Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-27

" lives are now known to have been
lost in Sundays accident on the New
York Central railroad, and eighteen
bodies have been found.
The body of an unknown man was
recovered to-day, as well as that of the
fireman.
The day coach of the Inflated train
was raised to-day and in it was found
body not hitherto included in the
list of dead.
The engine was also brought to the
surface and with it the body of the
fireman, John @. Tompkins, tightly
wedged between two masses of iron
in front.
For some hours and prior to the
raising of the day car, it was believed
that no more bodies would be found.
Shortly afted o'clock the large der
rick brought up the day coach from
the bottom of the river, where it had
lain completely submerged since the
day of the wreck.
Slowly the great mass rose out of
the water and it was seen that but for
the mashed in rear end and a hole in
the roof, the car was intact, and it
seemed hardly possible that any large
number of it's occupants could have
escaped.
When the water was drained out of
the car, those watching the operation
saw at one of the windows a human
hand and just beyond the feet sticking
out from under one of the seat tops.
The wreckers tore aside the debris and
soon had the body out. No more
bodies were found.
The body removed, the seventeenth
since the wreck and the twentieth
known victim, was that of man 35
years of age, dark complexion, with
dark, short moustache. He was
dressed in gray wooden outing shirt,
dark blue vest and trousers, a black
peck-tie and yellow socks. The shoes
had been removed and so had the
coat, and it was evident that the man
had been sleeping in the seat when
death came.
Whether he was killed by conclusion
or whether he was drowned will
never be known. In one of the pock-
cts of the vest was a wallet containing
sixteen dollars, six ten-dollar bills, a
two-dollar bill and a casualty insur-
ance company ticket, such as is sold
at railroad stations. 1t was made out
for the usual sum of $1,000 in cash in
case of death. but very curiously the
name, or rather the last names of
both payer and beneficiary are miss
ing The card read. so far as could be
deciphered: Ike R." as the purchas-
er's name and Mrs. E. as the person
to whom it was TO be paid The
railroad officials are of the opinion
that the man boarded the train at
Rochester, as the hour of the purchase
of the insurance card is marked 8
o'clock, and Rochester is the most
probable station where to catch a
train, it could have been purchased at
that hour. The body was taken to the
coroners office at Cold Spring.
The contents of the car, other than
the body, showed that the people had
made a rush for their lives. There
were women's shoes and hats. six mems
hats, a womans coat. eight grips OF
various kinds. two mems coats and
many small garments.
Another interesting event of the day
was the raising of the express car from
which it was alleged that a large sum
of money had been lost by the drop
ping to the river bottom of a small
safe. General superintendent Van
Valkenburg, of the American Express
Company, was present when the car
came to the surface it was seen that it
was the most badly damaged of any
that had yet been taken out. One-half
of the car had been entirely demolish-
ed and washed away. AS soon as pos
sible, the car was searched by inven
tory, and then Mr.. Van Valkenburg
gave out this statement:
None or the YaluaDleS IN the car
were lost. The big dynamite proof
safe was intact and fastened to the wall
in its proper place. The small safe,
which it was thought might have drop
ped out of the broken car. we found
in corner. and the only thing of value
known to be missing is small pack
age OF Jewelry. OF course, all of the
merchandise in the car had been de-
stroyed. but we have luckily found
most OF the bills of lading, and settle
ment will be easily made. The wonder
to me is how Agent Miller ever got out
OF the car the way it was smashed up"
The engine was dragged out of the
river tonight just before dark and
President Chauncey NJ. Depew and the
three railroad commissions with assist
ant secretary McEntee, saw the opera
ton. The divers had located the ten
der early in the afternoon and brought
1t UP without its tructs The engine
was worked upon for several hours.
the divers finding it almost impossible
to get the heavy chaine under it as it
had gone so far in the mud. When,
shortly after o'clock. It came to the
surface OF the river 1t was seen that
tho trucks we're missing. and that the