The Portland daily press., 1897-10-25

trains left the scene with the man who
had died on the track and about twenty.
i've injured persons. The dead man and
i've injured were left at Peekskill, where
the injured were taken to the hospital,
while the train proceeded to New York
with the rest of the injured. This train
mad hardly left the scene of the disaster
when special engine arrived, bringing
Division superintendent Mccoy and
Irainmasters Stack and Wickes fror,
Iarrytown, and almost simultaneously
wrecking train arrived from Peekskill
and another came from Poughkeepsie.
Tho officials saw at once that the wreck
ing cars would be of little avail in raising
the cars from their positions in the river,
where they were almost submerged, so
the Chapman Wrecking company of New
York was notified to send q river derrick
and floats to raise the cars.
General Manager Toucey gave the fol-
lowing statement as to the cause of the
disaster to the Associated Press reporter:
The accident was caused by the bed
OF the railroad being washed out by some
lnexplicable manner. In this undermined
condition the track sank as soon as the
weight of the train was put on it, and
the embankment giving way, the train
was of course precipitated into the river.
such condition as this we have never
looked for, trains having been running
over this spot for years and years without
accident or difficulty Of any kind and this
piece of track was considered as good as
any section of the road"
Other railroad officials were of the
opinion that quicksand foundation of
some kind below the water line was re-
sponsible for the roadbed.
Before ten O'Clock this morning a large
number of curious spectators had gathered
at the scene. coming from nearby towns
by train, wagons, boat and bicycles.
1t was thought at first that the express
messenger, John Smith of Buffalo. had
lost his life, but it was subsequently
of the tugs and sent to New York with
the first lot of survivors.
Among the railroad men it was general
ly believed that A. G. Mckay of Harlem,
private secretary to General Superintend-
emit Van Ettin had lost his life. He was
a passenger on the train and was last
seen at Albany, where 1t was said he
engineer. II that is true he shared the
fate of the engineer and fireman, at any
rate he is still missing at late hour
The terrible evidences of the frightful
wreck are visible at the point two miles
below here tonight under Intensely
spectacular circumstances. The great
wrecking car torch threw red glare over
the men busily engaged in tearing apart
the wreckage to get at any bodies that
might be under it. The men worked with
as much energy as If there were living
creatures to be saved and ever and anon
would bring to the surface body cramped
into abnormal position and then renew
their efforts. On the top of the partly
submerged cars gang Of men chopped
away with axes and the huge derrick
from the wrecking train tore out the
mahogany trimmings, ceilings and berths
in the endeavor to recover some bodies Of
loved ones from the wreck. On shore
great gang of men worked to get the in
side, or uptrack SO repaired that there
would be no trouble in getting trains
through.
Before noon General Manager Goucey
had formed an estimate of the number of
dead, which he placed at twenty EIGHT,
and no change in this estimate was made
during the day. III. ss.4 i
A. E. Bracken, conductor of the Wan
ger cars, was able to account for all of
his passengers excepting five, and he was
not sure that they were in the wreck, as
they might have escaped and gone to
New York without his knowledge When
diver arrived from New York this after
noon the first thing he did was to go
through the three submerged sleeping
cars. He reported that he found no
bodies, but said that one or more might
be under the berths which were in great
confusion.
1t was three O'Clock before the derrick
and hoisting engine could raise the COM
bination car, consisting Of the smoker
and baggage compartments to such a
position that the top of it was out of the
water. Slowly the big load began to rise
and in few minutes it had been turned
over SO that the windows were clear of
the water. The body of man came out
of window as this car was being
brought to the shore. A boat was nearby
and the oarsman secured the body.
A derrick next pulled the day coach to
the shore and the searching parties were
able to reach it. Although 1t is known
that there were many more In the coach,