Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-27
STARTLING THEORY AS TO THE NEW
YORK CENTRAL WRECK.
CHAUNcEY M. DEPEW QUOTED.
THAT OFFICIAL SAYS 1T WAS DUE
TO AN EXPLOSION.
Death List Now Numbers Twenty
Express Safes RecOvered-RepOrt
That n Lnrge Sum of Money
Was Lost Proves
Incorrect.

New York Oct 27.-The Herald and
World this morning quote Chauncey NJ.
Depew, president of the New York Central
railroad. as saying that the wreck at Gar
rison's last Sunday was caused by a dyna
mite explosion.
ANY one who is familiar with railroad
Ing said Mr.. Depew. knows that the
continual pounding of trains over a road
bed has the effect of beating it down till it
is like rock. That roadbed has been in use
for forty years, and the fact that it was like
rock is shown by the fact that Immediately
after the wreck, before the workmen had
filled in any, the break showed a clean cut,
perpendicular cleavage.
You must bear in mind that an hour
before this wreck, another and heavier
train passed over the road in safety. that
thirty minutes before that train went up
on the other track and noticed nothing
wrong, and that nobody heard any report.
Whatever caused the accident, it is certain
that the engine went clear over the OBJ
struction. and was injured after 1t left the
track.
THE popular notion that this was due to
a landslide is not borne out by this. When
there is landslide, the bank takes the
shape of an inclined plane. The fact tnat
this was found as IL was shows that the
break must have been formed in an un-
usual way. The only thing that could have
done it would have been a stick of dyna-
mite rammed down in the roadbed. That
would have DONE
II don't say that We have any evidence
that such was the case but when / sent
word to our detective. Mr.. Humphreys. to
make investigations along that line, he told
me that he had reasons to suspect some
thing Of the sort before. So l ordered that
a thorough investigation be made
This view was corroborated later by
special engineer who had come with the
party. He examined the engine and found
that all its injuries what are consid-
cred superficial among railroad men.
Neither the main nor side rods were brok-
en-, and the pilot was practically intact,
showing Superintendent Mccoy declared
that the engine had only been injured in
rolling down the embankment after it left
the track.
Garrison's, N. Y. Oct 26.-Twenty lives
are now known to have been lost in Sum
days accident on the New York Central
railroad. and eighteen bodies have been
found. The body of an unknown man was
recovered to-day, well that of the
fireman. The day coach of the Inflated
train was raised to-day, and in it was
found victim not hitherto included in the
list of dead. The engine was also brought
to the surface, and with IL the body of
Fireman John Q. Tompkins. tightly wedged
between two masses of iron.
For some hours this afternoon prior to
the raising of the day car, 1t was believed
that several more bodies would be found.
Shortly after 3 o'clock the large derrick
brought up the day coach from the bottom
of the river. When the water had drained
out of the car, those watching the opera
ton saw at one of the windows 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 cut. No more bodies were
found
The body removed, the seventeenth since
the wreck and the twentieth known vic
tim. was that OF man. So years of age.
dark. with a dark. short mustache. He
was dressed in Il gray woolen shirt, dark
blue vest and trousers. black necktie and
yellow socks. The shoes had been remov-
ed, and so had the coat, and it was evil
dent that the man had been sleeping when
death came. In one of the pockets of the
vest was a wallet containing six 81 bills,
81 bill and a casualty insurance COM
pany ticket. such as is old at railroad sta
tions. 1t was made out for the sum of
$500 in case of death, but, very curiously,
the name. or rather the last names, of both
payer and beneficiary was missing. The
H.
Ike r. as the purchasers name and
Mrs. e. as the person to whom 1t was
to be paid. The railroad officials are of
the opinion that the man boarded the train
at Rochester.
The contents of the car, other than the
body. showed that the people had made a
rush for their lives. There were women's 5
shoes and hats. six mems hats, woman 5
coat, eight gripsacks 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
il was alleged that large sum of money
had been lost by the dropping to the river
bottom of a small safe. General Superin-
tendent VanValkenberg. of the American
Express Company, was present. When the
car came to the surface. it was seen that
IL was the most badly damaged of any that
had yet been taken up. As soon as possible
the car was searched by inventory and then
VanValkenberg gave out this statement:
None of the valuables in the car was
lost The big dynamite proof safe was in
tact and fastened TO the wall in its proper
place. The small safe. which il was though,
might have dropped out of the broken car
was found in corner. and the only thne
of value known TO be missing is small
package of jewelry.'
The engine was dragged out of the river
tonight just before dark. and Presiden
Chauncey NJ. Depew and the three railroad
commissioners, with Assistant Secretar,
Edward McEnloe, saw the operation. The
divers had located the tender early In tn,
afternoon. and brought il up without 1t.
trucks. When, shortly after O'Clock tn,
engine came to the surface of the river Il
was seen that the trucks were missing and
that the front of the boiler and the guard.
were smashed into an unrecognizable mass
The men on the lighter saw clothes dang.
ling from the front and when the lanterns
could be brought to bear IL was found tina,
the rags covered human body. The body
was wedged in front of the boiler where
the engine number plate is and had TO be
dragged out. There is much speculation
as to how Tompkns came to he on tn,
front of the machine. The fact of the
finding of the fireman's body tonight il
the position in which il lay has led I,
the belief that the engineers body is some
where in the locality. The fact that The
front trucks of the engine are yet in tn,
river precludes any possibility. until to
morrow. of determining whether a broker
truck caused the accident.
Superintendent Mccoy. of the New Yorl
Central, said tonight that the story tol,
by q section boss to the effect that he ha(
left the road because of its unsafe condi
tion was a falsehood. and thst the maj