New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-06
RAILWAY DISASTER.

SEVEN PERSONS KILLED AND TWENTY
SEVEN WOUNDED AT FAR ROCKAWAY.
TERRIBLE RESULTS OF CONDUCTORS DISREGARD
OF NEW TIMETABLE AND CUSTOMARY PRE-
cAUIIoNs-TwO PASSENGER TRAINS COME IN
COLLISION, ONE OF THEM AT FULL sPEED-sIX
OF THE PERSONS KILLED RESIDENTS OF BROOK
LYN-DIFFICULTY OF SECURING AID FOR THE
sUFFERERs-wRECK OF RAILWAY PROPERTY
POSSIBILITY THAT ALL THE BODIES HAVE NOT
BEEN RECOvERED-sCENEs AT ROCKAwAY AND
IN BROOKLYN.
One OF the most disastrous railway accidents
which has ever taken place on Long Island occurred
yesterday afternoon on the Rockaway branch of the
Southern formerly tile South Side) Railroad. 1t
resulted in the loss of lives the wounding and
injury of several passengers-the number is not
now known with accuracy-and the destruction of
about 1O0,O 900 worth of railroad property. II was
impossible TO obtain complete list of the killed and
wounded but the following are known to be
among the dead, the bodies of the majority having
been identified. 1t is supposed that the bodies of
Others may possibly be under the wreck at the place
of the disaster
John Ehlers, at Bedford and Flushing-aves,
| Brooklyn, l.. ID.
William Gould, employed by Dr. Auerbach, Val
| ley Stream.
Philip Hartman, cigar dealer at No. 4412 Broad
way, Brooklyn, +. ID.
Jesse NJ. Hibberd, conductor of the Valley Stream
! train.
Peter c. Pfeiffer, Notary Public at No. 1O1 Mon
trose-avc., Brooklyn, Z. d.
b. Thurmer jeweler, at No. 1O2 Broadway, Brook
Ign, E. ID.
An unknown man, not yet identified.
WOUNDED
August Holdrigc conductor of Rockaway Branch
train, fingers cut off from one hand.
| An unknown young man of Union-st., Brooklyn,
severely and il is feared fatally injured.
| II. c. Poppenhusen, superintendent Of the road,
head severely cut.
| A brakeman named Schenck badly bruised.
| There various statements in regard TO the num-
Der of other persons hurt Some estimates place the
total number of the wounded at 27. They were so
scattered after the calamity that the exact number
could not be ascertained, and only partial list
could be obtained
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.
On account of the holiday yesterday number of
extra trains put on the road to convey an UNI
usually large number of visitors to ROckaway Beach,
and a new time table for the gulatlon of the road
! and for the guidance Of the conductors went into
| effect for the first time. The Rockaway branch
being singe-track road it was imperative that the
| time table should be adhered to, and failure in
observing this is said by the officials of the road to
| be the cause Of the disaster.
! From what could be- gathered in the midst of the
excitement at the of the disaster it appears
| that the train from Valley Stream for Rockaway
Beach, which left Brooklyn at 1890 p. m. left the
former station - minutes after time. This train,
which consisted Of seven heavily laden passenger
cars. was drawn by the locomotive Norwood,
! in, che of NJ.
CONDUCTOR The Valley Stream train it seems, has
tie right Of way for 10 minutes after the time set
down in the time table, and an extra allowance
of five minutes is made for the variation of watches,
but this extra allowance is not to be made use OF by
either of the conductors for any purpose of making
Roadway. Starting = much after time as this tram
did it was the duty Of the conductor
! To make his train subscrvient TO the train from
Rockavav Beach which left the Beach ut 1880 p. M,
unless he could have recovered the five minutes lost
time at starting before reaching Lawrence lnsteadoi
his doing this it appears from the usual checks that
the Valley Stream train had lost an extra minute, ana
was therefore Is minutes behind time at Lawrence.
II was therefore Hibberd's duty-according to the
statements of his superior oiiicers-to lie over at INC
siding at Lawrence for the Rockaway Beach train
to have passed him at that point, when he found
that he could not conform to the time
| table paSslllB IUc polIb W tiio 'i''N
the ton minutes right of way. The
time for the Valley Stream train to pass
the Rockaway train at Far Rockaway was $40 p.
M but il had not reached Lawrence at LOO, when
il shonld have been two stations beyond, and at the
time of the calamity was overdue at Rockaway. Inc
| Rockaway train, which consisted OF five cars drawn
| by the locomotive MOntaik, was under the care oil
Augustus Uollrdgc, conductor, who, when lie
| found that the Valley Stream tram was over uuc'
| thought it had stopped on siding, and therefore
started his train on the road for Valley Stream Al
ter stopping at and passing Ocean Point, another
siding without seeing any signs of the Valley Stream
train he started his train for Lawrence, the heAt
| station from Rockaway.
| The train had proceeded about 100 yards wheil
the Valley Stream train was seen coming at luil
speed around curve, and only short distance
! away. The speed Of the Rockaway train was
checked the engines reversed and that was all tIaU
couId he done before the collision took place With
force that smashed the engine Norwood into pieces,
the two engines rushed against each either, the
shocl, being 20 great as to drive the smoking car
If the Valley Stream train under the tender OF
tLe Norwood. raising the tender high into the air
over the ruus Of the locomotive, and telesc0ping
and smashing several Of the ears of the tram Inc
shock also caused the of the Rockaway trah 10
telescope each other, and greatly damaged the loco
motiye Moniauk, without causing the entire rum
which had involved the Norwood.
DIFFICULTY or AIDING THE SUFFERERS
The scene at the time Of the collision was indie
scribable. party Of peasure-seekers, among whom
were many ladies', suddenly brought face to Lace
with disaster and death, added by their
cries 10 the confusion. The neighborhood
of the place where the collision occurred beng
sparsely settled it was impossible immediately to
render assistance to the sufferers, and as tie col
ion also destroyed the connection OF the telegraph
There WAS no means of sending immediate lniorlna-
49,: =, vl.v Stream or Rockaway, where further