The state herald., 1897-10-29
TWENTY DROWNED.
TERRIBLE RAILWAY DISASTER.
Embankment on the New York Central
Railway Gives Way and Lets n Train
Into the Hudson Rivcr--Over Twenty
Lives Lost.

Garrlsons, N. y, Oct. 24.-There was
u terrible railroad disaster near this
| place this morning, Il passenger train
plunging from the track into the Hud
son river. Nineteen persons are known
to be dead and nine others are thought
to have perished. About dozen Were
injured.
Then happened what on the railroad
at any other time would have caused
disaster, but now pOrved blessing
AS the train plunged over the embank-
ment the coupling that held the last
three Of the six sleepers broke and
they miraculOusly remained on the
broken track. In that way some sixty
lives were saved.
The wrecked train was known as the
state express. 1t left Buffalo at
O'Clock last night and was due in New
York at Z o'clock this morning. The
train was hauled by engine s72 and
consisted OF one American Express
car, one combination baggage and
smoking car, one day coach and six
sleepers. POughkeepsie was the last
stopping place OF the train before the
disaster, at $40 a. m.
The section Of road was supposed Ia
be the very best on the entire division
There was n great heavy retaining
wall all along the bank, and while the
tide was high yesterday, 1t was not
unprecedented.
What seems TO have happened was
that underneath the tracks and ties
the heavy wall had given away. and
when the great weight OF the engine
struck the unsupported tracks 1t went
crashing through the rest OF the wall
and tOppled over into the river.
At this time there were In the smoker
In addition to the baggageman. Her.
man Acker of Peekskill. who was in
his compartment, eight Cinnamon en-
route from the Canadian border to
New York, and n middle-aged man,
supposed TO be Thomas Reilly OF st.
Louis. All Of these excepting the bag.
gageman perished. The day coach
contained eighteen or twenty passen.
gers. many of whom were women and
children. How many OF these escaped
Is not known. but at least twelve were
drowned or killed In this car. Behind
the coach were the six slcepers with
about sixty-five passengers.
The total cargo Of human freight
consisted Of something over hundred
people.
Just how the train met its awful fate
will never he fully known. for the men
who first felt the danger. Engineer
John Foyle and Fireman John Tomp-
kins. tonight lie dead in the cab OF
their locomotive at the bottom of the
Hudson river. Conductor Parish. who
was in charge Of the train. and who
was making up his report in one OF the
ears when the crash came. was ren.
dered unconscious by n blow on the
head.
The work OF rescue began with
promptness. II was necessary to lift
the cars from the river bed with der.
ricks before the bodies could be rccov.
cred.
Those known to he dead are:
Thomas Reilly St. Louis.
Il. A. Green. Chicago.
W. II. G. Myers. fremont. New
York.
Guisepne Padunno. New York.
W. $. Becker. Newark. New Jersey
A. q. Mckay. private secretary IA
General Smperint.ndent Van Etten;
body supposed to he In the wreck.
John Foyle. engineer. East Albany;
body not recovered.
John Q. Tompklns. fireman. East Al.
bany: body not recovered
Two women. unidentified
Unknown man. dlen while being res.
crcd.
Wong Cnn. a Chin,man.
Eight Chinamen. unidentified.