The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-10-26
DEATH AT DAWN OF DAY
Terrible Plunge Of a Passenger Train Into
the Hudson River.
PASSENGERS TOLD TALES OF HORROR
Not Less Than Nineteen Lives
housekeeping Passengers wake
Up In Efernity-TrucHs Probably
Undermined by High Tidcs -Tu;;
to the Rescue.
Garrisons, N. Y, October "a, 1897.

GarriSons, n. Y, October "a, 1897.
From the sleep. the means of refresh
ment and rest to the eternal sleep that
knows no Weakening. plunged in the
twinkling of an eye this morning twcn-
ty-eight souls-men. women and chill
dren
Into the Shiny bed or the Hudson
river train, laden with slumbering
humanity. plowcd, dragging through the
water the helpless passengers. There
was nothing TO prcSage the terrible ac-
cident which SO suddenly deprived these
u9fortunatcS of life. The New York
Central train left Buffalo last night and
had progressed for nearly nine tenrhs
OF the distance toward its destination.
The engineer and his fireman had Just
noted the gray dawn breaking in the
East and the light streak Of red betul-
cning the suns appearance, when the
great engine, q servant on the rails and
a devil off, plunged into the depths of
the river.
Neither engineer nor fireman will ever
tell the story OF that terrible moment
for with his hand upon the throttle The
engineer plunged with his engine into
the river bottom, arrd the fireman. too.
was at his post. Behind them came the
express car, the combination car ana
the sieepers, and these piled on top OF
the engine
ALL IS CONJECTURE.
and that the track wus not visible. but
If there was any break in the lines Of
steel IT must have been OF very rcccmt
happening, for only an hour before
there had passed over il n heavy pas
scnSer train, laden with human freight.
Neither Is there an explanation ready
All is conjecture.
The section OF tho read was supposed
--toz zbe tile rrry-rbest on the ertire tiivi--
slcn. There was great, heavy, retain
ing wall all along the bank, and. while
the tide was high Yesterday, Il was no;
unprecedented
What seems to have happened was
that underneath the tracks and ;he ties
the heavy wall had given way. aud
when the great weight OF III. engine
struck the unsupported tracks il won't
crashing through the rest OF the wall
ana topDied over into the river
Ihen there happened what on The rail
read NJ any othc. time would have
caused disaster. but now proved n very
blessing As the train plunged over
the emhanl;mcnt the coupling that held
the last three Of the six SiccpCrS broke
anG they miraculously remained cr the
broken track. III thar way some sixty
lives Were saved.
OF eye witnesses there were none ex-
cept the crew Of n tug boa passing with
q tow.
RUSHED TO THE RESCUE
They saw the train with its lights as
II came flashing about the curves. and
then saw the greater part OF il 60 into
The river. Some of the cars with closed
windows noatcd. ana thc tug. whs;ling
for help, cast off its hawser and started
10 the rescue. y porter jumped from
one Of the cars that remained on the
track ana ran into the yard Of Augustus
Carr's house near which the accident oc-
CURED. and stood screaming for help,
and moaning:
THE train is in the river; all our pas
sengers are drOwoled.''
In few minutes Carr had dressed
himself and, getting 4 boat. rowcd with
the porter to the scene.
AS they turned a point in the bank
they CAME upon the express car and
the combination car Ilouting about
twenty feet from shore, hut sinking
every minute. one man was taken
from the top Of the car and efforts were
made to rescue those inside. y few wrrc
gotten out. the passengers left upon the
track making a human bridge 10 the
shore 10 take the wounded on
The day coach and SMOKER had GCuc
down In the deeper water ana rescue
WAS impossible. In the latter coach the
conditions must have been horrible Tie
car turned completely over and the
passenger end Of it was in the deep
water. while the baggage end stood up
toward the surface.
The men in that lower end mus, have
fought like ticndS for q brief period.
for the bodies when taken out were a
mass OF wounds.
The cIosrg scene of the first day Of
this tragedy Is drawn around a COM
mon car That stands near the scene of
the accident. where nelriy y score Of
badly mutilated bodies. none of them
yet claimed by fti"nds. arc lying in II
long row, grcwaomc evidences of a dis
aster the greatest that has ever uc-
CURED on this railroad.
WAS THE STATE EXPRESS.
The wrecked train was known as the
State Express. II left buffalo at
o'clcck last night and was due at New
York At o'clock this mc!nin%. The
train was hauled by engine No. So and
consisted Of one American express car,
one composite baggage and smoking
car. one day coach ana SIX s!ccpcrs.
Poue'hlSccpSir was ,hc last stopping
place OF the train bctc:c the disaster.
at $40 a. IN.
Al this time there were on The sniOi-
cr. in addition 10 the baggage man.
Herman Ackcr. of fcckSIi.M, WHO WAS
In his compartments: eight Chinamen en-
route from the Canadian border TO New
York. 4 middlc-agcd iiplR. Supposed TO
be J'hoa. Reilly. of 2SG0 Wisconsin ave
nue.. ST. Louis. All OF these, excepting
the bagcaGemnstcr perishcd. The day
coach c1aiuincd IS or 20 passengers.
many OF whom were women ana chill
0rcn.
How many of these escaped is not
known, bur at least IL wc"e drowned
or Killed in this car. Behind the coach
were the six slccpers, the Gcllalpinc,
with l5 passengers: the HermeG, with II
passengers; the iSiobe, with IL; the