The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-26

greatest disaster that has ever occurred
on the New York Central.
THE STATE EXPRESS.
The wrecked train was known as the
State express. IL left Buffalo at L. Nj.
Saturday aud was due 81 New York az
A. NJ. Sunday. Poughkeepsie was its
last stopping place before the disaster.
AT SID A. NJ. when the train arrived at
Poughkeepsie. there were in the smoker
in addition 10 the baggage agent, Herman
Acker. Of Peekskill. who was in his COM
partment, eight Cinnamon on their way
from the Canadian border 10 New York,
and a middle-aged man. supposed 20 be
Thomas Reilly. OF $500 Wisconsin avenue.
St Louis. All of these except the bag
gagemaster persisted.
The day coach contained eighteen or
twenty passengers, many of whom were
women and children. How many Of these
escaped is not known, but az least twelve
Of them were drowned or killed.
Behind the day coach were the six sleep
ers. the Glenalpine with fifteen passen-
gers; the Hermes, with twelve; the Niobe
with eleven; the Diana. with about ff-
teen: the Anita, nearly full. and the Rack
ct River. with no passengers.
At Fishkill the train lessened It's speed
TO run from that place To Tarrytown az
the rate Of about % miles an hour. Most
Of the passengers were asleep, those IN
the sleepers being I'm their berths, while
the occupants Of the coach and smoker
We're for the most part doing in their
seats.
Engineman John Foyle and Fireman
John Tompkins, who first knew the dam
ger. were found dead In the cab Of the
locomotive at the bottom Of the Hudson.
Conductor Parish. who was I'm charge OF
the train and who was making mp his re-
port i'm one of the cars when the crash
came, was rendered unconscious by a
blow on the head. When he recovered he
was three seats ahead Of the one in which
he had been sitting.
A PASSENGERS STORY.
One Of the few occupants of the day
coach who escaped with his life was +.
j. Degan, "a wood nnisher, Of New York.
His left eye was cut by broken glass and
his body was bruised. Mr.. Degan made
this statement.
with my friend. W. IL. G.. Myers, Of
Passaic, y. j., who WAS killed m the car
from which L escaped. / had been 20
Poughkeepsic. We boarded the train at
that place and took a seat In the day
coach. Three other persons got on at
POughkeepsie. one was a woman ana
the two others We're men.
"As nearly as J can judge, there were
eighteen persons in the coach, most OF
them women and children, and nearly all
Of them esleep Myers and l sat IN the
middle of the car.
when the crash came the car gave
great lurch and rolled over on It's side.
The water rushed i'm and almost instantly
the lights went out. 1 knew We were
a go rHNIa oh
through the water for some time after II
was submerged.
1.-THE car was tilted over on one side,
continued Mr.. Degan. land so l man
aged to reach a ventilator overhead and
cling 10 &c until help came. I heard per-
sons in the back part of the car grooming
as II they were pinned fast. II was so
dark that I could see no one, and think
the passengers must have drowned ike
rats.
After % while. il seemed an age, ]
heard people on top Of the car and am
axe crashed through the roof. The noise
of that axe in the splintered timbers made
the sweetest music l ever heard. soon
they had a hole cut i'm the roof and pulled
me out through IL. A man and boy
father and sOn-were rescued IN the same
way, but / know of no other occupants OF
the coach who escaped. The car at this
time was floating but was fast filling with
water. and We were put ashore IN
rowboat'
TELEGRAPUING FOR HELP.
one of the trainmen who survived the
disaster made IL his first duty 10 run 10
the nearest signal tower and telegraph for
help. The place where the wreck occurred
is rather isolated. lt is just at the en-
trance To- what is known as King cut.
Two other express trains were follow
ing close behind the ill-fated state eN-
press and the locomotive OF one OF mem
was sent t0 GarrisOn's for General Man
ager j. NJ. Toucey who lives there, While
the other hurried to Peekskill for medical
aid. Mr. Toucey was the first Official OF
the railroad at the scene He arrived az
7.3O o'clock. The locomotive which had
carried him steamed TO Cold Spring ana
returned with Drs. WinslOw, FillebroWn'
and Murdoch. I'm the meantime. DIS.
Charles and Perley Mason, j. NJ. Tilden'
p. C.. Snowden. and +. d. Lynn had ar
rived. and AN of them were soon at work
among the injured.
CLEARING THE WRECK.
GARRIsONs. y. Y. oct. 25.-Fully one
hundred men are at work to-day repair
ing the track and raising the engine ana
cars at the scene Of yesterday morning
wreck on The New York Central ana
Hudson River railroad, one half mile
south of Garrisons.
There were so many curiosity seekers
al the scene Of the accident to-day that
ropes had 10 be stretched 10 Keep the
crowd far enough away 10 give the Work
men n chance 10 get at the cars.
HIGH TIDE DID IT.
Superintendent Mccoy. i'm his prelimi-
nary report to the railroad company to-
dav. saws the track, which was WHINE
three or four yards Of the river haa
been undermined 10 two days unusua"y
high tide. The engine and but the rear
car plunged into the river
Within less than am hour oeI'Ie al
other fast train had passed over lne
same place on the same track no one
ON that train noticed anything unusual
about the stability OF the track.
ONE MAN MISSING.
Tn the engine Of the Inflated train were
robp rovle an engineer OF experience;
lanes Thompson. a trusted fireman ana
probably 4. j. Mckay the stenographer
~ ral-Superintendent Van Etten'
who was last seen at Albany In the cab
with the engineer.
No trainmen were seriously hurt except
Tho engineer and fireman. who went
down with the engine. Some % the por-
ters and brakemen were slightly bruised.
SUBMERGED CARS.
Robert Wagner. OF the Wagner Sleep
IN