Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-28
A SCORE OF DEAD.
Frightful Collision on a New
York Railway.
A WAGNER SLEEPER TELEsOopED.

The Signal Man Fails to DO His Duty
Very Meager Particulars at Hand. but
Four Dead and Six Wounded Taken
from the Wreck-An Estimate That the
Injured VIII Number 600 and the
Dead at Least Twenty-Other Fatal Ac-
cidents-
PALATINR BRIDGE, n. V, Sept % The
St Louis express No. 5 which left Albany at
10 o'clock last night, met with a bad accident
about two miles east Of here about midnight
The first section broke down and stopped for
repairs. The rear brakeman was sent back
to signal the second section, but for some
unknown reason failed to perform his duty.
The engineer of the second section says he
lid not see him and the first thing he saw
was the lights of the first section directly in
ais front The first section was made up Of
baggage, mail express and and three pas
senger cars, packed with people, and Wag-
ner sleeper, on the end The crash was
terrible. The second section telescoped into
the first section, knocking out the lights and
plunging everything into darkness
Four Bodies Recovered.
Up to a m four bodies had been taken
out Of the sleeper and six wounded, and it was
feared the total number of deaths would run
up to twenty five and possibly more, as the
>ar was full Ii is difficult to get part leu
srs
Engineer Worth, of the second section
vas 50 badly injured that he was not expected
% survive the night He resides IN Al
oany.
Twenty Killed, Two Hundred Wounded.
LATER 1t is known that many other peo-
have Ierished, aud the total number of
deaths is placed this morning at not less
than twenty. As the sleeping car was crowd
ed with passengers, however fears are en-
tertained that the death list may far exceed
that number. Nearly everybo on both
trains vas more or los hurt, and the mum
Der of those seriously injured will almost
certainly reach 300.
After tho Terrific Crash.
As a result Of the terrific crash the second
section telescoped the first, knocking out all
the lights on both trains and plunging both
into complete darkness. In the inky dark
ness thus suddenly proiuced the horror
stricken passengers wEo escaped with their
lives raised terrible screams ami cries
for help, many of them being pinned
down and held on the floor OF
the various wrecked cars As soon as those
who escaped unhurt were able to collect
themselves they FASTENED TO render what as
sistance they could, but In the black dark
ness which prevailed they were unable to
direct their efforts to the best advantage.
The result is believed to have been that sew.
eral people in the sleeper persisted for lack OF
timely assistance
Bad Place for an Accident
The wreck could not have occurred in a
more unfavorable place On the left in the
pitchy darkness and fifty feet below. was the
roaring Mohawk Not light could be seen
except those in the coaches TIE lights in
the streets had all been extinguished One
half of the Passengers were awakened from
a sound sleep to find themselves wrapped in
gloom For awhile the people were too
dazei to do anything The trainmen were
mute and reserved, as usual under such cir.
cumstanceS 1t is impossible at this writing
to give names or actual number Of victims.
Sending Forward the Doctors
The first news to Palatine Bridge was
brought by I. H Coleman, of HornellsyilIe
who covered the two miles over the railway
ties in less than half an hour The village
was asleep, but Mr.. Coleman, BY the assist
ance OF an officer, went from house TO house
awakening surgeons, who were hurried 70
the front a. rapidly as vehicles could take
them All trains east and west, freight and
passenger, were held at Palatine Within
halt an hour every doctor had gone forward
and assistance had been telegraphei for from
Fonda and Little Falls
Worse Disaster Averted.
Ii was just by miracle that the disaster
was not rendered tenfold more terrible
Within five minutes after the crash the
ment express came tearing along on the
fourth track at the rate of thirty miles an
hour. 1t was stopped just in time, else it
would have dashed into the debris of the
wreck