New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-23
I'm the afternoon. He said that he hau some ui'o'J
en- hreathing Ills arms were also bruised
WHAT THE OFFICERS OF THE TRAINS SAY

which was run into. In conversation with lRiB-
1Nr rcporer he said NV train left Portchester III
/ 700 A. H. We had to make a run OF tWehty-sN
r,iles and were due in the Grand Central Depot at
! coz The train was composed of three passenger
coaches n luggage car and a smoking car, drawn
nv engine No 20. We had 1914 passengers on the
train about forty of whom were In the rear car
Most of them were business men commuters -
and there were about fifteen school children. lhey
got on mainly at New-Rochelle, Mamaroneck ana
Monnt Vernon The last car was not opened
until we got to the latter station, which ac-
counts for so many of the injured beng
from that place. At Observation-Disclosures twenty
ffth-st the train was switched INTO the west tun-
mel. and we then proceeded very slowly beng
STONED about ten minutes ut each OF the slghai
d-and-tenth-st Ninety -elghth-
ST. and Eichty-siXth-st. We were forty-eignl
minutes behndhand at this station. AS soon as we
stopped sent Robert Robbins, the brakemah-"e
had already left two brakemen behInd-with torpe-
does and lantern to signal any tram that was
coming The tunnel was as black as midnight ana
could not see his light twenty feet. lie had 10
scramble along and fell down once. lie could not
have gone more than $50 feet before he heard an
engine coming He put torpcdoes the track and
iumped through the man-h0le just III time to save
himself. as there isn't room for train
70 mass n man. | was on the rear plat
form when | heard the coming train. Ii
was useless. and had no time to warn the paSsen-
gers Jumped of and sprang through a manhOle'
A little boy Jumped with me. There was terrible
| crash as the engine ceaved the rear car OF my
train. and the tunnel became so filled with dust.
smoke and steam that l could scarcely see.
helped get the two young women named Bennett
out of the wreck The Younger one was very
pluckv A man tried to lift her up Wait. SAID
she. there is something holding me down. also
helped a man out of the wreck. The forward part
of my train was plunged several car lengths ahead
by the collision. The rear car was demolished Dul
the others ! brought to the city. do not KNOW
vet what was stopped for but it our business to
obey orders and the light was out 10. MS to STOP.
1t seems have been the fault of the operator at
Ninety eiGhtb-st., who failed to stop the haIlch
TRAM , =,
train WAS found in the evening he WAS PREPARING
TO run ont the J:45 train for NilllamsOrdec. lie
had been running his trains regularly after the ac-
cident When asked for ms version OF the disaster
he said " Ae eft WllllamsbIldge AT STU
n m INV train cOnsIsingOf four cars including me
smOking-caT, to which Is attached colnp1r mem
for baggage. We ran on without any tron"le uh'ii
We reached the tunnel, and there being no Slgnai
that the track III the side tunnel whch we llsuaIl
use was not clear, We turned INTO II AT Nlhely-
elghtI-St. think we had about 100 passengers on
board. of whom there were about MY scholars ol
/ the Normal College. They come down WIN US
]
OF the road We also had with us between utieeh
and twenty-five little boys no attend school IN the
CITY, As we ncarcd the Eighty -SlA hist.
