The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-01-19
RAILWAY DISASTER.
Terrible Accident ON tho Hudson NV.
Or MallYOad.

- Ae01bkO00s
New YoRK, Jan. II.
Tho two rear cars Of tho Atlantic express,
from the west, on tho New York Central and
Hudson river railroad, were crushed and
jammed together by the Tarytown local train,
near Spuyten Duyvn creek, last night. Tho
wrecked cars were sst on 6rs, and nine persons
are known to have perishsd ia tho flames. II
II believed that st least three others must have
been burned.
state senator Webster Wagner y supposed
to have been crushed between two Of his own
drawing-room cars, and to have perished with
the other victims. Tho Atlantic express left
Albany at 800 p. m. nearly thrss-quartsrs Of
one. Of, &c comprising % '' thirteen cars. Next to
the locomotive were two mail cars and ,
baggage car. Behind them were three
ordinary passenger CARS Five Wagner
drawing-ro0m cars completed the train.
They were the Red Jacket, sharon, Vanderbilt,
rear car. At Groenbush, on the opposite side
OF the river from Albany, the Wagner drawing
room car Idlewild from Troy, was coupled %
the engine and became the lat car Of the train.
The train was in charge Of Conductor George
Hanford, an old employe on the road. The con-
uuclOT Vi tUG UI1W1lX.IUUm C8kD WN0 LII 40ylOIs
Two stops were mads-one at Hudson and the
other at Ponghkeepsie. From this last point
the train began 10 make mp some Of tho lost
time. A speed OF at least forty miles IN hour
was maintained until tho 6puyten Duyv1
Creek Station was reached. Here the en-
came to stop about midway between that
station and the Kngsbridge Station Some
thing, it was said by tho train atteldants was
the matter with the air brake. For some reason
it failed to work. It was then few min
utes past 7 o'clock. The delay must have
denly one shril blast from : locomotive was
heard, when the sound Of grinding wheels
from the rear grated harshly on the ear. Tho
next instant there was . shock which shivered
the Idlewild 10 splinters, drove its heavy frame
like = telescope into the Empire, and COM
minutes later the Idlewild was on
fire from tho stove in the forward
end, which had been thrown over by
the shock. The flames leaped upon the
splinttrcd Empire, and that, too, was filed
with fire and smoke almost before the occu-
persons who were in the Idlewlld were cut
on from escape, caught by the jagged tim
bcrs, and there held to be slowly roasted alive.
In the Empire were the following persons, au
Of whom managed to save themselves, though
. number who were In the rear end had mi
JdCulOub cbC1kNb AIUlu ku0 uWMt 0uV9uOsu6
flames State Senators John q. Jacobs and
John w. Browning, Assemblyman Alfred q.
Chaplin, DIR. j. w. Monk, Of BrOOklyn;J. Hamp.
den kobb, Lucas L. vanamen, James ]. Co.'S
tello, John McManus and Edward G. Shcehy. Of
New York-the tnree last Tammany men; COM
missioner Of Police Sidney Nicholas, Mr.. Ed
ward Kearney, Maurice j. Holahan, Commis-
soner Of Emigration Urich, Mr.. Edward Ca-
hill, Charles Swan, Messrs. Joseph Doyle aud
Augustus Abel, two ladies, A. w. Lyman, cor
respondent OF the New York Suta aud the
Times Albany correspondent.
The three Tammany Assemblymen had just
left q compartment ut the rear OF the Empire,
where they had been making merry, and were
going toward the front Of the car when the
crush came, which splintered the very compart-
mont they had just abandoned. Senator Web
ster Wagner bad Just passed them on his way
to the Id,ewild. He WAS not ten feet from the
newspaper correspondent, and must have just
stepped upon the rear platform Of the Empire
when the ldlewild shot forward and telescoped
the Empire.
