New-York tribune., 1891-12-25
BAD WRECK ON THE CENTRAL
SEVEN KNOWN TO BE KILLED.
IHE RAILROAD BLOCKED BY A FORMER AC'
CIDENT.


CIDENT.
MANY MORE INJURED-THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED
AT s:45 P. NJ, NEAR DoBBs FERRY-THE
ST LOUIS EXPRESS RAN INTO THE
REAR OF THE NIAGARA EXPRESS.
shocking collision occurred last night on the
Hudson River Railroad between the st. Louis ex-
press and the Niagara Falls special, and several
people were killed. The accident, which took
place near Dobbs Ferry, was directly the outcome
of a collision which occurred earlier In the
evening in the tunnel at Sing Sing prison between
freight train and a Croton local train. The
inst accident blocked the road with trains on both
sides Of the tunnel. After two hours of hard work
on the part Of wreckers the tracks were not yet
clear and aeong line of trains extended both north
and south.
The Niagara Falls and Buffalo special express
left the Grand Central Station at Z: 80 O'Clock
last night II reached Dobbs Ferry and was there
stopped by the blockade which extended south
from Sing Sing The train was made up largely
of sleeping-cars At o'clock the ST. Louis eX-
press left the Grand Central Station. The night
was foggy and signal lights were not distinct
ly seem The engineer of the ST. Louis
IN
TO see the express train standing on the
tracks ahead of him. The st. Louis
train was going at good rate of speed
and it crashed into the standing train
with terrific force. The rear cars on the Niagara
Falls train were sleepers. These were telescoped
and the locomotive of the ST. Louis train ploughed
its way into the rear sleeper.
The sleepers were filed with people, and the
scene that followed was indescribable. To add
to the horror of the situation the boiler of the
locomotive exploded hurling pieces of iron, water
and steam upon the passengers. Several people
were killed almost instantly. Others were fatally
injured. some were mangled, and many had more
or less serious injuries. The number Of the killed
was said to be seven.
DEAD AND INJURED.
The identified dead are
KNIGHT A. NJ, conductor OF the wagner sieepm'
BALDWIN. Mrs: A. NJ, Sey.York.
TOLLEY THOMAS W., Boston.
Some of the injured were:
REST. DIR. stephen e., No. 244 Lenox ave., New-York
Seriously injured.
BALDWIN, Homer, No. II East Eighty fifth ST.. New
York.
BALDWIN Mrs. ii. II.
BALDWIN, Miss Lillian
MURPHY. T. b., No. 81 Chambers-st New-York.
FORD Mrs. ID. c., New-York.
FORD, Mrs. f. NJ, Ncw-fork.
WHITE j. NJ. porter of rear car Of Niagara express,
fatally injured.
Passengers in the forward cars of the Niagara
train and in the rear cars of the st. Louis train
when they recovered from the shock OF the
collision came terror stricken out OF the
ears. They ran about in frantic fashion, and
many of them pecred into the crushed cars anu
listened to the sroans of the injured. Trainmen
feared that there would be another collision be-
tween the trains which were coming up from the
Grand Central Station. and brakemen were sent
back with red lights to signal the trains.
the leading physicians, accompanied by Coroner
Mitchell went TO the scene OF the disaster. Inc
dead and injured were taken to lonkers on a
sp,cial train Coroner Mitchell looked after the
dead. and the police sent their ambulances and
patrol wagons to the station to remove the
injured TO the different hospitals in lonkers and
its vicinity
Detective Gore did good service in assisting to
rescue the injured and to take out the bodies OF
the killed from the wreck Some of those who
were removed to the hospital it was thought would
die
w. w. Goodrich, the well-known admiralty
LAWYER of this city, accompanied by Mrs. Good
rich was aboard one OF the trains, put neither
he nor Mrs. Goodrich was injured.
second. occurred near Sing Sing. This accident
baopcned in the north arch of the tunnel opposite
tho rrison and about 200 yards south from the
Sing Sing station. The Croton local train, south
hound. and leaving Sing Sing at 6 rs, was going
through the tunnel opposite the prison when a
freight train backed down toward the tunnel from
Scarboro. Murphy, the engineer OF the freight
train heard the local coming and reversed his
engine 80 suddenly that it snapped one of the
counlinrs in the middle of the train. The freight
then became disconnected, and the forward por-
tion of the train came to a standstlll, while the
rear cars continued 10 move toward the tunnel
Ellis. the engineer of the Croton train saw the
freight cars and quickly reversed his engine, put
he was unable to avoid collision. The locomotive
Of the Croton train crashed into the rear of the
disconnected freight train. This car was loaded
with soft coal and was upset and the coal scattered
in every direction In the freight train were
eighty oil cars The tanks of one of these was
punetured by the force of the collision and the
oil ran out over the track. Fortunately there
WIS no way for the oil to catch fire.
When the crash came the passengers In the
Croton train were thrown from their seats
and were badly frightened. Some were
severely bruised, bat no one was re-
ported as having received injuries of any con-
sequence The locomotive Of tn Croton train
was damaged and became wedged into the wreck
of the freight train. The road was completely
blocked A wrecling train soon arrived at the
scene and a large force OF men was put to work
TO clear away the wreck. This was no easy task.
II was found that before the track could be cleared
tbe heavy locomotive would have to be taken
apart This work advanced slowly and in the
meantime trains going north and south were stalled
ON either side of the tunnel.
H. Walter Webb, the third vicc-president of
the road, received notice OF the
accident almost as soon as 1t
Happened and went at once to the Grand Central
Station and took charge of the measures for the
succor of the passengers Of the ill-fatcd Niagara
Express.
AIr Wchla ,,.as able q nive this information con-