The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-09-28
A CRASH AT NIGHT.
Terrible Accident on the New
York Central.
SEVERAL PASSENGERS KILLED
An Engine Comes Around \ Curve. Tale
sc"sinE the Crowded Rear sleeper
Of . Standing Train.

Louis express No. 5. which left Albany At
- ociock last night. met with . Rad seci-
cens TWO miles east of here about mid
hlgft- The first section broke down and
stopped for repairs The rear brakeman
Was sent hack 10 signal the second section,
directly IN front of him. The first section
was made up or baggage. mail, express
asa hree passenger cars. packed with
Pecnae. aud Wagner sleeper on the end.
The crash was terrific The second sec
uoa teiescored the frs. section, knocking
oas the lights and rlunging every thing into
darkness.
tp TO this hour. ? a. m, four bodies have
been taken ont of the sleeper. and ii is
feared the total number OF deaths viii run
UP 10 twenty-five. and possibly more, as
the car was full. II is difficult to get par
ticclars at this hour
ALBANY, SEPT. 3s. 3 a. m.-Aushentic in
formation received here SAYS four persons
were Killed IN the accident ~ Paaatine
bridge. three men and one wofaan. Engi-
neer Horih. of Albany. had both legs
broken. The superintendent has issued
orders that the injured be conveyed TO
hotels ard taken care Of
The Wounded engineer, Hofsh was
Drought here on \ late train al % this
morning He claims he did NOS see any
signal which should have been made by the
rear brakeman OF the first sesaion and
on going around the curve discovered the
rear lights of the first section when
he was almost on to il. He reversed and
applied the air, but the brakes did not
respond promptly. Horth is in critical
condition. The train which brought him
here did not stop for any particulars at the
scene of the wreck.
NEW York, SEPT. oS.-A correspondent
OF the Times, who was on tine wrecked ex-
press train, says that when the crash came
he was asleep in the coach mex. ahead of
the sleeper, in the first section. The car
was crowded with passengers. The wreck
could not have occurred in q more un-
favorable place. and everything except the
coaches was in pitch darkness. For
while the people were too dszed to do any
thing.
The engineer of the second section. VIM.
Horth, when seen was suffering great pain
and could talk but little. The train men
were mute, as usual, under such circum-
stances. The engine of the second section
was wrecked beyond redemption. The
root OF the express car Immediately
behind had sprung through the cab and
thrown the engineer to the ground. The
fireman made his escape by jumping. Be-
yond this the second section was not dam
aged, the heavy vestibule sieepers protect
ing it from telescoping.
The heavy sleepers on the first section
sustained the shock of the collision and
saved the three passenger coaches in front,
filled with men, women and children,
from destruction. There was not . doctor
on board, and it was very difficult 70 get re-
storatives for the injured.
1t was not until a large bonfire was
built on The north side of the track that
realizing sense of the disaster was obtained.
Already six wounded passengers, including
one lady, have been taken out of the Wag-
ner sleeping car. Axes and saws were pro-
cured and willing hands set to work to cut
away the sides of the telescoped cars.
How many, if any. are left in them at
this writing it is impossible to tell. When
the correspondent left the scene they had
not made much progress. The correspon-
dent tried in vain before leaving to find the
rear brakeman of the first section.
He is the most important person
now, for it was his duty to run back at least
600 yards the moment the train stopped.
There is discrepancy as to the length of
time the first section was standing at Pala-
tine while the engineer was making repairs,
some claiming scarcely moment elapsed
before the crash, and others that they we're
standing fully FIVE minutes.
The correspondent and a passenger
walked two miles 10 Palatine village and
aroused surgeons, who were hurried to the
front as quickly as possible. Assistance
was also telesraphed for from other points.
The latest report, that four bodies have
been taken from the wreck. is all the au-
thentic news now ob,ainahie. 1t is feared
the list of dead will reach much higher.