The first indication that the Empires passen-
gers had of danger was the single whistle Of
the locomotive OF the local tram, the Tarry-
town express. The shock hurled them from
their seats, and they were dung along the car
| door. The swivel chairs, wrenched from their
fastenings, were thrown after them and lay
piled on top Of the struggling occupants.
a buOWcT VI ktAUS C1uc QOWu AIUM over
head, and the roof Of the Empire was crushed
| In upon them by the weight Of the Idiewlid's
| root, which seemed to have been lifted bodily,
| and shot forward upon that OF the Empire. To
add to the confusion the lights began to glim-
mer and the darkness to deepen. Nearly al
the occupants found their way ont through
windows whose sashes had been shattered by
the shock. The ladies we're buried in . heap Of
debris, and were extracted without having re-
ceived any severe bruises. Assemblyman
Monk was pinned between timbcrs close
70 tho roof Ths roof was pred OF, and
He was completely prustrated BY the shock to
his nervous syskam, and had to b. assisted 10
the Minnshaha. The cnTrespondents had, per
haps, - narrow m escape - anybody. They
were In the rear of the car, at the ssaA Of tho
car which was inside Of the Curve which the
track makes at this point. A gentleman who
sat opposite them, and was consequent
" Oh the outside of the curve, wAs
buried beneath tue debris and wAs only
released from his perilous position by the
efforts or Lis two neigLbors across the aisle.
The tire was creeping slowly toward him and the
smoke was sitting, when be was pulled out and
pushed through the window. Whether there
| were more passengers in one Of the rear CONF
| partments OF the Empire cannot be determined.
| Az the last newspaper man climbed through tho
| window he heard the screams Of two women
aud the shouts Of man proceeding from
Il JA0 cAuCtA10 IUAI Va tu0 AIutPAVs VuNSaASA
1 they were among that cars passengers,
| or whether they were in the forward end
| o1 tho Idlewild, which was launched far into
4 the Empire ID not known. With the exception
4 OF Asscmbiyman Monk, the occupants OF the
Umpire before mentioned all escaped with
slight cuts or bruises.
The noise OF the collision was heard half Z
mile away, and the glare OF the burning carr
illuminated the country far around.
crowd OF tho resldents Of King Bridge
and Spuyten Duyvh soon gathered. Axe
| were brought and heroic endeavors to chos
. hole in the side Of the Idlewild were made
| Nearly all Of tho Idlewild's passengers wer'
caught IN the timbers, and were unable to NOV,
hand or foot. Their shrieks were appalling
The flames were gaining headway. aud thers
| WAS neither hose, nor pals, nor water at hanc
to quench them. Water there WAS enough II
the creek not 200 feet distant from the doomed
| cars but in the absence OF vessels OF some des
cription it could not be obtained.
Finally some Of the neighbors, whose dwell
| ings fronted ON the railroad track. furnished Z
/ fow wooden pals. Valuable time had been
| lost, and the flames were now beyond control.
| The villagers continued to throw water through
| the windows nearest those spots where human
voice could be heard, until the heat drove them
far beyond point where the primitive nre-Ap'
| paratus could be utilized.
A new danger was meanwhile threatening tho
thousand persons in the vicinity. Tho locomo-
tive Of the Tarrytown express WAS imbedded IN
| the wreck OF the ldlewild, its headlight .
| dozen feet within the car, Leavy head
Of steam was oh, red-hot TIRE
was blazing in the fre-box, and there were
grave doubts expressed by the engineer
and fireman about the boiler resisting the
tremendous pressure brought to bear upon It.
/ Water to quench the fire WAS called for. Then
great shovelfnls Of snow were piled into the
/ furnace. The water-carriers ceased for briei
space 70 empty their paiis upon the burning
cars, and dashed their contents into the furn.
ace. The dying persons in the ruins had e
be abandoned to Crapple with this danger,
which promised death to 30 many Of thu
living. The furnace fires were finally
quenched, and attention WAS once more turned
1 to the two burning carr, whose more solld tim
bers had by this time been eaten away by the
fierce flames. Ten minutes had elapsed since
the accident. The last sound from the IN.
tombed passengers had died away. Nothing
was heard but tho crackle OF the fire and the
shouts Of tho villagers, half mad
with excitement at the thought oi
human beings dying before their eyes, and they
unable to AFFORD them succor. Suddenly thu
1 10 CsUrs ov.th thah hur cnr