Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1897-10-29
TRAIN RAN INTO THE HUDSON
SLEEPING MEN ARE DROWNED.
Apparently Solid Emban K ment ON
the New York Central Gave Away
Twenty Eight Souls Hurled Into
the Unknown.

oaiItsohs- ~. 4 =, wv. -. - EIUHi TIE
sleep that means refreshment and rest to
the eternal sleep that knows no awaken
ing, plunged in the twinkling of an eye
this morning 20 souls, men, women and
children. In the Shiny bed of the Hud-
son river train laden with slumbering
humanity plowed, drawing through the
waters the passengers There was moth,
ing to prssage the terrible accident which
SO suddenly deprived these unfortunates
OF life.
The New York Central train left Buff
falo Saturday night and had progressed
for nearly nine-tenths of the distance to.
ward its destination. The engineer and
his fireman had just noted the gray dawn
breaking from the east and the light
streak of red denoting the suns appear.
ance when the great engine plunged into
the depths of the river. Neither engineer
nor fireman will ever tell the story of that
terrible moment. With either hand upon
the throttle the engineer plunged with
his engine to the river bottom. The fire
man, too, was at his post. Behind them
came the express car. the combination
car and the sleepers, and these piled on
to of the engine.
1t is known that it was a trifle foggy
and that the track was not visible, but if
there was any break in the lines of steel
it must have been of a very recent hap
pening, for only an hour before there had
passed over it a heavy passenger train. lad
en- with human freight. Neither is an ex-
PLANTATION ready. All is conjecture.
RetaininE Wall Gave Way.
The section Of road was supposed to be
the very best on the entire division There
was a great heavy retaining wall all
along the bank, and while the tide was
high yesterday it was not unprecedented.
What seems to have happened was that
underneath the track and ties the heavy
wall had given away, for when the great
weight of the engine struck the unsup-
portel tracks, it went crashing through
the rest of the wall and toppled over into
the river.
Then there happened what on railroad
at any other time would have caused dis
aster, but what now proved blessing As
the train plunged over the embankment
the coupling pin that held the last three
of the six sleepers broke and they miracu-
lously remained on the broken track. In
that way some 60 lives were saved. OF
eye-witnesses there were none except the
crew of tugboat passing with a tow.
They saw the train with its lights as it
came flashing about the curves, and then
saw the greater part Of it go into the
river. Some of the ears, with closed win
dows, foated, and the tug, whistling for
help, started to the rescue. A porter
jumped from one of the cars that remain.
ed on the track and ran into the yard of
Augustus Cars house. near which the
accident occurred, and stood screaming
for help and moaning, "The train is in the
river. All our passengers are drowned"
In few minutes Carr dressed himself
and getting boat rowed with the porter
to the scene. As they turned point in
the bank they came upon the express car
and the combination car floating about 20
feet from the shore, but sinking every
minute. One man was taken from the
top OF the car and efforts made to save
those inside. A few were gotten out, the
passengers left upon the track, making q
human bridge to the shore to take the
wounded on.
Other Cars Sank.
The day coach and smoker had gone
down in the deep water and rescue was
impossible. In the latter coach the condi
ton must have been horrible. The cal
turned completely over and the passenRe,
end 9f it was deep in the water, while thu
baggage end stood up toward the sur
face. The men in that lower end mus,
have fought like fiends for brief period
for the bodies, when taken out, were q
mass Of wounds. The closing scene Of tn,
first day Of this tragedy is drawn around
common car near the scene Of the acct
dent, where nearly score Of badly mutt
lated bodies, none Of them yet claimed b,
friends, are lying in row. gr,esome evi
dences OF the disaster, the grea test tina,
has ever occurred on this railroad.