The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-10-29
TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT
Train on. New York Central
Plunges Into a River.
LIVES LOST

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TWENTY-ElGHT LIVES LOST
More May Be Buried in the Wreok-Dis-
aster was Caused by an Embank-
ment Giving way-worst in Years.
Garrison's, N. Y, Oct. 26.-From
the sleep that means refreshment and
rest to the eternal sleep that knows no
awakening plunged in the twinkling of
an eye this morning % souls, men,
women and children. In the Shiny bed
of the Hudson river train laden with
mbering humanity plowed, dragging
through the waters: the passengers.
There was nothing to presage the ter
rible accident which SO suddenly de-
prived these unfortunates of life.
The New York Central train left
Buffalo last night, and had progressed
nearly nine-tenths of the distance
toward it's 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 engine,
servant of 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 rivers bottom, and
the fireman, too, was at his post Be-
hind them came the express car, the
com mbination car and the sleepers, and
these piled on top of the engine.
1t is known that it was 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 very re-
cent happening, for only an hour be-
fore there passed over it heavy pas
senger train laden with human freight.
Neither is an explanation ready. All
is conjecture. The section of road was
supposed to be the very best on the en-
tire division. There was a great, heavy
retaining wall all along the bank, and,
was not unprecedented. What seems
to have happened was that. underneath
the tracks and ties the heavy wall had
given way. When the great weight of
the engine 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
railroad at any other time would have
caused disaster, but now proved a very
blessing. AS the train plunged over the
embankment, the coupling that held
the last three of the six sleepers broke
and they miraculously remained On the
broken track. In that way some 60
lives were saved.
Following is list of the dead as far
as ascertained up to midnight:
Thomas Reilly, of St. Louis.
E. A. Green, of Chicago.
w. Fl. Myers, of fremont, N. ].
Woman, unidentified.
Woman, unidentified.
Giuseppe Paduano, of New York.
w. S. Becker, of Newark, N. J.
Unknown man, died while being res
cued.
A. G. Mckay, private secretary to
General Superintendent Van Etten;
body supposed to be in the wreck.
John Folye, engineer of East Albany;
body not recovered.
John @. Tompkins, fireman, of East
Albany; body not recovered.
Wong Gin and eight unidentified
Chinese.
OF eye-witnesses there We're none ex-
cept the crew of tugboat passing with
a tow. They saw the train, with its
light, as it came flashing about the
curves, and then saw the greater part of
it go into the river. Some of the cars
with closed windows hoated, and the
tug, .whistling for help, cast off its
hawser and started to the rescue.
A porter jumped from one of the cars
that remained on the track and ram into
the yard o.. Augustus Carr's house,
near which the accident occurred, and
stood screaming for help, and moaning:
:.'The train rs in the river; all our pas
sengers are drownedP' -.
In al few minutes Carr had dressed
himself, and getting a boat, rowed
with the porter to the, scene. As they
turned point into the bank, they
came upon the express car and the COM
bination Car floating about 30 feet from
the Shore but sinking every minute.
One man was taken from the top of the
car, and efforts We're made to rescue
those inside. A. few were gotten out,
the passengers left on the track making
a human bridge to the shore to take the
wounded on. .r...s- ,-.v = =.
The day coach and smoker had gone
down in deep water, and rescue was
impossible. r In the latter. coach the
condition. must have been. + horrible.
The car turned completely, over, and
the passenger end OF. it was deep in4the
water, while the baggage end stood up
towards the surface. The men in that
lower end must have fought like fends
for a brief period, for the bodies, when
taken out, were mass of wounds.
The closing scene of the first day of
this tragedy ia drawn around common
car that stands near the scene of the
accident, where nearly a score of badly
mutilated bodies, none of them yet
claimed by friends, are lying in d long
row, grewsome evidences of the disaster,
the greatest that has, ever occurred on
the railroad. :..:,
Total number of known dead, 10;
estimated number of dead, 28.
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A New Trial for Luetgert.
Chicago. Oct. 26.-state's Attorney,
Deneen late this afternoon decided to
put Luetgert on trial for second time
some day next week. New evidence