The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-01-20
HUMAN BEINGS Burned TO CRISP.
TERRIBLE COLLISION AED LOSS OF LIFE ON
THE NEW FORK CENTRAL RAILROAD

railroad tonight The Atlantic EXPRESS
which was due in this city at s'clock this
evening, was thirty-fiYe minutes late in leay-
ing Albany. 1t ran at a high rate of speed
and had nearly made up its lost time before
reaching Spuyten Duyyil. There were thir-
teen cars on the train Six were parlor cars
These were the Red Jacket Vanderbilt
Sharon, Mnnehaha, Empire and Idlewild
I Ihere were four passenger coaches, two mail
cars and one express car. The train had
passed Spuyten Duyvil and lad gone about
a third OF mile when one of the air brakes
gave out ana fhe train was brought to q stoD
ABOUT TWO hundred yards from Spuyten Duy-
vii curve. This curve is one of the sharDest
on the road and an approaching train could
not be seen beyond the curve. The train was
delayed i've or six minutes while wo1kmen
were engaged examining and repairing the
brake. A local train for passengers left Tar
rytOWn about $50, shortly after the train had
passed and left Spuyten Duyvil at 1907 being
Que at the Grand Central depot at 7:30
The only men that can tell what safeguards
mad been employed on the Atlantic express
20 warn approaching trains from the rear, so
Iar as can be learned, are Park Valentine of
bennington, Vt, passenger, and the rear
brakeman, whose name is said to be George
MealluS- Mr.. Valentine says that he was
standing on the rear platform of the palace
car ldleWild, which was the last car on the
express train when suddenly light was yisi-
pie around Spuyten Duyvil curve, about two
hundred yards back. The brakeman stood
on the track five or six feet from the rear car.
with red lantern and a white lantern AS
soon as the light of the approaching train
mashed around the curve, Mr.. Valentine saws
the brakeman Sprang forward and ran quick
ly down the track swinging his lantern Mr
valentine said that everyone expected to see
the approaching train stop; but if came on
apparently under full neadway. Seeing that
collision was inevitable as the train drew
near he jumped from the platform and es-
caped without injury. In the doorway Mr.
Valentine remembers to have seen a small
slight man, whom he could not identify. As
the approaching train struck the express the
small man jumped back into the palace car
and Mr.. Valentine says that as near as he
can remember there were ten or twelve per.
sons iR the Idle wild. He believes that not
one could have escaped. The locomotive
No. 81, Of the Tarrytown train, was in charge
OF Engineer Frank Burr and Fireman Qua
ney Burr. The former was slightly injured
about the head and Quaney escaped unin-
Jured. Both declined tonight to give their
version Of the cause Of the collision.
The locomotive crushed into the rear com
partments OF the rear parlOT car, and the car
was telescoped with the rear Of the parlor
car Empire I'D front OF 1t. So far as could be
learned, nobody escaped from the rear car
to tell the story of the disaster. The wreck
ed ears were almost Immediately wrapped in
flames. The stove had overturned and the
live Goals finished the work of destruction
Before the police and firemen, with ladder
and apparatus for eXtinguishiug fires. had
arrived, dozen Of persons had been suffO- /
Gated 1t Is not probable that more .hap one /
or TWO were killed outright by the collision
ABOUT the middle Of the rear car sat Park
valentine, p years of age, son of the gentle .
man who stood at the rear of the car andes .
capped. Valentine was on his wedding trip .
having been married to Miss Louise GAYLORD. .
OF North Adams, Massachusetts, on Thurs I.
Gay night. Both bride and groom DerisbeG /.
