Chicago express train, which had left New-fork at
o'clock was approaching at the rate OF 80 miles an hour
The engineer heard shouts from the men on the reish
train discovered danger signal suddenly displayed,
and attempted to stop his train. But It was 200 ae
in the next instant the locomotive had struck the oil
car An explosion ensued the bridge gave way under
the combined weight Of locomotive, olcar ana other
cars that we're suddenly umbed It, and there was
terrible plunge into the water. The Ice was THICK out
the locomotive broke through 1t instantly sinking into
water IS feet deep and dragging with 1t the tender the
baggage and express-cars, and one seepingcar Inc
remaining seven cars Of the express transwereknot pre-
cipated through the bridge, but two OF tbeIn' WIN
several ears the orain destroyed by fire. The
bridge took fire, and in few minutes the whole sruc-
ure fell upon the carswhlch were half immersed belng
partly supported by the ice and buried them out OF sg1t
This dreadful result put end to all efforts to rescue
the passengers whose agonizng shreks had just filed
| the air.
The bridge was about 900 feet In length and the axle OF
the ocar appears to have been broken before reaching
It, so that the dragged along for some distance and
was finally left the bridge and partly, as stated on
the "up-track." -
The engineer j. H. sirnons went down with his engine
The fireman jumped off in time to save his hfe In the
baggage cars were Alfred Glow, baggage-master r. Vos
burg, conductor OF the sleepng-car, and Edward
Mooney all Of whom. except Glow, pershed The sleep
ngear known as the Buffalo sleeper" was occupied by
eighteen persons las nearly as can be aseertaned rom
memoranda found the body OF the conductor all OF
whom were burned TO death drowned The passengers
who escaped at devoted themselves to attempts 10
rescue those who had been precpated into the river
but the fierce heat of the flames drove them back and in
few minutes all over and they could only assemble
in the unburned cars and wait for the daylight
The following il the list Of the lost far as ascer
tanned:
80 years Of age; leaves wife and one child,
K A. CnLET Of Buffalo, so years of age; leaves wife
ARTHUR W. PEAsE, % years of age, and wife, of
Buffalo. ,o. p.,, +, u,o..
OF Buffalo, 80 years of age; leaves WHO ana three
Rev MERRILL FOWLER, wife, and three children.
DR.. 8. NANCREDE of New-York City.
s. A. Roof. ~, W, ,,,.
JAMRs STAFFORD, assistant baggage master at IhI-
tieth-st. Station &c years OF age. o. ., oco
PETER VosBURGI, seepingear conductor lived at
Buffalo, leaves "A wife and one child
VOsBURGH a cOOred porter
The following were the names the diagram found In
the pocket of the conductor VOsburgh: LOWELL, row.
LER PEAsE, CARY, FoRBUsH, RosESrHALL. NASCREDE'
GERMAISE. There were two bodies which yet remain
uprecognized one which cannot possibly be Identified
The body of Engineer Simmons had not been found TO
O'Clock last evening The friends of the victims con-
tnued to arrive Poughkeepe whittier the bodies had
been conveyed throughout the afternoon and evening"
and were conducted at once the undertakers where
the remains were large crowd of persons congregated
In front OF the buildng, eager to look inside.
The statement that the wife OF George s. Benedict or
The Cleveland Herald was killed, with her husband, is
untrue She is safe and well III Cleveland.
Passengers say that the seepingcar which went down
contained rs or persons The conductor OF the train,
Charles Cossum, stated yesterday that there were 65
seepngcar tickets and that the owners OF 80 OF them
escaped indicating that but 10 passengers were missing
I'D TO last evening however % bodies had been recoy-
cred and the body OF the engineer had not yet been
found.
Among the women found and not identified were the
following:
A mother with two children. She wore black alpaca
dress with buttons from top TO bottom black and white
skirt laced boots, three gold rings on the third
finger the left hand and had blue and white worted
shawl over her shoulder.
man, apparently Jew, dressed in black, with high
and close vest about years of five feet four inches
in hight
Another also looking like Jew, with black suit white
shirt laced shoes, gold studs and black neekue APP
parently about SO years old.
man Of about 80, with linen undershrt, Albert col
lar blue stockings and black necke with beard and
mustache about five feet two; had card on which was
printed the of an Austrian, American ana Euro
pean commission house at 81 Parkrow
woman black silk. with new kid boots, lace sleeves,
cuffs and linen collar She had watch with this in
scriptoD Presented to f. j. Perry. az an aeknowl-
edgement OF splendid Of the exhibition,
by Walter b. FOrbish."
THE wREcK-RECovERISG THE BODIES.
The daylight revealed fearful mass Of smoking and
backened ruins at the bridge and people from the neigh
borhood from Poughkeepsie and New-York, Hooked
thher to seek friends the bodies and to wit
fltat "a hlp efaelp lle frat
covered until o'clock a A baggage-car near the
bridge was used temporary morgue, In which the