The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-25

aster-Stories Related by Surviv-
ers and Others.
Garrfsons, N Y, Oct 24-F'rom the
sleep that means refreshmeut and rest
to the eternal sleep that knows no
awakening, plunged in the twinkIine
of an eye this morning % souls, men,
women and children In the Shiny bed
Of the Hudson river a train laden with
slurberins humanity pIoughed drag
ging through the waters the passen-
gers There was nothing to presase
the terrible accident which so suddenly
deprived these unfortunates of life.
The New York Central train left Buff
falo last night, and had progressed for
nearly nine-tenths of the distance to
wards its destination The engineer
and his fireman had just noted the
gray dawn breaking from the east.
and the light streak of red denoting
the suns appearance. when the great
engine. a servant of the rails. plunged
into the depths of the river. Neither
engineer nor fireman viii ever tell the
story Of that terrible moment With
his hand uDon the throttle the eugi-
neer plunged with his engine TO the
river bottom; and the fireman, too.
was at his post. Behind them came
the express car, the combination car
and the sleeDers, and these piled on
top of the engine.
AN HOUR BEFORE.
It is known it was a trife foggy. and
that the track was not visible, out if
there was any break in the lines Of steel
il must have been of very recent hap
peninS, for only an hour before there
had passed over it a heavy passenger
train laden with human freight.
Neither is an explanation ready. All
is conjecture.
The section of road was supposed to
be the very best on the entire division
There was q great heavy retaining wall
all along the bank and while the tide
Was high yesterday it was not unprec-
edented.
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 it went crash
ing through the rest Of the wall and
tOppled over into the river
MIRACULOUS HAPPENING.
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 enbankment the coupling that held
the last three of the six sleepers broke
and they mtraculously remained on the
broken track. In that way some SO
lives were saved.
Of eye witnesses there were none ex-
cept the crew of q tug boat passing
with a tow. They saw the train with
Vt..I.A / q
curves. and then saw the greater part
of it go into the river Some of the
cars with closed windows foated and
the tug whiStling for help cast off it's
hawser and started to the rescue A
porter jumped from one of the cars that
remained on the track and ran into the
yard of Augustus Cars house. near
which the accident occurred. and stood
screaming for help, and moaning: The
train IS in the river. All our passen-
gers are drowned"
In a few minutes Carr had dressed
( himself, and getting q boat rOWed with
the porter to the scene. As they turned
a point il the bank they came upon
the express car. and the combination
car floating about 20 feet from shore,
but sinking every minute. One was
( taken from the top Of the car and eff
( forts were made to rescue those inside.
A few were gotten out the passengers
( left upon the track making
A HUMAN BRIDGE
| to the shore to take the wounded on.
! The day coach and smoker had gone
down in the deeper water and rescue
was impossible. In the latter coach
( the conditions must have been horri-
/ ole. The car turned completely over
and the passenger end OF it was deep
in the water, while the baggage end
/ stood up towards the surface. The men
! in that lower end must have fought
I like f1ends for a brief period, for the
[ bodies, when taken out, were mass
( of wounds.
The closing scene of the first day of
! this tragedy is drawn around q COM
mon car that stands near the scene
Of the accident, where nearly score
( of badly
MUTILATED BODIES.
none of them yet claimed by friends,
/ are lying in a long row, greWsOme evil
dences Of the disaster. the greatest
! that has ever occurred on this railroad.
The wrecked train was known as
the state express" It left Buffalo at
New York at o'clock this morning.
The tain was pulled by engine S12 and
| consisted of one American Express
car. one combination baggage and
smoking car. one day coach and six
sleepers- PoughkeeDsie was the last
stopping place Of the train before the
disaster at $40 a. m.
At this time there were in the
smoker, in addition to the baggage
man, Herman Aeker Of PeeBsSiIl, who
was in his compartment. eight China
men ec route from the Canadian
border to New York, and middle-aged
mar, supposed 10 be Thomas Reilly,
of 81. Louis. All of these. excepting
the haggageman, perished- The day
coach contained Is or &c passengers
many OF whom were women and chill
dren. How many of these escaped is