Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1894-01-16
CAUSED BY A FOG
Further Particulars 0l
Yesterdays Disaster.
II KILLED AND so INJURED.
Carelessness Of an Engineer Believed
to Have Caused the Disaster.

NEW ORk, Jan. lo-Latest reports from
the accident on the Delaware and Lacka-
wanna road yesterday show that IL per-
sons were killed and 80 injured.
NEW YORK, Jan. 16.-One Of the most
disastrous railroad accidents that ever
took place in this neighborhood occurred
on the Delaware, Lackawanna and West
ern railroad yesterday morning, during
thick fog on the meadows Just west of the
drawbridge across the Hackensack river.
The South Orange accommodation ran
into the Dover express, tslescoping and
smashing to splinters the two rear cars OF
the latter train, killing IL persons and In.
juring about 50 others.
So far as can be learned, the cause of the
accident is due to the heavy fog, and
many claim to the carslessness of the en-
gineer of the Orange accommodation. As
usual at this time of the morning, both
trains were we'll filled, and it seems
a miracle that the death list was not In
creased many fold.
The Dover express had slowed up to
make sure that the drawbridge was all
right and that they could go ahead. The
engineer of the Orange express, who
should have done likewise, failed to take
Wills picSaubiOh SIdshcu intO buS rear
OF the preceding train The last car on
the express was a combination baggage
and smoker, and into this plunged the
huge engine, cutting through the wood
work and sending splinters in all direct
Ions. The coach ahead of the smoker
was telescoped, the roof torn out and the
seats torn and twisted as though they
were made of paper. The roof was thrown
ahead and partly telescoped the third car.
Call For Aid Quickly Answered.
For a moment the passengers did not
realize the awful situation, but the
shrieks of the wounded and dying and
noise Of escaping steam soon told them
that an awful calamity had occurred.
Those who were not injured were quickly
at work rescuing their less fortunate
fellow passengers. Along the tracks the
dead and dying and wounded lay, some
OF them having rolled to the bottom of
the 16foot embankment on which the
accident occurred. A short distance from
the scene was a railroad telegraph offise,
and to this there was q rush and q call
sent for assistance.
Relief trains were Immediately started
from Hoboken, and almost before those
on the train had realized the situation q
crowd had commenced to gather from the
Citls anu pnyblCldnS were
sent by the police from both Jersey City
and Hoboken. The train hands and men
from the neigh borhood of the accident
grabbed crowbars and axes and helped to
pry out the dead and remove the dying
and injured.
Six dead bodies were recovered within
half an hour All of them were men. The
engine of the Orange local, which waa
known as No. 33, was hard and fast in the
debris of the rear car and had pinned
down several victims amongst the iron
and broken wood. These were the first to
be rescued. In the smoker every seat was
taken, and 1t was estimated that at least
20 persons were in the car, not one OF
whom escaped injury.
A Baggage Masters Story.
A most graphic description of the acci
dent was given by the baggage master OF
the Dover express, who was at the rear end
of the last car moment before IL occurred.
Happening to glance through the window,
he saw, hardly 25 feet away, big engine
coming toward him at a high rate OF
speed. Quickly jumping to the side door.
he opened 1t and leaped out just as the
crash came. In speaking of the wreck, he
said:
81 think the accident was due in part to
the recklessness Of the engineer on the
South Orange accommodation. Our train
was moving at the rate of about so miles
an hour, and was pushed 800 feet before II
came to stop The engine of the accom-
mediation, the W. III. Lewis, crashed into
the rear car of the Dover express about 20
feet. This last car, the combination bag.
gage and smoker, telescoped into the SEQ
ond car from the rear and split the end OF
that completely from the sides and ends.
Four men were playing cards at the last
table in the smoker and three Of these
were among the killed.
II saw several men rushing through the
aisle Of the car. / just looked up when
the crash came The side OF the car bent
at an angle of about As degrees, and the
men who were forward on the left caught
the worst Of It, the side of the car plowing
right through them"
Rescuers Promptly at Work.
After a few minutes something like
order was created in the work of rescue,
and the victims were rapidly taken out
from amongst the twisted and splintered
timbers. The dead were so covered with
dust and blood that It was almost impos-
sible to identify them. The cries and
moans Of the injured were terrible, and IL
seemed as IL no one had escaped.
As soon as the wrecking trains arrived,
such heavy parts as could be easily moved
were lifted from the track and the work
Of rescue was soon completed. The
wounded and dead were placed on the
train and taken to jersey City, where
many Of them were met by friends and
relatives who had already heard Of the
accident Those of the wounded who
could stand IL were taken to the hospital.
Tbs dead were taken to the different
morgues, there to await Identification.
There seems to be some dispute in regard
10 the number Of those killed, but the
most authentic xaecount shows but eleven,
while the injured number so