New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-20
A CRASH AT SPU-TEN DUYVIL
NARROW ESCAPE FRoMANOTHER SERIOUS
ACCIDENT HERE.
AN EXPRESS TRAIN sTRIK.s THE LOCOMOTIVE
OF LOCAL" NEARL' wRECKING IT
PASSENGERS BADLY FRIGHTENED
TRAFFIC DELAHD FOR AN
HOUR AND AHALF.
HOUR AND AHALF.

TRAFFIC DELAYED FOR AN
HOUR AND AHALF.
The inexcusable blr,,der O an engineer last nlShV
brought about n crash on the New-forK oeh'i"i
and Hudson River Railroad, a. Spryten puy'ii'
Only by sheer good luck has the puohc oteh
spared a repetition of the erribe disaster OF Cne
same road and near the sme place "hion hi"o
wears ago brought death and misery 10 MANY
families.
Shortly after O'Clock last night passenger
train No. III, drawn by engine G73, ana oilNen
by John Cummings, left he 1hrtleth-st' !aI" VI
the New-York Central Railroad 1or 0p"S oD
Duyvil The train consisted OF TWO cars ANU "'
usual was filled mostly with men empioSeN ~
the company about the yaId. Ihe uainS iN ~
the side of the Hudson River until IL re"oueo
Spuyten Duyvil. There, in order 10 re"oh o"'
station, it crosses by means Of a drs"oIiuEe
tbe inlet known as Spuyten Duyvn creek
The train was due at Spnyten Duyvll at 'So'
The drawbridge was open, ard the tram was ue-
layed lust ten minutes. After passing over TIE
brldoe the local train crosses the tracks uhtl
it reaches the down-track Of the mainline, wmch
runs by the side of the station platform. lhere IL
discharges its passengers, after which IL Is
switched hack on TO the down branch line ior i'6
rstnrn trim 10 New-York The ten minutes delay
at the drawbridge contributed its share 10 tle
accident last night. When Cummings TOOK the
train across the tracks to the Spuyten DuyNll
nlatform the clock pointed to o;4O' or "Itiili'
three minutes of the time at which the Ne"-i oIN
express No. 2, from Buffalo and Albany, would
ybirl mast the station. Right at this point oc-
curred the mistake which brought about The
accident.
The sicnai post for the local trains stands
at the end of the drawbridge, but lor
some unexplained reason the arm OF the
signal. instead of stretching out over the headS
of the engines points in the opposite dlrectloh'
Cummings did not see it last night, or he wOuld
rave taken the silent warning to stop, ana
would have held his train TO let the Albany eA-
,ress pass. What he did see right ahead of him
was the signal on the main track JuSt beyond the
rlatform That signal said come on"
Cummings. under the impression that the signal
was for him crossed the tracks as usual, until his
,rain stood ON the down track of the main line
and then all the passengers got of. He started
his train forward little way up the down
track. according 10 rule, and then when he had
reached the switch began to back his train slowly
across the lines to the local tracks. All the
time the Albany express was numbering
along at full speed every moment lessen
ing the few hundred yards which now
Law between il and the station. Almost at The
entrance to the station there is sharp curve
Trains running 10 New-YoTk con be heard but not
seen by those about the station, and, In fact'
are completely hidden from view until they dash
round the turn and run up to the station platform
Between the platform ard the curve there are
barely hundred feet.
Cummings went on calmly backing his tram
until his engine reached the intersection of the
;tol, ha apOinn NEroc
halfway between the Two tracks when
the express train with slightly reduced speed
whired around the curve, and before
Cummings, bewildered and dazed by the appari-
tiOn had time to realize what had happened
before the in the station could utter CRY,
the great engine of the Albany train had smashed
into the engine of the local train, knocking it
completely off the track. Had Cummings been
two seconds later in backing his engine the Albany
train would have struck il end on and with
the result that both trains would have
been wrecked
When the two locomotives emerged from their
encounter it was seen that the one on the local
train had huge hole in It's boiler that it had
lost one of its wheels, and in fact was almost
ruined. The locomotive Of the express train
lost a cylinder and the cowcatcher was broken
into small pieces.
great that the engineer C.. H. Evans, was unable
10 stop il, ana il past its disabled antagonist
70 the station. Each step OF the nine cars COM
posing the Albany train graZed the local engine
and was carried away.
4 scene of great excitement among the pas
sengers on the express train followed. Ine train
consisted of one baggage car, an express car,
three mail cars a smoker, coach and three parlor
cars all well filed with travellers. The men IN
the train made a wild rush for the
doors The women, too frightened or
too bewldered 10 move, huddled together Ike
frightened sheep and screamed Ior help
Alany of the young women tainted. One young
girl became violently hysterical, and had 10 be
held down by main force: .. ,..
Policeman McCue, of the Thirty-iifth Precinct
who was on duty at the station, rushed Jhfough
the train, trying as best he could TO set the men
M example of coolness and gently re2SSuring the
frightened women. He succeeded so well thaI
within few minutes the passengers had az
quoted down and for the next h0iT ana hlII
patiently waited 20 be taken TO New-loTk, .
The express train, which was due In tins city
at o'clock travelled the rest OF the way with one
cylinder and limped into the Grand Central Station
about 80.
Information of the accident was teegraphed
down TO the Thirticth-st. yard and an engine WIN
gang Of workmen was sent up TO Spuyten DuyNI
Then engine No. 673 taken off the swltch
track and for the next five hours the WorKIhen
tried 10 patch it up sufficiently for it TO be taken
70 New-YOrk
Cummings has been employed by the company
for several years. but had worked on tins p3r-
ticular branch Of the line for only q few months.
He has good reputation with his colleagues
and with the managers of the road, ana that Ne
with all his experience and ability, should nave
made such q blundeF is 70 them entirely mex
phcabe. Tie sympathy felt for him on all sides
Is enhanced by the foct that when he saw the
Alb/y train bearing down upon him he DraVely
stood at the throttle. pYeferring TO face death
father than leave his post.