IN the hames. Lieutenant Governor Bar
STOW, OF Vermont, who was with the bridal .
party, had gone TO q forward car and he es-
caped unlnJured. Near them in the car sat .
a large, handsomely dressed woman. anna
rently about forty years of age. Her body
was first recovered from the debris Among
the passengers ia the drawinp-r0OIp cars were
many members of the Legislature including
senator Webster Wagner ana other we'll
known politicians. 1t Is believed that all of
the ten or twelve persons in the rear Garner
lShed. senator Webster Wagner was last
seen moment before the accident going
from lhe second car from the rear to the rear
car, and there is no doubt that he is among
the victims. The number Of those who ppT.
lShed IN the second car from the rear is not
known, but there seems to be reason for he
heNhg that 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 JTlrich
OF emigration, when the crash
came. There was shrill Shrek Of a loco
mOuYe close behind US, a sudden crash like I
an explosion and the car became almost darIr
ana glass and Splinters and dust filled tI1e
all, something struck me on the head and [.
was half-stunned for moment When re-
covered my senses ! found nv head i'm com .
tact with roof ventilator. / thouuht for an
instant that the car had been overturned and
was lying on ITS side, but I soon fnund that
IL was upright on the track and that the roof
VI the rear car had crushed through the roof
OF our car There were shTieks and rr0ans
ana ABOVE all the piercing cries of women I
lOund myself close against q car window and .
dFOye my elbow through it. I was ON tIlp
west side OF the car and looked out upon a
stony ana slippery embankment Just then
SOMEBODY shouted This way!' from tba
other side of the car. | started across The
aisle, over broken seats and debris. to a win
COW, through which other PASSENGERS had
escaped. Inc grOans or the cries of acman
ehtanEleu among the seats attracted nv at
tentIOn. tugged at his coat tails and assist
ed him TO his feet. He speedily scrambled
out OF the window TO place of safety and
l IoHoWed nm. Mr. G. T. Spinnev, Of the
New York Times, was I believe, elssf man
out of the car.
within five minutes after the crash the
Two rear cars were in flames. The nassen
gers stood IN the snow aud mud on the slim
perry embankment and saw the fire ~ rfino,
through the wreck OF the two cars. powerIess
20 assist those within, who were gr0aning
ana screaming for suCcOr. The yfIIagers
quickly gathered at the scene of the disastar
and rendered such aid as they could, but it
Il.
pals, could be thrown upon the flames Mon
and boys rolled huge balls Of damp snow and .
hurled it through the car windows which .
other men had broken with fragments of the .
wreck No faces appeared at the car win
aoWs3 put cTieS IN dozen of voices were
heard from within. It was evident that thew
came from persons pinned fast beneath the
debris and unable to escape.
In the pocket Of the woman whose bodv
was hTst taken from the wreck was fOund a
VISITING card bearing the name: "Mrs Maude .
Brown, 400 West FOrty-third ST eet ,, a Iet-
ter in her pocket was dated from the offica Of .
George NJ. Pinney, SO Broadway, and was
apparently written by her husband. Mr.
bTOWn a slip OF paper on which was writ
ten 'Dr. Watts, 40 West Thirty sixth street ;, /
was In her pocket book. Miss Mary Daniels. /
VINO was on her way from TrOV To visit .
friends in New York, was rpscne6 aIiya
She suffered cOntuSions and burns but viii
recover Oliver Keely, a stove Inanufao.
turer' OF Spring City, Pa, was taken ont .
through a WINDOW IN dying condition. His
right arm was burned off nearly to the sbouI-
der and be was internally injured. The doc.
tor said he could not five until morning He
was 80 years old. His dying words were al .
rectiOns to send to his wife The bodv of n
man OF large stature, with its face burned
past recognition, was then taken from the
wreck. Then came body. aDnareDtIv tbat
OF negro. supposed TO be one of the PALACE
car employees. Then two more charred and
blackened trunks of human forms were Iift-
ed out upon planks by the firemen One of
was thought, that of a woman.
The number of dead bodies taken from the
wreck at midnight was eight Several Dar
sons are injured, one, at least fatally At
i've minutes to twelve a train which had been
run up 10 the wreck reached the Grand Cen
fraI depot. Upon ii was Senator Waener's
eldest son. The moment he stepped from
The train he was surrounded and SilpDtlv the