Morning journal and courier., 1882-01-16
Price Four Cents.

biIt, were completed yesterday morning and
 the victims os the collision were taken away
 at 10 o'clock to the Grand Central depot
 FRzY TOMB.
 Now that it's causes have been discussed
 the blame of the collision has by general con-
 sent been fixed upon the brakeman, George Melius. That he could have averted the dis
 aster by going few hundred feet to the rear of the train, any one who views the
 scene of the collision can testify. Perhaps 1 the narrative of no witness covers this more
 thoroughly nor throws a clearer light upon the development of the nights tragedy than that of young man residing in Spuyten Duyvil, who was an eye witness from first to last. His name is Thomas Burke, and his
 story is as follows:
 q was in the house when the express l stopped pulled on my shoes and went out ] to see what the matter was. The trair 1 stretched along the road from beyond Nc
 Carthy's Crossing almost to Kilcul1en's Hotel. | The conductor az-d brakeman were going | along, stooping under the cars and trying
 the brakes. I met Mike Cuddy and the
 Ryan boys, who live about here and were go-
 ing down to the track, when I saw brake | man standing on it about dozen feet behind
 the train. He had two lanterns in his hand | "a red one and a white cne Just then l | heard rumbling sound, and 1t struck me | that a train was coming. In less than min | ute the headlight jumped out at Kilcullen's l corner. Then there was a sudden whistle | just like clap, and immediately after the
 crash came. We were frightened for mo- | nsnt, but ran down to the cars which tie To- l comotiye had smashed. They were burning ] then and the cries coming from them were | dreadful l met Jimmy Furey and the Ker- | rigan boys there, and we began smashing the | windows so as to give the people chance to get out. Some of us tried to climb inside,
 but it WAS suffocating there, and once when | got iR I had to slip out again almost choked | to death. We saw a woman's foot near one | of the windows, with blue stocking on it. | One of the boys tried to pull her out by it, | but he could not bu6ge her. When the | bukets had been used and the excitement Ess nearly all over the Kerrigans and crept in- ! side. saw a lady there under a lot of l chairs. I forced them aside and said, Lady, | lift up your hands, She did so and we | drew her out. She was composed in that 1 terrible place as if she was at home. The Kerrigan boys got hold of a gentleman He wEs down under some rubbish and terribly | burned, but he was cool even then Pour some water on my back he cried, as they | tried to move him Poor fellow, be had need of it, for the fire right under him. He
 was Mir. Keeler. The lady was Miss Daniels.
 stayed till the police came and drove away all of us who had helped to do some good saw nothing more of the brakeman No wonder. Some of the boys were very say age about him, and was told that he heard some of them threatening to give him a drubbing.''
 THE BRAKEMAN N cUsToDY. George MeIius, the brakeman, was at his home in Poughkeepsie yesterday, it was his day of for the week He was telegraphsd for by Superintendent Toueey 10 come to the city and give personal account of the acci- dent SO far he had noticed it. He started from Poughkeepsie by the 1:15 p. ID. train, which was due at the Grand Central depot at fifteen minutes to four p. On the train with Melius was Captain Hooker, of the Nineteenth sub-precinct police station, hav- ing its headquarters in the depot He had gone up to Poughkeepsie on the previous night. As soon as it became known to the railroad officials that the accident could only have occurred through the carelessness of either Melius or the engineer of the Tarry- town train Captain Hooker had with him 8 warrant for the arrest of Melius, issued by Coroner Merkle. The arrest was not made until Melius had reached the Grand Central depot, when he was requested to step over to the sub precinct station house and was there detained Coroner Merkle, whose district covers the region beyond the Harlem river, has taken charge of the case and was at once sent for when Melius had been taken into custody. Melius declared to the police cap tain that he was not to be blamed in the mat ter. saying: 'I don't consider it my fault as I signalled and the train went by me"
 
 CT Merkle arrived at the station house where Melius was confined, and the prisoner signed the following statement:
 George Melius, residing in Poughkeepsie says: 'I am a brakeman on the Hudson River railroad. A train, ef which am a brakeman, left Albany and we were at Alba ny on account of the delay of the west train behind time about a quarter of an hour. Our regular time of starting from Albany is 2:4o D. n. Before the time of the accident he (the engineer put the air on the brakes of the train and when he crossed over the Spike the train rolled slowly over and the air hung on the brakes, and he,could not get all the air of the brakes and he pulled the train from where 1t stopped When the train stopped got my lamps, white and red and walked back round the curve, about six or seven lengths behind my train. When the Tarry- town train came in sight, probably about seven or eight car lengths from where stood, I waved my red lantern across the track and think there was time enough to stop the train started with my lamp about 0 minute or two after my train came to stop. It took me about five minutes, per haps three minutes, when the Tarrytown train came in sight. I stopped there becanse considered the distance sufficient to stop any train. There was time enough to walk back to Spuyten Duyvl station, which vSs about 8 quarter or half mile, but did not consider 1t necessary. I knew there was tram Del1QQ put l ulQ not knOE W1GL1er it was the Tarrytown or PoHghkeepsie."
 Melius after signing the statement vas looked up forsthe night. He was very calm and persisted that no blame could resti upon him in the matter. He will be taken to the coroner's office at ten o'clock this morning for a fuller hearing.
 The HerdJd correspondent at Poughkeepsie telegrapts that in conversation with con- ductor the prisoner said that he went back with his red light far enough to see Spuyten Duyvil bridge and that when the TarrytoWn train passed him it was running at the rate of forty miles an hour. The conductor told him the train could not have been running as fast as that, as it had just left Spuyten Duyvil station Brakeman Melius replied "Anyhow, it was going very fastn Train Despstcher Cossum says that if .Melius went back far enough to see Spuyten Duyvl bridge his red light would have been seen by the watchman in the signal box
 MeIius has been employed on the Hudson River railroad for twenty-five years. He is about fifty years of age, tall and stout and wears a heavy brown chin beard He is de- scribed very illiterate man and looks as though the description were true. He was very cool last night in the police station, com placently smoking an old, well burned clay pipe, and appearing to have no apprehension of any harm. to himself. The charge of man. slaughter has been made against him
 PARK VALENTINE AND HIS BRIDE
 NORTH ADAMS, Mass, Jan. 1.-The news of the disaster reached North Adams st II o'clock last night and cast a pail over the whole community. Mr Gaylord. father of Mrs. Valentine who is a prominent dry goods dealer of this place, with Charles Reed, of this town, left on the night train for New York. Before reaching Troy Mir. Gaylard was taken sick, and when the train reached Troy MT. Reed insisted that Mir Gaylord should return home. Too ill to go further. Mir. Gaylord returned this morning. MT. Reed went on to New York to take charge of the bodies. When Mrs. Gaylord heard of the sad Jste that had overtnken her daughter and her husband she was complete ly overcome. Both herself and NIT. Gaylord are confined to their bed very ill Mrs Val entine, in her younger days, lived with her grandmother, Mrs. Russell, of Woodstoek, Vt, and they became devotedly attached to each other. Of late years the grandmother has lived with the Gsylords here, and it Is feared The sad news will prove fatal to the old lady Park Valentine a nephew of Trenor ". Park His father is probably the wealthiest manufacturer in Southern Yer mont, and gave him as wedding gift an sls- Rantly furnished house in Bennington He also promised to give him an interest in hie large knitting mill business
 The bodies of Park Valentine and his wife arrived here 0-night and were taken to Ben-