Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-08-21
FRIGHTFUL COLLISION.
Fatal Accident on the West
Shore Railroad.
Half a Score of Italians Killed
and Many Injured.

The Chicago and ST. Louis limited passen-
ger train on the West Shore Railroad was
wrecked at the Montezuma station, a few
miles west of Port Byron, n. Y, at 2:40
o'clock on a recent morning. Ten Italians
who were in the smoking car were klile1'
and about as many more were wounded.
None of the regular passengers were killed.
but two or three of them were more or less
seriously injured. the passenger engine
and train are a complete wreck.
The Chicago and st. Louis limited leaves
New York at P. N, and passes Syracuse
on its way west at :5S a. NJ IL Is one Oh
the fastest trains on the road. stopping only
at Newark, bet veen Syracuse and Rochester
On this night it consisted OF two express
cars one baggage car. a smoking car, a day
coach and the four Wagner sleepers, Kara
thon, Pocassett, New Foundland and San
tiago, made up in the order named. The
train left Syracuse on time. and was prac-
ticallv on time when the accident occurred,
running at the rate of forty-tive miles an
hour on good track.
Montezuma station is on the eastern border
of the Montezuma swamp, which Is crossed
by causeway built on stone piers. Only To-
cal trains stop at the station. freight
train is due to be side tracked on the Monte
yuma switch at the time this great passenger
train passes that point.
The freight train which caused the acct
dent consisted of forty cars, and was bound
for the West. 1t was to let the flyer" pass
it. by drawing over on the Montezuma side
track, 1t had started to leave the mar
track and was halfway upon the switch
when a coupling broke In the middle of tne
train Realizing that there was no time to
lose the conductor, Thomas Tobin of the
freight train, sent Edward Connolly up the
track with a lantern to check the flyer"
but whether he did not get far enough up
the road or his signal was not seen, is not
A ma nd
the freight was slowly starting. In minute
more it would have been out of the way and
the disaster would not have occurred. The
freight train was in charge OF Thomas Iobln,
conductor, and Thomas w hltcomb, engineer.
The former was on top Of the train and was
thrown violently to the ground by the con-
cussion. Beyond serious injuries caused by
the conductors fall, no one on the freight
train was hurt.
The engine was hurled from the track
down slight embankment, and was fol-
lowed by the cars of the fore part of the
train.
Fire started almost Immediately in the
wreck It caught from the burning Goals OF
the engine, which were scattered in every
direction upon the inf1ammable material OF
which the wrecked cars were constructed.
All the passengers in the sleepers which re-
manned on the track got out safely, but it
was impossible to save all the sleeping cars
from the spreading flames. By the utmost
and pushed back by trainmen out OF reach OF
the fire The other was destroyed. AS soon
as possible help was telegraphed for from
Syracuse. A wrecking train, with coaches
for the dead and wounded, was promptly
sent to the scene of the wreck. 1t carried
corps of physicians and hospital stores for
the comfort and treatment Of the dead and
wounded.
The entire fatality was confined to the Oc- o
cupants of the smoking-car and locomotive.
In the former was a party, consisting OF
twenty-one Italian laborers in charge of an
interpreter Saverio ScoZzavava, who was
taking them from Tompkins Cove to Mag
ara Falls, where they were to be worked on
the new railroad tunnel. Only one member
of this party escaped death or serious in
Jury The fireman, Michael Bergen,
found to have been instantly Killed at his
post on the locomotive, and the engineer,
Patrick Ryan, seriously injured.
The death-list began to be appalling
body after body was removed, until ten
were laid along the tracks in a row. The
injured were twice as many, and their SUPP
plicatiOns for aid were heart-rending. The
dead and injured were all taken from the
cars before the fire reached them.
On board the relief train were put the
bodies of the ten men who were dead, and
the injured were disposed Of comfortably
as the cramped seats OF the day-coaches
would allow When Port Byron was
reached the dead were taken off and laid in
the freight house.