Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-01-20
Terrible RaiIrOad Accident.
The Engine Of Passenger Train Tel
eacOpes Two Cars Of Another Train
.--the Cars are Burned ana = lives
are LOat.


DENTS OF THE DREADFUL AFFAIR.
One Of tho most frightfu railroad acct
dents on record occurred last Friday evening
near Spuyten Duyvil station, on the New
York Central and Hudson River railroad, a
short distance out of New York city. Eight
persons were killed and 10 seriously wound
ed. The story of the disaster is, in short,
that the great Atlantic express from Albany
to Chicago, having on additional palace cars
for the accommodation of members of the
New York Legislature bound for New York,
was due at the Grand Central depot at o.
clock There had been a delay in starting,
but the great train of 10 cars was rapidly
making up lost time, until, on passing Spuy-
ten Duyvil, an air-brake gave out, and the
train was stopped in a deep cut about third
of a mile beyond Spuyten Duyvil station.
The men on the train set to work to repair
the brake, but while doing so the local train
from Tarrytown for New York came rushing
around the curve, and seeing no signal,
plunged at full speed into the rear car, the
Idewild, smashing it and telescoping il with
the Empire, the one next to it. The wrecked
cars Immediately caught fire from the stoves
and were burned up the bodies of the vic
tins being charred almost beyond recogni-
ton. One account of the dreadful affair says;
The first indication that the Empires pas
sengers had Of danger was the single whistle
of the locomotive Of the local train, the Tar
rytown express Immediately afterward the
collision occurred The shock was terrific.
In all the forward cars Of the Albany train
the passengers were thrown from their seats,
and many of them were injured. In the cars
of the Tarrytown train the shock was also
great enough to throw passengers out of their
seats. One woman with baby in her arms
was hurled against hot stove in the end of
the second car from the engine, and she and
her infant were burned severely. Many 9TH
or persons on the same train were badly bruis-
ed. From both the trains the passengers
rushed to look upon the wreck. A terrible
scene confronted them. The two drawing
room cars, the Idlewild and the Empire, lay
together broken and in flames. From the
Empire few persons made their way with
difficulty bruised and bleeding Many Of the
passengers set to work at once to rescue eth
err persons from the burning cars but at first
their efforts were unavailing. Water was car
ried from the Harlem river and from the To-
comotives and dashed upon the flames, but
the amount was too small to do any good.
The fire burned up brighter and stronger,
and it was soon seen that the cars must be
destroyed. A few persons were rescued from
the burning wreck, and some of the rescuers
were burned about the hands and faces. Cries
and grOans from the injured were heard on
every side
To the burning of the cars a new horror
was added, and that was the danger of an ex-
plosion of the locomotive. The rescuers set
to work to extinguish the furnace by means
of snow and water, aud this was soon accom-
plished. The want Of vessels or pipes for
the conveyance of the water was greatly felt.
One man and woman we're rescued from the
burning ruins comparatively uninjured. An
other man was found near the rear end of
the Idlewild. He was hurredly lifted out
and tenderly carried to a store near by. His
right arm was burned off, and his right side
was charred. He was dying. His name was
Oliver Keely, and he was on his way home to
his family. He was stove manufacturer of
Spring City, about 40 years old. woman,
who was able to give her name as Mary Dan
iels, was next extricated She was on her
way from Troy to visit friends in New York.
The dead bodies were reached one after
another as the fire died away. The first was
that of portly woman, perhaps fifty years
of age. A visiting card, and letter signed
Brown, seemed to indicate that the body was
that of Mrs. Maud Brown, No. 4j5 West For
ty-third street, New York. The next two bod
les were those OF groom and bride, who
were on their wedding trip. The husband
was Park Valentine, young man of twenty
two, who was in business with his father in
the manufacture of knit goods in Bennington,
Vt. The maiden name of his young wife was
Louise Gaylord. They were married in North
Adams, Mass, Thursday night and were on
their way to Florida. Six more bodies were
found, but so charred and burned that there
was nothing about them positively to fix their
identity.
The list of the dead has finally been found
n aOmpriga tho follpNyipp. NTrg NNtl1iar,
Brown of New York city, Oliver Kelly of
Spring City, Pa, Rev. Francis T. Ms-echal
of St. Joseph's Catholic church of Troy,
N. Y, Mr.. Pringle of Philadelphia, d. L.
Ransom of the Hoffman House, New York,
Park Valentine and wife of Bennington, Vt,
Senator Webster Wagner of New York, in
ventor of the Wagner sleeping and drawing
room cars.
A passenger who was on the Tarrytown ex-
press says AS soon as the first shock was
over, there was an awful noise of escaping
steam from the engines, mingled with cries
of distress. OF course we all ran out as soon
as we could, and l tell you never want to
see such a sight again. The wreck was piled
up all around and flames were issuing from
the parlor cars, the two rear ones Some Of
the train men, assisted by passengers, were
running about trying to run people out Of the
cars and helped to run out some and carry
them to the side. l saw eight bodies taken
out; l think they were all dead, and there
must have been fifteen or twenty more in the
cars. The flames spread with astonishing ra-
pidity, and the cars seemed like finder boxes,
made to burn. saw lady and gentleman
standing together in one Of the cars. They
did not seem to be much hurt, as they were
able to stand, but they did not move. was
50 excited at their danger that / shouted TO
10 lnalr g. a.
but in the general excitement and noise it is
safe to think that my voice was not heard.
The fire reached the spot where they were in
less time than it takes me to tell it. The
young woman fell first 1t appeared to me as
if she dropped with the heat. First her head
sank on the mans shoulder and then they
both fell and / saw them no more. never
want to see such another horrid sight.
Still another account says Ten minutes
had elapsed since the accident The last
sound from the entombed passengers had
died away. Nothing was heard but the
crackle of the fire and the shouts of the vii
layers, half mad with excitement at the
thought Of human beings dying before their
eyes and they unable to afford them succor.
Suddenly the idea of throwing snow upon
the burning cars was suggested by somebody
IN the throng. Hundreds of hands began to
roll up big balls, They were passed over the
fence TO those who, Drawing the heat, ran
alongside the fiery piles and tossed them
through the windows to be licked up by the
flames. Ladders were procured and efforts
made to punch holes through the car panels.
Never did men work with more desperate en-
ergy than these Spuyten Duyvil and Kings
Bridge villagers The workmen of the Spuy-
ten Duyvil rolling mill turned out in full force
to assist in the now fruitless attempt to save
life. The efforts of the life-savers had been
successful in only two instances.
THE DEATH OF MIR. AND MRS. PARK VALENTINE.
The most moving tragedy of all the terri
bic business was the death of Mr.. and Mrs.
Park Valentine of Bennington. The pair had
been married Thursday evening at North
Adams, and the occasion was made one of
the social events of the season. Mr.. Valen-
tine was the son of A. b. Valentine, a promi-
nent Bennington citizen and wealthy manu-
facturer; and who was chief marshal at the
centennial colonization nj fha battla of Rav