New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-02
THROUGH AN OPEN DRAW.
WRECK OF THE NEWSPAPER TRAIN ON THE
NEWYORK CENTRAL.

4
cARELEssNEss-TIE SECOND FEARFUL
ACCIDENT AT THE NEWMAN
BURG DRAwBMDGE.
| New-Hamburg, " Y: Sept. SpeciaD.-Run-
ming at the rate Of nearly mile minute inc
special mail train No. 81, ran into the open draw
Of the bridge over Wappinger's Creek. near New
Hamburg. on the New-York Central and HUDSON
River Railroad this morning, wreckng the loco
motive, tender and car, killing three persona
| and injurng seven others The locomotive made
| a flying leap over gap OF % feet and landeq
on the other side far as the driving wheels.
| The train consisted of the locomotive, No. 97o,
the United States mail car Governor Gray. ana
two baggage cars used for carrying newspapers.
1t was newspaper train and had also large
quantity Of local mail. 1t left the Grand Cen
| trail Station At 50 a. m, and reached New
Hamburg at about 6 Is a. m. 1t carried no pas
scngers, and one was on board but the mall
clerks and the crew of the train The draw had
been opened to allow the passage Of the steamer
Young America The list of the killed and In
jured il as follows:
BEsT. Edward Germantown. N. Y. fireman, torty.avs
years old leaves a family.
CAIN John H.. Cohoes, N. Y. mail clerk, twentyons
OWEN Peter East Albany, n. Y. engineer, fifty yeafs
old leaves a family.
INJURED.
CUTLER. A. ". NewYorS. mail clerk slightly injured.
DuTT2N .sSsy Rjuad I'd wt Ne"bf'sn'0n j. L. mai 'i''A
| HITCHCOCK. John. brakeman; one finger cut.
HOLLEi, +. b. NewYork. mai clerk slightly injured.
| slight bruises ca face.
TOOMEY, Michael" Rochester. ". Y. head mall clerk.
married two RIBS broken and bruises
zOIN, Louis, Syracuse. NAL clerk: slightly injured
| The train was on time and came in sight Of tho
scmaphore danger signal at about 8: :l5 a. m. Al
| though the signal displayed the engineer dis
regarded it and did not see that the draw Of the
bridge was open until he was within 200 feet OF
the gap. He whistled for down brakes and
started tu reverse the locomotive, but before the
speed could be slackcned the locomotive cleared
the open space and was carried by its momentum
TO the other side far it's driving wheels The
| tender was caught and the Government mail car
| was telescoped
| Peter Owen, the engineer, and Edward Best,
| the fireman. were crushed in the cab Of tho
| locomotive. Their bodies were taken out mutt
| lated and burned beyond recognition. John H
| Cain, a young mail clerk who sorting let
ters in the front end Of the mai! car, crushed
| and his body forced up through the roof
| Of the car One arm was torn OF, his head
was smashed and every bone in his body was
| broken.
| Afchal Tcomey, the head mail clerk, who
was also in the front part OF the car, was badly
| bruised and two Of his ribs were broken Mail
Clerks Zorn, Cutler. Holley and DittOn were
| bruised, and reported themselves to the railroad
company as slightly injured. The other clerks.
j. W. Johnson Of Oneida, N. Y; S. NJ. Potter,
Of West Troy n. Y, and F. w. Decker, Of Paw
ling, n Y, were badly shaken up, but escaped
| injury.
| William Todd, the conductor, and John Hitch
| cock brakeman, were standing in the front
| end Of the first baggage-car. The conductor was
| thrown violently against the side Of the car.
| His knee was sprained and he was bruised about
| the head The brakeman came out Of the wreck
with the loss Of one finger.
The last baggage-car was used by the American
| News Company, and was in charge OF two men,
| neither Of whom was injured.
| As soon as the mail clerks had extricated them
selves from the wreck they ascertained that Cain
was missing and forgetting their own injuries
| they began to search for their comrade Con-
| ductor Todd lmped to the New-Hamburg station,
| distance Of several hundred yards, and tele-
| graphed a report Of the accident TO the offices
| of the railroad company in Poughkeepsie and In
the CITY, Chief Clerk Toomcy at once informed
the Postofice Department Wreckins crews were
sent from Poughkeepsie and later from New
York.
The bridge at New-Hamburg is double one
and the up and down tracks have separate draws.
| The accident occurred at the draw for north
hound trains Within few hours the wreckags
wae cleared away enough to permit the passage
of trains OH the other track. The letters and
newspapers were gathered up and were on their
yay north by 10 o'clock The registered letters
were uninjured and 1t is believed that nothing
of value was lost Some Of the mail matter will
never be found, and portion Of 1t was torn and
soiled. The newspapers in the baggage car were
uniniurcd Several gangs OF laborers at
work and the damage to the bridge will soon
lie repaired. The sheathing was torn from the
locomotive, and il is badly damaged The tender
was smashed and it stood end in the creek.
The mail car was badly shattered. The roof
was smeared with the blood Of the young mail
clerk.
Coroner Conklin viewed the bodies and per-
mitted the removal of that of John IT. Cain TO Co
hoes The bodies of the engineer and fireman
were taken to Poughkeepsie. An inquest will b
held to-day.
Tooney is now at Lansons Hotel here and 10
not in dangerous condition.
Tie railroad officials lay the blame Of the acct'
dent upon the engineer. The draw bridge near
New-Hamburg crosses Wappnger's Creek, and tho
channel OF that point is about twenty-cight feec
wide. The two draws swing to the right and 70
tho left There are semaphore signals on both
sides of the bridge and by means Of a mechanical
c0ntrvance, the draw cannot be moved until tho
signals are SET. The steamer Young America,
small vessel plying between Wappinger's Falls
and Newburg passed through the channel at
about o'clock yesterday morning. Richard
McKittricls, the bridge tender, SAYS that he set
the signals properly. He first crossed the bridget
adjusted the semaphores. and then. he says. he
returned TO the other side and threw back the
draws Before the draw on the northbound track
could be closed he the mail train No 2l.
come laundering toward the bridge at the rate