Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-01-14
BODIES BURNED TO 4 CRISP.
TERRIBLE COLLISION ON THE RilL
| Several Passengers Killed Oh the New York
| Central Standardization Cars De
| mOlisncd q set on Fire
| State senator Wagner


New York dispatch 10 the Times
There was a terrible accident on the
New York Central railroad tonight. The
Atlantic express, which was due in this
city at o'clock this evening. was thirty
five minues late in leaving Albany. It ran
at high rate OF speed and had nearly
made up its lost time before reaching
Spuyten Duyvil. There were thirteen
cars on the train. Six were parlor cars.
These were the Red Jacket, Vanderbilt
Sharon, Minnehaha, Empire and 1dlewild,
There We're four passenger coaches, two
mail cars and one express car. The train
had passed Spuyten Duyvil and had gone
about third OF Il mile when one oi the
air brakes gave out and the train was
brought TO stop about TWO hundred yards
from Spuyten Duyvil curve, This curve
is one Of tie sharpest on the road aad an
| approaching train could not be seen beyond
the curve. The train was delayed five Or
six minutes while worlsmen were engaged
examining and repairing the brake. y
local train for passengers left TarrytoH.,
about G:35, shortly after tHe train had
passed, and left Spnyten Duyvil at 107.
being due at the Grand Central depot 1t
T:3O
The only men who can tell what safe
guards had been employed on the Atlantic
express to warn approaching trains from
the rear, so far as can be learned, are l'.!"i
Valentine, of Bennington. VITA passenger.
and the rear brakeman, whose naEio is
said to be George Nealiss. Mr.. Eaicntilc
| says that he was standing Oh the te;ir
platform of the palace car idicwiit!, which
was the last car on the express train w!icn
suddenly light was visible around Spny-
ten Duyvil curve, about two hundred
| yards back. The brakeman stood or tie
track five Or six feet frofa the rear car,
with 4 red lantern and :. white lantern.
AS soon as the light of the approaching
| train flashed around tho curve Mr.. Sa'2n
| tine says the brakeman SpG"ag forward
| and ran quickly down the track. swin3 il.
his lantern. Mr.. Valentine said 'hat
everyone expected TO see the approach
ing train stop; but it came on apparently
under full Roadway. Seeing that q COLI
| sion was inevitable, rs the train drew near
| lie jumped from the platform an;! escaped
without injury. In The doorway Alr.
| Valentine remembers TO have seen :. small
slight man, whom nc could not identify.
AS tho approaching train struck the cX
press the small man jumped back into the
palace car and Mr.. Valentine says that as
near rs he can remember there were tan
or twelve persons in the Idlewild. lIo be-
! lieves that not one could have escaped.
The locomotive No. 81, of the iArrytowll
train, was in charge of Engineer Frank
| Burr and Fireman Quaney Burr. The
former was slightly injured atomt the
head and Quaney escaped unn iurod.
Both declined to-niS Int to & i've their vcgsin:,
of the cause of the collision.
The locomotive crushed into the rear
compartments Of the rear parlor car, AID
the car was telescoped with the rear of the
parlor car Empire in front Of it. So far
as could be learned, nobody escapes! frnH
the rear car to tell the story of the disas
ter. The wrecked cars We're almost i'm
mediately wrapped in flames. The stove
had overturned, and the live Goals finished
the work OF destruction. Before the po,
lice and firemen, with ladder ana aplara
tus for eXtinguishing fires, had arrived. Il
dozen persons had been su!i'ocatal. 1t is
not probable that more than one Or two
were killed outright by the collision.
About the middle Of the rear ear sat Park
| Valentine, 22 years Of age, son OF the
| gentleman who stood at tho rear o;
the GIL and escaped Valentine was ou his
| wedding trip, having been married t"
| Miss Louise Gaylord, Of North Adams,
SlttSoGsCUtiScttS, VII luIS SutS iiSIi. IIJitl
bride and groom persisted in the ilames
Lieutenant Governor Barstow, Of Yer
mont, who was with the bridal party, had
gone to forward car and he escaped unin-
| ,iured. Near them in tie car sat large,
handsomely dressed woman, apparently
| about forty years of age. Her body was
| the first recovered from the debris. Among
the passengers in the drawing room cars
| were many members of the Legislature.
| including Senator Webster Wagner and
| other well-known politicians. 1t is be,
| lieved that all of the ten or twelve persons
| in the rear car perished. Senator Web
ster Wagner was last sccu 4 moment be
] fore the accident going from tic second
car from the rear to the rear car, and there
| is 10 doubt that he is among the victims.
The number of those who perished in the
second car from the rear is not known, but
there seems to be reason for believing tina:
all of the passengers were not rescued.
A passenger who was in the rear Of the
parlOr Car Empire says 81 was standing
in the aisle chatting with Major Charles
Clrich, commissioner OF emigration, when
the crash came. There was u shriil shrek
| of a locomotive CLOSE behind us, Il sudden
crash like an explosion and the car became
| almost dark and glass and spiinters and
dust filled the air. Something struck me
on the head and | was half-stunned for :.
moment. When recovered my senses
found my head in contact with Il
roof vcntilator. l thought for an
instant that the Car had been over.
turned and was lying OIL it's side, but soon
found that it was uprigat on the track and
that the roof of the rear car had crushed
through the roof of Ou: car. There We're
shrieks and groans, and above all the
piercing cries Of women. l found mysel!
close against car window and drove my
elbow through it. was on the west siEle
Of the car and looked ont upon u stony
and slippery embankment. Just then
somebody shouted This way " from the
other side Of the car. | started across the
aisle, over broken seats and debris, to {.
window, through which other passengers
had escaped. The groans or the cries of
4 man entangled among the seats attracted
my attention. l tuggad at his coat tails
and assisted him to his feet. He speedily
scrambled out of the window to 4 place of
safely and l followed him. Mr.. G. +.
Spinney, of the New York Times, was
believe, the last man out Of the car.
Within five minutes after the crash
tho two rear cars were in flames. The
passengers stood in the snow and mud on
the slippery embankment and saw the
fire darting through the wreck of the two
cars, powerleSs to assist those within,
who were groaning and screaming for
succor. The villagers quickly gathered at
the scene of the disaster and rendered
such aid as they could, but it was several
minutes before water, carried for SO.nc