station III the tunnel, my engineer, Hiram
Hedden, slowed up and we were almost
ready to stop when the crash OF our engine
into the rear car of the New Haven tram Jared
our whole tram and brought l. 10 STOP. AT the
time of the collision was III the rear car, having
lust collected the last ucKct on the Tram. NV hls,
aot was 10 send Out George CadmuS, my rear brake
man. 10 place OIpriOes the track, and o nag an
trans that might DO coming INTO the tunnel We
then teiegrapheI to the Grand central Depot Ior a
/ wrecklng tram, and gent "ui 10 tne heIsHp'Ilhs
hospitals for surgeons and phy scians. Ms dOhe'
/ Augustus AckeTt my fireman James Burt, my
/ baggage master; several OF our passengers anu
| myself went forward to help oui the uI-
fortunate passengers of the wrecked NeW-llaVcn
. car 1t was ltch-daTk, OF course, III the iuInri'
the natural gloom beng increased Dy thc cOhllloii
/ OF the weather. Bat with the lamps We ma ana
with tOrcnes lit by wOrilmen that We Summoned TO
[ our assistance We were enabled TO carry on our
We found our engine, shattered almost to
pieces. with ihe exception OF the OolIeI paAtcI ~
inc midst of the rear New-n.vcn car, which had
| been split wide open and completely wrecked ny
/ the force of The collision. Inc tunnel was illled
/ with smoke ANA steam, 80 chat II was dlifcuit TO
! breathe. IL TOOK hif an hour to get every BODY
! out of the wreck. The unfortunate people pre-
/ scented "A hidcOus sight, covered with mud ana
/ art and sneared win blood from theHown wounds
I and cuts OF from those OF the persons VINO were
. seriously njared. Most of the persons III the
wrecked car only needed assistance IN beng eNtIl-
| Gated from the wreck. There were hall a dozen,
should saw however, who were 50 badly Injured
/ tnat they had to be carried. Meantime had
I tagged the sing Sing tram winch was ABOUT que
/ and which came III on the track III the man tunnel
/ When II arrived The wounded were placed on board
ana our Passengers transferred TO H. The Sing sing
! tram hen went to the Grand central Depot.
" Now as to TIE responsibility l"i the dcCIueht,
all can say that We had Ilsht 10 NE SIDE tuD-
/ mel: we were not stopped when "e were
ABOUT enter the tunnel, and a'ter entering u we
/ received no signal of any blockade or stoppdge
ahead. My engineer, MI ileGdeh. suck 10 MS en-
gine to the last. lie was badly cut about the eyes
/ but not seriously injured One OF the doctors who
came IN Spouse 10 summons advised hlin 10 20
/ home and / believe he went nome 10 Nhl3e Plains.
/ where he lives Hcdden Is an old engineer III The
service and he Is one o. the safest men TO trust
I with running a train You may DO sure thai he u
/ not to blame Tor TINS AFFAIR. Ackert, my hrehAn,
stood 10 his post as wei as HeGden ana was DahIy
/ cui about The lace. The New-ilaNen tram waited
two hours before II went Oh 10 me depot. must
say that the Passengers III cur lraln pehaNcd We,
alter the rsj IuonentarS hight following The col
lIs,on was OVER ihe Normal College gitls acteo
IKE men," -,
! lame, Burt, the baggage-master Of the Harlem
tram stated positively mat Ee heard no torpcdOes
pOde the track before the collision took pace
was forward III The baggage-car when the smash
up occurred" he said, " and would have heard the
/ explosions If there mad Oetn any. Rght alter the
cOiIsl went through the tram % put out al Inc
lights. Tor | was tcar4ui OF the possibility oi hie
Most The light hau been put Out 10y the jar OF the
/ COLLISION the cinmneys of the lamps were broken
ana some ol the lamps we're knocked Out of their
/ fixtures TO the door of the cars Inc passengers
/ were very easy to quiet ana ] got them
10 close all the windows so as to
| keep out the steam that was escaping IN
! dense clouds IRON our engine, whose saiety-yalyc
and steam whistle were broken III the colilSioh."
Conductor slack said subsequently that none OF
tie cars his ram were Thrown from the track ny
the force oil the collision. Only the engine lett the
rails. 10 this fact he attributed largely the com
paratiVely small loss of Iie and the escape OF every
one on the uaIiem train with no hng except slight
/ bruises, caused when passengers were nuhg from
/ their own seats against Others.
Abraham Close, the engineer Of the POrtchestcr
7 train, sand: We were time at MclrOsc, bat
was stopped by every signal from there down. "A
/ hudson i,lver train passed me at Spuy ten Duyyll
junction, but II not IN sgnt wneu We stopped al
Observation-Disclosures lhe man III the ,Igual
j. cabin al One-hundI -and-tWenty -liti-st Sad TO
me 10 back up and let the engine out ON the spur
/ track. lie referred to the disabled engine OF the
J Unison River road. did 50, and cleared the spur