The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-01-19
AN AWFUL ACCIDENT
On the Hudson River Railroad
The Chicago Express
TeIescOped by Special Train Near Spuy-
ten DuyVeI JunCtion-Eight
Persons Killed.

express train, leaving Albany at 2:4O
yesterday afternoon, with many MEM
bers of the Legislature on board, was
run into by a TarrytOwn special train in
a cut about quarter of a mile east of
the Spuyten Duyvel Junction with the
Harlem main line. The facts of the ac-
cident are these: The express from
Chicago to New York reached Albany
twenty-three minutes late. Owing to
great crowd OF Legislators and others
who desired to leave the Capital, fifteen
additional cars were put on, eight of
them being palace coaches. Two extra
engines were also attached, and the
train got under way. 1t was filed with
all the men of note and prominence of
both the Republican and Democratic
parties. On the train were a number of
the Tammany delegation. Among them
were Police Commissioner Nichols Ed
ward Kearney, Senator Browning, As
semblymen CEllen, Sheehy, Robb, Cos
tellO, McManus, eX-Assemblyman NJ. f.
Halahan and Alderman Levy. There
were also in the car Commissioner of
Emigration Ulrick, Assemblyman Cha
pin, of Brooklyn; George f. Spinney,
Albany correspondent of the New York
Times; A.W. Lyman, of the Sun; August
Abel, Joseph lyle, and two ladies of
Albany, names unknown.
A passenger gives the following ac-
COuuJ OI In6 dCClu6nJ. w n6n we were
at TarrytOwn," he said, "the train from
Albany passed. 1t was running fast
and there seemed to be wheel on fire.
The first intlmatiOn l had of danger was
feeling the air brakes suddenly put on.
l felt there was something coming and
l bract myself against the seat. Then
came a crash. Men and women were
thrown headlOng over the seats; the
stove was upset and so was the water
cooler. The excitement was intense for
a few minutes. Women screamed and
men swOre. Two or three men were
burned severely, although not danger
h Sly. Some were cut by glass. Every
OIls got out of the cars Immediately and
went forward to the Albany train. There
were three passenger coaches on our
train, and | was in the second. | sup
pose a number of men in the first car
must have been hurt. AS | went for
ward | saw that the rear palace car,
Idlewild | think, was badly damaged. |
The back part was on fire, and it appar-
entity had been completely telescOped
by our engine, and in moment was all
in flames. | could only see one woman
at first, and she was lying down, with
the stove on one leg and arm. Her
shrieks were horrible. The conductor
broke one of the windows of the car and
two men were helped in to try to get
her out. Some wooden bars were handed
the men, and they made one desperate
effort to get the woman out. Then the
flames swept around them and the two
men jumped out of the windows. Mean
time every one in the two trains had
gathered around the two last cars and
all were looking at the scene. The con-
ductor shouted to the crowd to bring
water and roll snOw-balls and to throw
them upon the flames, and every one on |
the train went to his work, and they
I checked the flames for time. Mean
time the cries of the poor woman under
the stove had ceased. Another party
OF men had procured ladder, |
and this was put up against the
side of the car. While some
men were pouring water and snow on
the flames, others clambered to the win |
dOws. But the people were so wedged |
in between the pieces of seats that they |
had to be pried out. The first person !
taken out was the woman first alluded |
to. She seemed dead. Then with great |
difficulty, two more women and two |
men were taken out, apparently fatally |
injured. There were several more in |
the cars. l did not see how they were
got out. While / was walking through !
the yard / saw woman with baby i'll |
her arms. The woman had been badly |
cut by glass, and blood was dripping
over her child. She had been in the for
ward part of the rear parlOr car.
Among the dead was Senator Wagner.
He was seen on the car at POughkeepsie |
and has not been seen since. A short
time before the disaster occurred the
Senator passed through the car contain
ing the Tammany party and said,
laughingly: "Ahl ahl here are all an
ti-mOnopOlists." He added: 81 am Op-
posed to mOnOpOlies myself, for some
times they smash my cars" The party
- -, Ilrre fr-H No.
ner passed into the coaches and was
seen no more. Among the passengers
were young couple named Valentine,
from Bennington, Vermont, who were
married Thursday evening, and were
on their wedding tour. They were ac
cOmpanied by the grOOm's father, A. B.
Valentine, who escaped uninjured. Both
of the young couple might have been
saved but for the desperate clinging of
the young bride to her husband. OF the
twelve passengers in the IdleWild eight
are dead. The list, so far as can be as
certained is as follows: Senator Web
ster Wagner; T.. l.. RawsOn, Hoffman
House; Parke Valentine, of Renning-
ton, Vermont, and Mrs. Valentine, a
woman supposed to be from Phila-
delphia; four men, names unknown.
The injured are as fOllOws: Oliver B.
Kelly, age 5hirty-six, of Spring Valley,
PNnsylvania, fatally injured; Mary
= -DanIels, of New York, badly injured
and about fifty others more or less in
jured. There were about five hundred
passengers on the ill-fated train. George
William Curtis, who was reported to
have been killed is safe and unharmed.
A BRAKEMAN TO BLAME.
NEW YORK, January 16.-Geo. Melius,
brakeman on the Chicago express,
charged with the responsibility of the
disaster, was arrested Sunday evening
and locked up on the charge of criminal
carelessness. He made the following
statement; when the train stopped /
got my lamps, red and white, and walked
to the back part of the train. In about
two minutes L started back around the
curve about six or eight car lengths.
From where / stood L waved my red
lantern across the track, and l think
there was time enough to stop the train.
1t took me about five minutes, perhaps
%. IL fhr