New-York tribune., 1885-02-22
WRECK ON THE WEST SHORE.
TWO MEN KILLED AND FIVE INJURED.
THE LOSS SAID TO EXCEED 800, ,O0O-A CRASH
THAT STARTLED THE INHABITANTS
PILL

ihE A1ooo SAlD TO EXCEED $lOO,OUU-A CRASH
THAT STARTLED THE INHABITANTS.
fBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUSE.i
CANAJoHARIE. Feb. 21.-A fearful crash early
this morning IN the vicinity Of East Main-st. was
taken by many for an earthquake, and others
believed that the day of Judgment had come. 1t
seems that yesterday afternoon two freight trains
on the West shore Railroad were ordered not to
pass tails village. There is a scarcity of sidings
here and four of the worst curves on the entire
line OF the road. The pickup was drawn by engine
No. l22 and was worked from one main track to the
other 10 allow passenger trains to pass. At
a. m. TINS tram was ordered to stand on the
east track and In running on the engine lay just
around tile lower corner a short distance east OF
the station. The engineer was Lewis Zimmerman,
ana the hrcman's name was MilrOy. A freight train
bound west, in the night became snOw-bOund be-
tween here and FultOnvillc The tran-dispatchers
teegraphcd to Conductor Harvie, of train No. 81,
due here at l1:57 to take the down track at Full
tonville to Canajohare. The passenger train had
three engines and No. 135 was first 1t engI-
neered by Andrew Shrer and fired by Grover
Fenny; the second engine, No. II, was engineered
by George Wilkinson and was fired by James
OBren, both of Frankfort, and the third was engi-
necred by Thomas Finch and fired by Edward
Stages.
did not observe the stationary freight until within
short distance of it. crash then came which
was terrific Shirer and Fenny tried to escape
but were both killed. Their heads pro-
lruded from under the wreck showing that they
had tried to jump ont. They were horribly man
gled. The second engine on the passenger train
was stripped OF IT'S important parts aud wheels.
ana Engineer Wilkinson and Fireman OBrien, OF
this engine stuck To their posts and the engine
was raised so much that they slid out, the former
IN N nppI q hpg
TheenrineeI ami fireman of the third engine escaped
with only slight bruises. The engineer and fire
80 when the crash came. Zimmerman is severely
injured about the back and his fireman was slightly
injured The baggagenen were badly shaken up,
hut neither of them were hurt. There were thirty
passrn gers on the train. who laid here till $40
a. m, and then went West on the Canaoharie local
train None of them were injured,
The railway officials say that this Is the worst
wreck since the one At Dieicndorf llil on October,
!, 1883. when the load was opened, and say that
the loss sustained will be- al least SlOO,O 900.
Mr.. sinner. the dead engineer had a wife and
two children lie was one of the best engineers
on the road. Grover Penny, the dead fireman,
lived al Deposit, where he had a wife, The blame
lies between the laguan of he freight train and
the dispatcher, who ordered the passenger tram to
change at FultOnyille TO the cast-bOund track aud
proceed 10 Cauaoharic.
General Manager Laying said yesterday that thcfreight
train standing the main track NJ the Canaloharie
station and that the disa,ter would have been much
more rrI!Ouh VI Tue ldSscuEti l"t "''H
ing approaching the station. The passenger train
draw by three engines and the principal damage
Wa their tenders Tho passengers were only slightly
disturbed and none slilctci injury. Those on the sleep
INK resumed their journey within au hour of the
while those On the ordinary coaches waited
ior She we-t- bound train The damage 10 the
Tcigh, train grcAter four cars being broken IN
addition the wreck -! the engine. The engineer nnd
afrmnn who were killed belonged to the freight train
tack cleared In about an hour but the second
one had not been repaired yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Lang said that he had not been informed MS "a
the responsibility for the accident.