New-York tribune., 1885-10-20
-1cuT BODIES IN THE WRECK
WORK OF THE TRIPLE COLLISION

- a. the break of day yes'cIu"y .,o,ois p,cks. and
~ no hundred men bnSy Win oonn,ond of
cast Oi' liking under the sharp % - ana 49,, ,,,is
rOwbarS WV .h ,vreckng gang digging lh'o 'e U0'l
he foielh" v ires re sutins from the horrl1'o Az
II ears anu 'o na1 at Meadows" station On 'no ~
lent 'i'a' ,.,aa ',a on Sunday uight "hcro " .,
W''"N'' r,, AMI many people ii0ui'u osca ,l,at
Ives WV -, over the wires from '"o N''- -, an
sOrd "'s cre clear and open 10 tr"ln9 ,hicS ia
he tracks ~, IN this time the freight traeA
schedule tipe' " ,bo uassenger track had Deeh u9o"
abOut 200 leo' al trains. Meadows Is s'H'io1 ~
FOR the Pass'e ~ abont three miles from jersey -
without for the convenience OF inc Woi
aud was r tl,e handling OF coai IN .o 0"9
WAo @'o . nont and for the wore o,on, one
shutcs "' ."'o rand The accident occu'iou 'u,
VINO" tot from large treS'o 1it,,. into the
nuND.N n.,,a ,racks so that co can p0 -" ,rocL
over 'no ,o,uo,iyc, standing on tie naiu .'"o' ~
tenders Of tho mid Of large headlight and count
\ All Dish' - 80 ,be yyorkmen mad been busy reho'"S
less sin" 'r' '" ana fragments OF cars lheio "o'0
hea'! ". Il, rho wreck an emlgrant car caooo'U
pAed 'Os' ~ pullman Car Elmira, and t"e lsh'sn '".oy
- - 1od 1oromp ptive aud tehder' ANo -, or
ham r locomotive and tehuer -. -
ah" ~ i,e of the track, about tWeh'y '00V ,
Inv Inv ,, a, the rails where they mac oren i,ars
the "'. ,o colli.iou As tue pieces OF broken u"i'o
force OF t ora were removed lights were flasheu
ana ''e s,,,,e that an cared III the anxious sc"'
lh'o W, 80 n,,es as there were undoubtedly 'noIo P
W. "' .he eraigr Mt train than had oeen lo0o' =. 49,
ro srst wreckins train arrived az ''o ,, ato,t
- after the collision But IL WAS io' - 49,, ,o,
~" no, ali the pieces OF cars ahu 'iihooi "''"
a,d " w and the liieless locomotive ghiS "po" ~, ,
- bad been exposed to plain Wow 'n"' "ny
IN inc o-o tound Then, as a workman raised
ssis u :, canvas two small feet were dlscONerc"
a'"'' a,i f-on, n mass of dirt and clndeFs eo9o .!
l,.her of the locomotive. Busy hahus soo" ~,
nv nv - osrth and cinders away and the hansio ~
- hov about eight years old was TAKEN o"' O,',,.
@ ivy On tho marsh the body Of another boy aoou'
l'e ~a.s o,l was found lying upon his sue anu
nod b.vond recognition. They were Summary uiS'
-, lark clotpiug and had nothing III 'nci' Po0
49, ,,orrard another workman removed part oi
,aorv coat near the steam chesl Vi '"o '-e
,ors white hand was exposed ZOO l.,
o,oud hy this time had grown to ABOUT LOW ~
-, and we're packed in circle 'arouhu INC 0us9
.oD Seeing that discovery hau Oceii NAV" ~
slo ,ushot against each ether ana III 'n0 ~
tni,,on of the wreck and splinters on INC s'"p''e
',n,eot beca,ne dislndge1 and statlcu uo"" ~
liz II WAS only the quicKness OF lhe "oin 9,,o
. out Of the way, that prevented add'lohai Io97
D ~ a. s ,,e rorton of the womans body hat h'u o'oN
mnco,cred was.competey hidden from we" D! .uio
,n. mass and had to be dug out again Al'0' h'l
-, - ovuosed 10 the waist, one OF the "orA'nor
,o1 ,t bv the shoulders and gave geh'lo up""',
~ hou IN his horror he fell back Nard WIN 'ho ''r
~ o,,or N his hands Tho legs had been oonnov''u
Nth the t,dy by thread OF fiesh ana "eio N04.
