River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-10-28
THE DEAD NUMBER NINETEEN.
New York Central Express Train
PIunges Into the Hndrou River.

New York Central Express Train
Piunges Into the Hudson River.
New York. Oct. 25.-Buffalo and New
York special No. 46. on the New York
Central & Hudson River railroad. due
to arrive in this city IT Z: 80 O'Clock Sun
day morning was thrown from the
track at daybreak into the Hudson river
ia miles below 6arrison's station. The
retaining wall along the river had been
undermined by high water in the river.
and the track caved under the weight
of the train. The train consisted of the
engine, combination baggage and ex-
press car, a smoker, two ordinary
coaches and four sleepers. The engine
and two forward cars are submerged in
so feet of water. Engineer Foyle and
Fireman Tompkins went down with the
engine. 1t is known that il was trifie
foggy, and that the track was not Wis
ible. but if there was any break in the
lines of steel, ii must have been of very
recent happening for only an hour be-
fore there had passed over it a heavy
passenger train laden with human
freight. me section of the road was
supposed to be the very best on the
diNiSlOns WAS IL RIGdL
heavy retaining wall all along the
bank. What seemed to have happened
was that underneath the tracks and ties
the heavy wall had given way, and when
the great weight of the engine struck
tie unsupported tracks itwent 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.
The express car and the combination
car floated out about 20 feet from
shore, but sank little later. One man
was taken from the top of the car and
efforts were made to rescue those in
side. A few were gotten out, the pas
sengers left upon the track making
human bridge TO the shore to take The
wounded on. The day coach and
smoker had gone down in the deeper
NdiCis anu itSSuS WIS iiiJoSSiOits IL
the latter coach the conditions must
have been horrible. The turned COM
pletely over and the passenger end of
il was in the deep water. while the bag
gage end stood up towards the surface.
The men in that lower end must have
fought like fiends for a brief period, for
the bodies, when taken out, were
mass of wounds.
Garrisons, n. Y. Oct. 26.-The COM
plete list of the killed in the New York
Central G. Hudson River railroad wreck,
a list of which the railroad officials
believe includes all of those who could
possibly have been lost, numbers 10.
The bodies of the engineer, fireman and
Mr.. Van Ettens secretary are yet in
the river with small hope of their inn
mediate recovery. OF the 16 dead. who
lay in the coroner's Office at Cold
Springs, eight were Chinese, whose
names or residence meant scarcely any
thing to the general public, and yet six
Of those eight were identified and
claimed long before any person had
come forward to inquire or seek for two
well-dressed and evidently very re-
spectacle white women, the only wom-
en- killed in the wreck. The l6 bodies
that were held at Cold Springs for
Identification and claim of relatives
we're divided between the two under
taking establishments.