The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-10-25

Garrison, y. Y. Oct. 2i.-From the
sleep that means refreshment and rest
10 the eternal sleep that knows no
awakening. plunged, in the twinkling
of an eye. this morning. 2s souls-men,
women and children. In the Shiny bed
of the Hudson river a train laden with
slumbering humanity ploughed. drag
ging through the waters the passen-
gers. There was nothing to presage
the terrible accident which SO suddenly
deprived their unfortunates of life.
The New York Central train left Buf-
falo last night and had progressed Tor
nearly nine-tenths of the distance to-
wards 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 appearance, when the great en-
gine a serpent ON the rails. plunged
into the depths Of the river. Neither
engineer nor fireman will ever tell the
story of that terrible moment. with
hand upon the throttle. the engineer
plunged with his engine To the river
bottom. and the fireman. too. was at
his post. Behind them came the express
car, the combination car and the sleep
ers. and these piled on top Of the en-
eine. II is known IL was trifle foggy
and that the track was not visible. but
II there was any break In the lines of
steel il must have been OF very re-
cent happening. for only an hour before
there had passed over IL a heavy pas
senger train. laden with human freight.
Neither is an explanation ready. All Is
conjecture. The section of road was
supposed 10 be the very best on the
entire division. There was great.
heavy retaining wall all along the bank
and. while the tide was high yesterday.
IL was not unprecedented.
The Wall Gave Way.
What seems To have happened was
that underneath the tracks and ties the
heavy wall had given away when the
great weight of the engine struck the
unsupported tracks; II went crashing
through the rest of the wall and top
pied over into the river.
Then there happened what ON the
railroad al any other time would have
caused disaster. but now proved very
blessing. AS the train plunged over the
embankment the coupling that held the
last three Of the six sleepers broke and
miraculously remained on the brink
of the track. In that way some "
lives Were saved.
Of eye-witnesses there were none ex-
cept the crew of tughoat passing with
tow. They saw the train with its
light as II came flashing about the
curves and then saw the greater part
Of IL go into the river. Some of the
cars with closed windows noated and
the tug. whlstling for help. cast on its
hawser and started to the rescue. A
porter jumped from one Of the cars that
remained 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"
Fought Like lien,ls.
In a few minutes Carr had dressed
himself. and getting boat rowed with
the porter To the scene. AS they turned
"a point in the bank they came upon
the express car and the combination.
floating about 20 feet from shore hut
sinking every minute. one man was
taken from the top OF the car and cf-
forts were made to rescue those inside.
A few were gotten out. the passengers
left upon the track manning a human
bridge to the shore to take the wound
cd on. The day coach and smoker had
gone down In the deepest water and
rescue was impossible In the latter
coach the condition must have been
horrible. The car turned completely
over and the passenger end of u was
deep in the water while the baggage
end stood up towards the surface. The
men In that lower end must have
fought like flends for brief period, for
the bodies. when taken out. were 0
mass of wounds
The closing scene ~ the first day II
this tragedy BIS drawn around a com
mon car that stands near the scene oi
the accident. where nearly score oi
badly mutilsted bodies, none of then
Vet claimed by friends. an" lying ln q
long rev. gTuesone trid"nces of IN,
disaster, the ~. Attest that has ever oc.
CURED on This rlad.
The wr"rk'd train was known as th,
. state express. IL lyu BdiiglO at