,asr a p,ece of the broken engine. 4he1 "o'0 en-
ON, attcrward These bodies wer5 placed Oh " 'rOO''
49,, Tod IN waiting upon the track ana sent 10 'etHoy
City. where these taken to spcer nl'i "D''
beside their comp anions OF the eInlgrall' car ~,
A. g n m. lie teuder had been overturned oy 'N0
..,.~s ond 10 bodies found. Soon afterward inc loi
80, ~ the locomotive raised ir0rl It's Huu Deu
&c inches and head that was crushed OUT OF al s"P
81 r,a,rled leg were taken from beEealh IT, 'no'o
,ors not believed to belong to body W'"cH IVi'n'
,Aer the locomotive but were supposed ~ oc an "
onc ~ the bodies in the morgue The DAY gang VI Oo
crs were relieved at this time ana liePai""o-''
do for carving on the work Of raising the locomotive
1nrnr the night All the bodies that were louuu "'''
haleved 10 be those Of engrants both from their
~ ard The fact that there rO passengers rcporIe"
.,g from the Lehigh Valley train or the f@oiLc hN
ss lotb Of which struck the emiGrant tralh'
the dav force of special police were "
peunsylyaIia Railroad Ohcias anu s''''n-" "
vr,ck to keep the crowd back aud the TRACKS o'c" Va
-, ,ro we're in danger Of being killed by the passing
,in The news Of the collision having spreau lar anu
vtdo a. every train passed the wreck heads Were
,cb1 ouf OF the car windows and the patlorn's "cro
- ,1 with ncope 10 get look at the scene u horror
nuular OF poor people took advantage OF the ca!al'
ana stocked their sheds with spnters anu "oou eNo"-
IN last many OF them through the winter. ,
Ao coon as the confusion that filed the main once VI
tho PENNSYLVANIA Company IN Jersey Cl'y suO''''''
suo.rintsuleut Joseph Crawford summoned an 'Ho
hon1. b rere upniured before him and directed lna'
H".4V l., ,,,r, to the collision be submitted 10 him
w go os rossille From the facts thus ol tanned u Was
ovtlo., MAJ the engineers OF the Pacific Express gong
west and ~ the Ielgh Valley train coming e'st "oIc
shown the white light at the Marion pocA hou'C ','
the t{ock house near the Iackensack RIVER VINO" i
eatei that the emigrant train had passed 'hl7 po' anu
that ths track was clear. When the cihiHrah' H'''l
,sel thc Marion block house red signal was hung out
as a sign 10 the Pacific Express 10 stop' DoIo'o ~
eeved the message O. X" from the signal station near
,n rroc, pivor the operator in the Marion station
tock bonse took down the red signal ard sho"cd inc
ub,e LIGHT TO the Pacific Express, which was the sign
that al was tight AID to come aheau hI'ho"si III" ~
graft tram was in the way on the same Uack' I1o'"S
np this information superintendent Cra"Io'r o""
sultel with Cnies Of Police Murphy and Inspector Lgc
was directed u make a coDplaihI oi Hi"uSi"u5l'- w.
AGAINST Thomas L. Pratt age twenIy-siX, of NO 3-S
p,,ls, Jersey CITY the night operator in the Marion
block house He was arrested by Officer McNaiy' VINO
was de,asA To remain with him in the block house until
he WIS relieved at a. m, yesterday, When he WAS re-
moved 10 Police Headquarters, jersey Clty Inspector
Lanse took charge OF tue prisoner at the block house.
and n his way Jersey City he begged 10 he ao"eu 70
visit his wItc and children before he was tKeu 10 plSo
reru sion being obtained by the Inspector Pratt was
might az her husband and she fell dead at his ioet,
while his two small children burst into tears, and Ids in-
FAINT child crowed contentedly In cradle Pratt was
completely bIokon down and wep bitterly While his Vile
was being restored 10 consciousness.
At IL a. ~, Pratt was taken before Justice Wanser in
The police court Norman L. Rowe appeared his coun-
sci ard waived examination. lie was held 10 await the
action of the Coruners ry. Pratt made the following
abatement 10 Inspector Lange: Will tell the truth.
,,aan mistake showed the white light when should
have showed the red. under the impression that
e e.grant train was all right and confident that
doing my duty. The emgrant train passed Inc at sli
and the Western Express at e:2i."
lie was asked by a TRIBUNE reporter was there AM
one with YOU in the Hook house at the time OF he acc
ddfr
.sYes he answered. There a trackinan there
taking with him and presume that my attention
drawn away from my business Upon table II
frOnt OF inc was a taey card which contained TIT
records OF the trains that had passed looked at th
card after had given the emigrant train longer thar