New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-23
STATEMENTS OF PASSENGERS.


road downtown.
STATEMENTS OF PASSENGERS.
EXPERIENCES OF THOSE on BOTH TRANSFERRING
TO RESCUE THE INJURED-sCENES IN THE TUNNEL
All. Dundon. who is Professor of English Ltera-
ture at the Normal College, one of the passen-
gers on the Harlem traia. He found by a
Tribune reporter at the Eighty-sixth Street Police
Station. whittier he had gone to take care OF the
body of Madame ALBERT until the arrival OF
her husband. lie said that he got Oh the
Harlem train at Fordham He took a seat
in the smoking-car. which was next 10
the engine There wee about twenty men in the
smoking-car The train ran slowly aud cautiously,
even before il entered the side tunnel at Ninety
eighth-st When the shock of the collision came
the lights in the car were extinguished, but not a
word was uttered by any of the passengers. Pro-
fessOr DuudOn was standing up TO close the wlhdoW
over the seat he was occupying, and was lung over
two seats by tho force of the collision lie fell
against another passenger, thereby breaking tho
effect of his fall At first ] thought that a por-
ton of the roof OF the tunnel had fallen
in" Mr. Dundon said Il remained quiet
after first recovering myself, for a few mnules'
but steam was pouring so fast into
the car thai decided it was best to leave it. /
called out. but got no answer. and knew then that
| was alone i'm the car With some di1icnlty / got
into the tunnel through the baggl gc-room in the
rear of our car and then turned in to help get out
the injured from the broken ear Their screams ana
Croans were piteOus to hear, AMI II was fearful
sensation TO be cTampcd in that dark tunnel sitting
with steam. and to see the broken wood and wreck
of the ear and engine heaped no before u.s. l had
little time TO notice the particular passengers, all OF
whom were biackencd with smoke and dirt and
more or less smearcd with blood. | noticed one man
especially, whose name / DO not know, but who was
taken out with his skull fractured and his face
covered with blood. Conductor Slack deserves the
highest praise for his activity the work Of relief
he ought to command a regiment"
f. H. MOllov, of Ncw-Rochelle was n passenger
ON the Portche,ter train. lie does business at No.
% Chamie, s st.. where hc was seen yesterday and
rave the following narrative OF his experience in
the tunnel: That train Is run for the accommo-
dation Of the Westminster people and Is known Is
the Portchestcr special. 1t leaves New-Rochcilo at
7:45 o clock. To-day We left NcW-liochele Oh time
In, after passing Morri,anid the train made half
dozen stops. When We stopped at One-hun-
dred -and-tcnt4-st. | looked anoh and
saw tine Hudson River train which had pa,s"d rs al
Spuytcn DuyvI junction just entering -Ie tunnel
at NInctv-eIgnth-st. Inen we were slghdlIed 10 -
on which we did. We waited at the entrance 10
the tunnel about i've minutes. just before the
train got to Eighty slXtn-st. some t"rp9docs cA,
ploded on the track. We stopped, and several
persons who had become anxious to know the reason
of the delay got up and started Tor the dOor 81 the
car. There were probably 300 people on tne traIh
| was III the next bchlld the smoking car. aud
being lIttle curious myself got up ana lett the
car. | had scarcely placed my foot on the
platform before there came u su idrn crash
mat drove our train fully fifty feet further
along the track and put out all the hght, fear
ful scene followed. lhe tunnel became pat il darh'
women screamed and men shouted for lights. while
the ggOans OF tine poor people VINO were under the
wreck appalling smoke and steam were 80
thick that DTca Alng was dlDltult. PRESENTLY some
policemen and nrcncn came down from tAc street
above with lanterns ana axes ana every
body set TO work to help ont Tho
injured and recover the bodies OF those VINO lad
brrn Killed. II was pitllul work, toI whenever one
of the wounded WAS touched he would scr'a III with
pain. Several women VINO mad tainted were taken
INTO the station and Laid on The benches there ne
engine of the Harlem tram had spit open and en-
which contained nearly all Mount Vernon
people. The TouwOrk ana platform OF the
middle pa S5cngeI ear were also badly drm0Ii slcd
We worked at the wreck TO. thlec-qdlr,rIs OF an
hour when the sing sing special came along, ana
the pa>scugers who nad escaped uuhuTt gOi ABOARD
and continued their Trip To the Grand Central
Depot VI hen We reached the depot We saW cIsnt
injured persons lying III the baggage room mere.
Caspar GOldermau, auditor ana ciicI cI"Ih oI
the iiealih ID partmcnf VINO lives al Man, yn-aNr.
and One-nundrcd-au d-scYrnty nith-s., Vas ia the
car Of tnc Harlem Tram lie SAID III regain 40
the accident " got on The Tram al licm"ht' ava
the tram Vas then nvo minutes 6ehInH time. ON
the way down TO the bragg We stopped
fyIcc. " hen e reached One-huudI 'd-;id- iWcutN-
hlfn-st. We wer, twenty iiye minutes late, AID
many OF he passengers lu the car wee ErillupIine
at the delay. think there were about 100 persons
nm three ia -scngcr coaches behind tue suIoning-
car he shock the collision came Jast aa sOno %
the passcugcro we're rslng from thcil seals Dr. an
ucIpatiOn 1T leaving the cars AT Eighi} -aiAiL-s j.
was uncX pectrd ANA SO VlOcht that every .o~ou iu
the real cal Was hurled forward lie car diIlci.
from those front, that the seats were pdr.i-eI
with tnc Sides and there WAS nothing g. stop n
flight OF the passengers toward the forward enc.
Ia a moment were all packed together, MIitir
L,t, and umbrellas few III all directions There
4 a l.tl
most Oi the persons IN the car lost their hotiug
and icl Nv shoulder struck against the door OF the
car and the combined weight Oh many persons came
against ne. For DicI mOihcl' j icil rs Al hld
been crushed fat, but my injuries were ulnihg.
I he windows OF the car had been broken and trag-
mcnts OF glass had wounded many persons On their
faces ana hands. Great excitement ana con
fusion Teigncd Tor a few moments, most OF
M rxnrcIIug that another crash Was To follow /
passed INTO the forward cars ana saw TIE conductor.
re sad the accident had been caused by lack oi
signals the NeW-llaYcn Tram. In the DINER
co.olc, OF our tram there was much confusion, but
que, was restored a. quichIS "S Pos'.oIc'
Professor Arthur II. Dundon, OF the Nor
maj College, did more than the other man
on the tram toward restoring Ordrr. The
railroad men did everything possible. lar Is 1
cOulu judge TO save lie aud prevent further trouble
a brakeman WAS sent ba"k at once IRON our Tram
with red ngLt to prevent another tram from run
nlng mo lhc conductor aud other traih-inen
showed great activity m keeping order ana III pro
curing assistance Tor the wounded. cannot be-
hcyc, however, That the collision was NOS due 10
great carc ssncss the part Oi SOME person IN au-
thOnty"
TALKS WITH THE RAILWAY OFFICIALS.
MI. TOuCEY REFUSES 10 MAKE STATEMENT
WnLRE rHE RESPONSIBILITY LlLs-IHL DEPOT
MASTERS ACCOUNT.
john NJ. Ioucey, General Superintendent OF the
New-York Central and Hudson River Railroad Com
pany was asked to give statement OF facts regard
ing the accident. " | have no statement whatever
TO make he replied. " cannot make any until !
learn the details of the accident and yet do not
know all the circumstances. shall make no state
ment. / was in Albany when the collision occurred.
and came down TO tue city on special engine.