New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-25
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.

|
was briefly noted in Yesterdays TRIBUNE. proves to
have been more remarkable IN the escape of the
persons on the locomotive engine and in the coach
than in the injuries which inflicted. At
the close of each days work the employees
of the company who have gone to the northern
! terminus at Observation-Disclosures y-hfth-st. by the
later trains are sent home in special train, which
is known as the Emigrant" train.
The last up train on Friday night started
for Harlem at 1903, and upon It's ar
rival the return train moved away WIN
twentv-seven conductors, engineers, brakemen
and ticket takers in the coach attached to
Engine No. 49, on which were Engineer Richard
Kirkwood, Conductor Edward Williams and Fire
man John H. Constantine. Conductor Williams
has had charge of this train for some tne and Told
the engineer as the start made, that he didnt
care how soon Eighty-frst-st where the hIst sop
was to be made. was reached. The train pulled out
with speed, and soon rushing along WIN grea1
rapidity on up-track, this being used, as on tho
down-track The trains standing in readiness
for the beginning of the days work at 5;3O a. m'
| For two days the regulation bad been III force
for the train to cross over to the down track at the
! switch just south of the One-hundred-and-iorty-
dfth-st station. Before Thursday morning the
cross-overD had been made OF the next station
| below. at nd-thirty-iiftl-st.
/ HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
This train running at a high rate of speed, struck
! the switch which properly set to turn II Hoh
the main track across to the other side and bearing
! heavily against the down siie of the switch TaiI'
forced il slightly out Of position, so that the tor-
ward wheel of the engine grazel the point of the
frog at the first crossing, chipping cut piece "I tne
rail about as large a silver quarter. IL Is
tnonght that this may have bent tie axle oil TAO
forward truck which was found to be bent aiter
tbe accident: and this would have cansed an i'reg-
ular motion OF the wheels, whc9 Houiu 'u,"'o"'S
| IcroUnt for the further course OF the eiigi'e.
On reaching the ml"dle 5rGcN .nv w., T'.'' "o 'o
that side e the track down a far as toe mex 'uNe,
winch carried the tram on to the OUTSIDE tia@A, OF
regular down-track. AZ tie point WhcIe u teLl ~
! nr,idue track there is a wooden irog-shaped'
guard wnich was badly cut up' ard seems 10 nave
! gwen direction to the engine toward ll' si1v % 40
being 7era inches deep. At thiS point tlc ebs.ne
broke away from the coach, ahd carrying win win 10
! the forward truck of the coach. Ieaped tle outer
e1arl rail and fell to the ground. Ii struck on nc
left lower corner. in the soft earth ana sci Ie n
INTO an upright position. III Is suppoSeI @ u,a' 2 - 80
to this manner of falling That the injured hen o"o
hydrant that stood directly under the track
| WIS badly broken bv the falling engine. nc Cu'ee
,'nard raii aud the faot-path carried down at
! fhe ; me time. The cogch. freed ffom tle rhglh',
cnrt,rnsG ON between the outer and mlddi' tracks,
striking and demolisAing one oil BE empty c'ls lnat
stood upon tue latter track. Every scai III mo
| coach was broken and the men were tHioWh a'out,
/ and some OF them slightly 1JuIed
The three occupants OF tue engine We iVlcUU .U Ut
loss severely injured. the Conductor, Edward " III
Jams RECEIVING hur.s which II was iedfed "a ~! Iesuo
fatally. ihese men were speedily IeSeGed nom tno
| wreck bv the police and residents OF tic NclIty,
and sent by ambulance to tle deception iio'pi Il III
! Nmety-ninih-St. The distance which 'ic e"s'no
| fell was twenty five fcet. -. -
| The occupants ot the coach which renamed upon
! the structure between tue tracks, were mol mIca
/ ,'iured although much shaken mp ana sOmewhat
rulsed hy the jOltmg. The coach ran mt" one "ich
was standing upon the third track ana Tore aM ay ls
platform ard otherwise INJURED H. IL was thls COZ
| llsion doubtless, which prevented the moving
! coach from following the engine INTO the eteet:
| Ii is regarded little less than miraculous tn9C
such an accident could have occurred WIN go I.ulo
| harm, The engine going at the rate OF thTy
| mile, an hour when it pIGnged lntO the street,
! Twenty-Five feet below.
TIE GENE OF TIE DISASTER.
| The place where the engine fell IS about 100
wards south of the f-iiith-st
station and between Observation-Disclosures fourth
| and Observation-Disclosures -third-'ts. Many resi-
dnts Of the vicinity and even those from some DIS
tonce were drawn TO the spot by the noise OF tho
accident, and the scene in the bright moonlight was
one of great confusion. Steam roarad N the broken
hoilerand threatened m explosion for a tIhie but
not one of the injured men was 50 severely hurt
flat his groans lent added horror. They were soon
| removed. those most seriously hurt brhS carried 10
- nublic house near by until an amhul arrived.
4 dispatch sent to Rccor-st brought iti''i nam
and those slightly hurt and TIE unliluT'" pro-
led
stood near the sidewalk IN the avenue oniy & = isw
| feet from the edge of an embarrassment ot tWenV
feet descent 10 sunken lot. Inc gHafu tai', ,rs
| and footnath for wOrkmen on the structure
we're torn ND and broken for n distance
of inward of 100 feet and the debris SireWed Ine
strett With daybreak large force OF men was
t e. work and all traces of the accident re-
moved rs speedily as possible. Ihe broken uss
were replaced by new ones Sroen InI '' and dis
r,"",ntled engine vas loaded upon truck
Irav,n bv n number of horses. and was taken 10 inc
| sbons of the united roads at hirdaVe ana Ninety,
secoud-st The coach was raised 10 'ne llHS - % anu
a truck being placed under the forward enc.
It was Drawn et,y 4p fft6.st 70 Se RE ''SS oclock
VrSter,inv afternoon all the remains of the broken
| iran were taken away, and work kmen were painting
| the portIons of the structure which had been re-
| rIacod and ot nightfai one was unable To distin-
| guIsh the place of the accident. Even me Smau
| fragments of wood and broken pieces OF the engine
| we've removed.
| STATEMENT Of THE MA>AGsR.
T. r Winslow. General Manager of the Mctropol-
itap Road was seen at his Office No. II Broadway,
and he made the following statement;
After the trans which go north at night arrive
ot tbe One-hundred- -fifty-ffh-st. station, tho
terminus it is customary for an engine and ear to
| hiring down the train men who go up on the lato
trains. and all the employees who may be there, ana
leave them at their proper stations ms isr doWn as
| Rrctor-st Conductor Williams has had charge Oh
this train for some time and runs II especially iist
| uicht he started as usual between l2:3O ana a. M
with Engine No. 10 aud car No, "a attached ds
to 1t. He got on the engine WIN '1e & hmn ,
observation-disclosures station on the East track,
which is the regular up-track. all trains on ihe
| road beng abandoned at thai hour' pom ooming
| to this station the arrangement was i0r
tSe train to pass by the switches from that track
to the other one There are three parallel tracks az
| r. no,nt and they are connected by what are
nepb ni1 po'"r crossoyer switches which used TO
tTansfer trains from one track to the other lhese
,rore ali set 10 enable this train to take tne
| W. W. track the sMitchman. john COggey, Delni