Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-31
A CRASH ON THE NEW HAVEN.
Scenes Of Terror on the Boston Night
Express Train.
From ne Nele YorE sun.


the station, and has general supervision
Of the roads interests in the little village.
During sunday track walkers are dis
tributed all along the road, but after night
fan they are Withdrawn, and Station
Keeper Merritt has instructions 10 see
that everything is all right in his neigh
b0rhOOd before he goes TO bed. one OF the
road s officials said to a reporter yester-
day that Merritt was not expected TO stay
up ali night in order TO do THIS. SO that,
as rule. from midnight 10 early dawn
the track in the vicinity OF PelbamVllle Is
unguarded. At a few minutes before
yesterday morning the New \ ork express
which LEFT Boston at 1880 O'Clock on sat
urday night, running 40 miles an hour,
turned the curve just south Of New R0-
chelle and tore along near Pelhamyille,
with Engineer Riley Phillips 10 charge 81
one Of the roads most powerful engines.
Fireman Eugene Blake was beside him.
The train consisted of a baggage car, mail
car, smoker, the Mann bOudOir car Martha,
1.-The Boston aud Albany sieepers 2l3 and pa
land passenger car $50 Of the New YORK
and New Ravens rolling stock. The cars
were well filled with passengers return
6ng from their Christmas holidays in
New England. AS the engine Numbered
up to Pelhamville station, Engineer Phil
dips saw in the glare Of the headlight
dong dark object. which lay on the track
fnst few feet beyond the station. Shout
iug 10 Fireman Blake Hold on for your
flife!" Phillips spTang for the air brake,
fbut at taat instant the engine plunged in
no the obstruction. it seemed to stagger
s1or second, rose, and then jumped the
track. carrying With it the mail car.
Phillips and Blake stood at their posts.
The engines big driving-Wheels cut great
burrows toward the sixty-feet en-
hankment on the right Of the track, and
6n moment OF time the big locomotive
plunged over II 10 the bottom, turning
over once in its descent. BOtn men went
down with IL. The mail car, 90 feet long,
was driven q few feet beyond and flung
down the embankment like a dry goods
hex. The smoker remained on the track.
Tae hind wheels OF the b0udOiT car left
Tax track. and cars 2l3 ard 2l4 we're
forced CT entirely. dangerously near 10
'rne verge oi the embankment. Car loo,
TIE last On the train. tipped over on its
SIDE and rested against 3 big telegraph
V3le, which prevented Il going down the
EEhsnkDeuf.
TIE shrieks Of the ladies in the sleepers
ard tae shouts Of the men as they smash
- tie windows and glass doors in their
eGarss 20 ret out Of the cars were beard
through the fierce blast which swept The
plains Of Pelhamvilie At the time Of the
accident. Many OF the passengers were
81 their night clothes, and others were
hatless and c0atless and without their
shoes. Jewelry and baggage were for
gotten in the rush to get out Of the cars.
The lights in the sleepers went out as
they rocked on the verge of the embank-
meat, but the patent CRATES in the
furnaces saved the cars from
taking FIRE. Station keeper Merritt
and the nearby villagers hurried
10 the scene OF the accident, and Stephen
Thayer. in charge ofOne Of the sleepers,
grasped his red lantern and ran back a
mile and halt to the curve, just above
New Rochelle, just in time to stop the
Adams Express train, and also the Shore
Line train which was just behind the
Adams Express. The passengers Of the
wrecked train were huddled in the little
depot at Pelhamville, where they suffered
severely from the cold. The villagers
handed around hot coffee to them until
they were transferred, after recovering
almost all Of their clothing, TO the Adams
Express and Shore Line trains, which had
been switched on to the up track. They
arrived here two hours later.
Engineer Phillips was taken from I'M
der the cab Of his engine severely bruised
about the head and body, and was sent to
Als home in New haven on the $3.50 p. m.
express for Boston. His escape from in
slant death was almost miraculous.
Blake, the fireman, was found underneath
Phillips, and when taken out he was I'M
conscious. AS he was being carried up
the em0ankment to the depot he opened
his eyes and said:
s'HOW's Phillips? Is he hurtYo
He was laid on the floor of the depot,
and DR.. Carlisle, of Mount Vernon. did
what he could for him, but Blake relapsed
into comatose state. and lived only 50
minutes. just before he died he aroused
himself and called for his young wife, to
whom be was married only six months
ago. Blake was 81 years old. His ONLY
brother was killed in factory in this city
several years ago. He was crushed about
the hips and chest. His mother was
at church in this city when she
was informed OF the accident,
and she was taken TO Pelhamyille in a
special car. She did not know her son
was dead until she saw the body in Mr..
McGalliard's house. VIM. +. Hart and
Shas. 7. Turner, clerks in the postal car,
were dragged out OF the car severely
bruised about the body. They will be ali
right in a day or two. A number of the
passengers were bruised and many were
cut BY the glass in their efforts TO get out
OF the windows. Conductor Holcomb, in
charge OF the wrecked train, received
painful bruises, as did Conductor Crane.
in charge OF the sleeping car division.
Late sunday night the track had been
cleared. The engine and postal car were
totally wrecked, but the car was not
burned.
1t was found after the accident that the
platform of the Pelhamville station had
been blown by the fierce wind across the
track after Station Agent Merritt had re.
tired for the night. The platform was
forty feet long and ten feet wide. and
was Of l13-inch plankiDg. IL acted like 8
battering ram on the engine. It was LAID
several years ago, and was considered il
sound condition by the company. Hardly
enough OF IL remained after the engine
struck il 10 make a kitchen fire
Engineer Franklin OF the Adams Express
train, which left New Haven at :3l
yesterday morning, said that when he wa
stopped by Thayer a hurricane was blow
ing across the track. He estimated it,
speed at fifty miles an hour. The mails
and baggage of the wrecked train wer,
transferred late in the afternoon anC
brought 10 this city. The officials Of the
company say that all articles lost by the
passengers in their rush from the carr
will be returned to them il found, and, il
not. the owners will be reimbursed.
There was a story circulated last nigh
10 the effect that the platform bad beer
placed on the track by discharged EN-
ployes OF the road, who took this manner
Of retaliation. This report was partially
49, 49, % H.