Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-25
THE STORY OF THE WRECK.
How the Train Plunged Into the Broad
River

hlVeT
Garrisons, N. Y, October 24.-From
the sleep that means refreshment and
rest. to the eternal sleep that knows
no waking, plunged in the twinkllng OF
an eye this morning, twenty-elght
souls, men, women and children. Into
the Shiny bed of the Hudson River,
train laden with slumbering humanity,
plunged, dragging through the waters
the helpless passengers.
There was nothing to presage the
terrible accident which so suddenly de-
prived these unfortunates of life. The
New York Central left Buffalo
last night and had progressed for
nearly nine-tenths of the distance
toward its destination. The engineer
and the fireman had just noted the
gray dawn breaking in the east and the
first streak of red betokening the suns
appearance when the great en-
CINE, servant on the rails, devil Off,
plunged into the depths of the river.
Neither engineer nor fireman will ever
tell the story Of that terrible momen-,
for, with his 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 sleepers, and these piled
on top of the engine.
1t is known that it was trifie foggy
and that the track was not visible,
but if there was any break in the
lines of STEEL it must have been very
recent happening, for only an hour
before there had passed over it heavy
passenger train, laden with human
freight There is no explanation ready.
All is conjecture.
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 un-
precedented.
What seems to have happened, was
and when the great weight of the en-
CINE struck the unsupported tracks it
went crashing through the rest of the
wall and toppled over into the river.
Then there happened what on the rail-
road at any other time would have
caused disaster, but now proved a very
blessing. AS the train plunged over
the embankment, the coupling that
hNiA tAS lCOl lHlCC VI Lie SIX Sip6D-
ers broke and they miraculously re-
manned on the broken track Of eye
witnesses there were none except the
crew of a tugboat passing with tow.
They saw the train with its lights as
it came flashing about the curves and
then they saw the greater part of it
go into the river.
Some of the cars with closed windows
f1oated, and the tug whistled for help,
cast off its hauser 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
Carr's 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 a few minutes Carr had dressed
himself and, getting a boat. rowed with
the porter to the scene. AS they turn
ed point in the bank they came upon
the express car and the combination
car floating about twenty feet from
shore, but sinking every minute. One
man was taken from the top of the car
and efforts were made to rescue those
inside. few were gotten out, the
passengers left upon the track making
a human bridge to the shore to take
the wounded in
The day coach and smoker had gone
down in the deeper water and rescue
was impossible In the latter coach
the conditions must have been horri-
BILE The car turned completely over
and the passenger end Of it was in the
deeper water, while the baggage end
CIR orI
in that lower end must have fought
like iends for brief period. for the
bodies when taken out were mass of
wounds.
The closing scene of the first day of
this tragedy is drawn around common
car that stands near the scene of the
accident. where nearly score of badly |
mutilated bodies, none of them yet |
claimed by friends. are lying in long
row. gruesome evidences of disaster |
the greatest that has ever occurred on |
this railroad.
The wrecked train was known as |
the State express. 1t left Buffalo at |
o'clock last night and was due in New |
York at o'clock this morning. The |
train was hauled by engine No. 672. |
and consisted of one express car. one |
baggage and smoking car. |
one day coach and six sleepers. |
was the last stopping |
place of the train before the disaster at |
): 10 a. m.
At this time there were in the
smoker. in addition to the baggage
man, Herman Acker, of Peekskill. who |
was in his compartment. eight China
men, enroute from the Canadian Dor
Ter to New York. and middle-aged
man. supposed to be Thomas Reilly. |
Of No. 1869 Wisconsin avenue. st.
Louis. All of these except the bag
gage master persisted. The day coach
contained eighteen or twenty passen-
gers, many of whom were women and |
children. How many of these escaped |.
s not known. but at least twelve were
drowned or killed in this car. Behind |
we're six sleepers-the Glenn Alphin.
With fifteen passengers; the Hermes.
With twelve; the Niobe, with eleven:
he Diana, with about fifteen: the
Anita. nearly full: and the RACKET