The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-15
THE SOUTH SIDE SMASH.

THE LONG ISLAND RAILROAD ACCI-
DENT.
THE TRAINs-CIRCUMsTANCE OF THE COILS
IONA SCENE OF CoNFUsIoN-CAUsE OF THE
ACCIDENT.
From the accounts eff the railroad collision
on Lorg Island on Monday night in the
New York papers, the following is selected.
IL is from the Times: At 2:10 o'clock yes
terday afternoon a collision occurred be-
tween two passenger trains on the Southern
railroad of Long Island, by which six
persons were instantly killed and three
seriously wounded. OF the six killed
three were employees of the railroad
company. A large number were slightly
wounded, but, owing to- the fact that tele-
graph communication was interrupted un-
til late hour last night, many of the names
of those who received injuries could not be
ascertained. The news of the accident did
not reach Williamsburg so as to become
generally known among the people until q
late hour. When it did the excitement was
intense. Large crowds collected round the
depot of the southside road, and also at the
depot of the Long Island railroad. At
both places the widest rumors existed.
Early in the evening it was stated that 70
persons were killed and over 100 wounded,
by reason of the fact that it was
known thst about 700 persons LETT Williams
burg on one of the trains to which the ac-
cident happe ned. Later accounts, however,
showed that these rumors were exaggerated,
and placed the killed and wounded at the
numbers given above. That the collision
and consequent loss of lite was owing to
gross earelessness on the part of the COM
pany's servants is known, but to the con-
ductor of which train the accident was di-
rectly attributable will not be ascertained
until an Investigation shall have been
made.
THE TRAINS
that came into collision were the 1890
p. NJ. train of Williamsburg and the 1:5s P.
NJ. train from Rockaway Beach. A few hun
dred yards from the depot at Far Rockaway
there is considerable curve in the road,
and but one track. The track on either side
for the length of the curve is thickly
wooded, so that trains approaching from op-
posite directions are not visible to each
other. and if they were going at any speed a
this curve that the accident &C.
Cured. The down train from Williamsburg
consisted, besides the engine and tender, of
seven cars. The train contained about 200
excursionists, principally women and chill
dren, on their way to Far Rockaway and
/
up OF the engine, tender, and four cars. In
this train there were comparatively few per-
sons. The train from Williamsburg was
going at the rate of about fourteen miles an
hour, and being within few hundred yards
of the depot, was preparing to slow up.
The train from Rockaway Beach had
just left the depot. and was not going at
more than five or six miles an hour. When
the trains became visible to the respective
engineers it was too late to avoid collision.
1t is said by the employees of the company
that the engineers whistled "down brakes, !"
but this statement can not be verified until
an investigation is had 1t is certain that
the trains dashed into each other with great
force. Both locomotives were badly
wrecked, and Tire smoking car of the down
train, which followed Immediately behind
the tender, was
SMASHED TO PIECES.
The smoking car broke the force of the
shock, and only the forward truck of the
passenger car Immediately following was
thrown off the track. The baggage car of
the up train following next to the tender
was badly smashed, and its occupants,
Henry Holdridge. the conductor of the
train, and Mr.. H. G. Poppenhuesen, the
The engineers of both trains saved
themselves by jumping OFF. A ter
rible scene of confusion ensued after the
collision. All the cars were shaken vio-
lently, and hundreds of people were more or
less bruised. The passengers-meD, women
and children-oyercome by terror, screamed
and rushed franticslly for the doors and
windows. Large numbers were cut and
bruised in attempting to escape from the
wrecked trains. Women tainted and men
rushed frantically round looking for wives or
children from whom they had become
separated in the confusion attending
the collision. When the excitement
had somewhat subsidized the villag-
ers from Rockaway and those among the
cooler of the passengers set to work to ex-
tricate the dead and wounded from the
wreck. Jesse Hebbard, the conductor oftbe
down train, was found lying under the ruins
OF the smoking car, dead and terribly
mangled. Near by lay John Finn, the fire.
man, also dead and terribly crushed. A
tanned, YVES killed at his post, while respond
ing. it is ssid, to the warning whistle of"down
brakes" A real estate broker, named Pfeifer,
who was seated IN the smoking car, was
INSTANTLY KILLED,
as were Mr.. b. Tburmer and Philip Hart
man, both OF Williamsburg. These gentle
men were seated with their wives in the
forward part of the car, Immediately follow.
ing the smoking car. The wounded and
dead were conveyed to Rockawsy village, and
the former taken charge of by the coroner
of Queens county. Every attention was
paid TO the wounded by the hotel-keepers
and private residents of the village. Most