Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-12-26


prison between freight train and
The Croton local train. The first
accident blocked the road with trains
on both sides Of the tunnel. The
weather was thick, rendering IL
difficult running trains with any
degree Of safety. The locomotive OF
one express train crashed into the
rear Of the sleeper Of the other train
aud several cars, mostly sleepers,
were telescoped. The rear Wagner
car of the Niagara express was teles-
COPIED. All the injured were in that
car. Seven persons In all were killed,
as follows; A. NJ. Knight, conductor
on the Wagner car; A. M. Baldwin,
New York; Thos. w. rolley. Boston;
four others not identified. There
were eighteen passengers in the rear
coach of the Niagara express; only
three of these escaped uniDJured.
LATER ACCOUNT.
New YORK, Dec. 26.-The almost
criminal delay in sending out a
wrecking party to clear the track
after the first collision between the
Croton local and the freight, first
conducted to the tragedy. In the
first collision no one was killed, but
several passengers were badly
bruised. For three hours the main
tracks were filled with debris with
out any intelligent attempt at clear
ing them. A brakeman was ordered
to 90 back with signal light. He
was told to go at least one hundred.
The man, when he reached there,
considered the distance too short In
which to allow the express for the
west to stop. He went along further
some one hundred feet up to where
the switchman's hut stood. There
the switchman and brakeman met.
ut was Christmas eve." There
was bottle of whisky in the hut,
and then they pledged their health
} and pledged away, and all unmind-
, full of their charges. They fingered
over the bottle. 1t was only a
minute or two at the mos', but not
more than one mile away II irain
was coming with lightning speed.
The half finished drink WAS thrown
down, and the brakeman rushed
frantically out, hut the train seemed
: only phantom of death. Swiftly
it passed him. He halloed, but
only the sound of the rushing wine
l. answered him as the train flew on
y Death was riding in the cab, an(
a the brakeman and his friend th'
!. switehinan sat down, palsied at th'
g inevitable disaster their carelessnes'
e had so largely contributed.
y ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
NEW YORK, Dec. 26.-The acci
dent on the New York Central rail
: way Christmas eve at Hastings hai
: proved much greater than appeared
IN
from the reports received last night
The official list OF the dead IA give,
:. out last night numbers eleven peo
pie. The accident was due to th
!, carelessuess of brakeman, Alber
F. Herrick, of the Buffalo express
:. Herrick has fled aud has not becI
. found. He left his uniform on tn
= train and put on citizens clothes.
From the official report given out
:, train No. 8 stopped at Dobh's Ferr
y y, to make some slight repair on tn
- engine. A distant signal wa
thrown. The Buffalo and Niagar
:, Falls special, leaving here at p. m
y stopped about three-quarters of
"a mile south of Dobb's Ferry station
= The conductor sent Brakeman HeI
10 rick back to signal the coming train
. He proceeded as far as the station a
- Hastings. He went inside an
- talked with the station master, val
:, ing for the Cincinnati and st. Loui
express No. 7, which left thus city a
s o'clock. While Herrick was stand
ing near the door, the ST. Lou
- express whizzsd past at the rate
80 forty miles an hour Engineer Dor
~ ohue, of the express, received n
10 warning of the presence of the Blu
10 falo express ON the track alb cad unit
i.' he was almost on the train. II
40 reversed the engine, put on the a
70 brake, and jumped. The engine
u No. crashed into the~ rear of Il
~ sleeper Gibraltar, of the Buffa
u special, with terrific force. Thel
were twenty-five people in the O.
at the time,
he The ballast of the New York Gen
Il. trail is of stone, here and there b
et tween the tracks are great blotch,
ay of blood, dried aud dried and clotte'
'al two aud three feet In diameter. III
zee sight is slckening, All else that r
'ls mains today TO tell the story of Il
a Wagner sleeping car Gibraltar. Tn
he Is still lying smouldering mass
re the side of the track where the di-a
ed ter occurred. The rest of the car WI
m burned up. When the st. Louis e
ON press crashed into the sleeping ca
ar. the engine was completely lost
ar the interior of the car. The heav
on woodwork aud iron of the Glbralti
las was burned up. The hiss Of escapir
ng steam aud the cries aud groans
the wounded aud dying passenge
could be heard long distance.