New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-20
-HE WRECK ON THE NEW-YoRK CENTRAL.

A WORK TRAIN WAS CARRYING LABoRERs AND
GIANT POWDER TOWARD TARRYTowN-THE
EXPLOSION HURLED THEM HIGH INTO
THE AIR AND INTO THE RIVER
THE SHOOK FELT FOR MILES
WORK OF RECOVERING
THE BODIES.
A fat car loaded with dynamite and drawn by
a construction engine was blown to atoms shortly
before noon yesterday. at a place about one and
| a quarter miles south of Tarrytown. on the New
York Central and Hudson River Railroad. gang
of worlymen. chiefly Italians were on the car and
Of the number thirteen were killed.
ten were injured and five are miss
ing. II is thought that the bodies
of the latter were thrown into the river Efforts
have been made to recover them, but thus far
unsuccessfully The bodies of several of the dead
Italians have neither been claimed nor identified.
Some of the injured of the same nativity have
been recognized. Three of the wounded were
taken to local hospital at Tarrytown, the rest
were brought to Bellevue Hospital in this city,
where they are being properly cared for
Had the explosion occurred while heavily
loaded passenger train was passing the work-train
the loss OF life might have been still more ap-
paling No trustworthy information is yet obtain
able as TO the direct cause of the explosion. The
most intelligent theory advanced, however, is to
the effect that Illuminating caps were carelessy
loaded with the dynamite cartridges, and that in
some inexplcabe way one or more of these caps
was ignited, causing the explosion. Coroner
Mitchell of Yonkers, has empannelled jury and
on inquest will be held as soon as the necessary
testimony is available
A portion Of the track was torn up and trafio
on the road was temporarily suspended. No dam
age resulted to surrounding property beyond tne
breaking of few panes of glass, though the report
of the explosion was heard many miles from the
scene on both sides of the river.
Following is list of the dead and wounded, SO
| far as their names could be learned:
KILLED
JOHN MCCARTHY, tImeke'p'r. twenty-five years 'n
FRANK NORRIS. waterbOy. eighteen, Tarrytown
JOHN SMITH, brakeman. thirtytwO. Sing Sing, blown
into the river
LUCINo RAINIERIE laborer
RAFFALLE TAN1CCARLE, laboro.
HITo sCACEITE. laborer.
and badly burned, but not much mutlated
WOUNDED
JOHN OONNoRS, conductor Sing Sing, able TO 90 home
EDWARD FINNEGAN. foreman. badly Injured In heaa'
Greenbush, n. Y, suffering from confusion OF BRAIN
NIKE MCCORMICK, blacksmith thirty, Tarryto"n' SUI
SgT hsas scc1 e. PS9os SS s s s
cut about the head.
EAas Ss5y sas sbSS ss s s
B .SpSda a 1cs Ss
R1S6'sSd sUns w0fnS from oes eas not Expected g i've
sSGsT iSd, ssa cs
iandtave., severe scalp wounds.
X 81 so'sa 5'a S8s
JOSEPH rSofs IsS sSSu Sss tss Ses a: mS
and chest; also internal injhIies
HOW THE TRAIN WAS RUNNING.
The train consisted merely Of an engine, driven
by George Herricx and fat car, in charge Of John
Oonnors. conductor. On the car were twenty-four
cases of Ajax powder, loaded at Ludlows and in
tended for use in blasting away the rock FOR
third track just below the station at Iarrytown.
About thirty men were aboard, mostly Italians,
who were to do the work Besides Connors and the
Italians there were John Smith. the brakeman;
Edward Finnegan, the foreman OF the gang, ana
Frank Morris, The water-boy. At Hogee Point
the road. .malxes a sharp bend and fagman Is
stationed there, where he can watch the track In
both directions Gus" Deerman was on duty
Yesterday morning and was watching the train as
it approached him, when he saw an italian jump
some distance the rebound.
The train kept on its way and passed Deerman,
who ran toward the italian. Before he could
reach him and while the train was scarcely 100
feet away he heard a terrific explosion. Looking
back, he saw the air filled with smoke, dust and
flying debris of all kinds. The powder had In
some way ignted and the car, engine, tender.
passenger, and even the roadbed, were blown sew
eral hundred feet in all directions Deerman, as
soon as he realized what had happened, ran down
the track to flag the Croton local train from New
York, which was nearly due.
HURRYING FROM TARRYTowN.
The fash of the explosion was plainly seen frpn
the station at Tarrytown. about one mile distant,
and Officer Smith, who was on duty there, John
A. Liant, Editor of The Record of the Tines
David Whaen, a brakeman, and hundreds Of
others rushed to the spot They found the road
bed blown out for a distance Of 20 or 25 feet,
rails twisted into all sorts Of shapes, the car
almost completely annhilated. and the bodies of
the victims strewn all about. Some of them had
been thrown into the river, some were piled to-
getner in little heaps and picked up
nearly 400 feet from the scene of the disaster.
People who saw the explosion said that bodies
went fully seventy.fve feet into the air.
When Officer Smith and Whalen. the brake
man, arrived on the scene, they Immediately
began to do what they could to straighten things
out, separate the dead from the wounded, and
get the bodies out of the river. Whaen. brother
in-law of Smith, the brakeman, pulled Smiths
body from the water He found that Smiths
watch had stopped at / rs O'Clock, which would
seem to mark exactly the time of the explosion
Frank Morriss body also taken from the
river. Both were dead.
Hundreds Of willing hands assisted in the work.
Nearly all of Tarrytown was there The summer
home Of John d. Archbold, vice-president of the
Standard Oil Company, is almost opposite the
scene of the wreck The family moved in only
last Friday They drove early to the spot, bring
ing brandy wine and other articles for the relief
Of the injured.