, 1897-10-25

man Acker Of Peekskill. who was in his
compartment, eight Cinnamon en- route
from the Canadian border to New York,
and a middle aged man. supposed to be
Thomas Reilly OF st. Louis. All of these
excepting the baggageman persisted. The
day coach contained 1S or 20 passengers,
many OF whom were women and chill
dren. How many OF these escaped is
not known, hut at least IL were drowned
or killed in this car. Behind the coach
were the six s:eepers with about 60 pas
sengers.
The total cargo of human freight on
sisted Of something over a hundred peo-
pie.
HAD SLOWED DOWN.
At Fishkill the train lessensd its speed
as it is the custom to run from that point
10 Tarrytown at the rae o. about 25
miles an hour. Most OF the passengers
were asleep, those in the sleeper being
IN their berths. while the occupants OF
the coach and smoker were, for the most
part, doubled up in their seats.
Just how the train met its awful fate
will never be fully known, for the men
who first felt the danger, Engineer John
Foyle and Fireman John Tompkins. to-
night lie dead in the cabs OF their loco
motive at the bottom OF the Hudson
river. Conductor Parish, who was in
charge Of the train. and who was max
ing up his report in n OF the cars
when the crash came, was rendered I'M
conscious by a blow on the head.
One OF the few occupants OF the coach
who escaped was Frank ]. Degan, a
wood lnlsher OF New York. His left
eye was cut by broken glass. and his
body was slightly bruised. Mr.. began
made this statement:
with my friend, w. H. G. Myers Of
Passaic, ". j.. who was killed in the
car from which I escaped, I had been to
Poughkeepsie. We boarded the train
At that place and took a seat in the
coach. Three other people got On at
Poughkeepsie. One was a woman and
he two others were men, one Of whom
locked like a railroad man. AS near as
1 a Judge, there were IS people in the
coach, most OF them being women and
children, and nearly all were asleep.
Myers ara 1 sat in the middle OF the
car. When the crash came the car gave
a great lurch and rolled over on Its side.
The water rushed in, and almost in
stantly the lisstswsr.. on knew that
we we're in the river, end the car semi
70 plough through the water for sd
time after 1t was submerged. \
The car was tilted over on n side,
and l managed to reach the fan light
overhead and cling to II until help
came.
Il heard people in the back part OF
The car groaning as K they were pinned
Fast. 1t was so dark that I could see
no one, andI think the passengers must
have been drowned like rats. After a
while. it seemed an age, L heard people
on top OF the car and an AK crashed
through the root. The noise of that ak
in the splintered timbers made the
sweetest music I ever heard in my life.
=. man and a boy Gather and SOM were
rescued in the same way, but I know
OF no other occupants OF the coach es-
Gaping. The car at this time was float
ling. but fast filling with water. and we
were put ashore in a rowtboat. I am
sur that my friend Myers was
drowned"
HELP QUICKLY SUMMONED.
One Of the trainmen who survived the
disaster made it his first duty to run to
che first signal tower to telegraph for
he,p. The place where the wreck oc-
CURED is rather isolated. Tt Is just at
he entrance Of what is known as Kings
cut, three miles south OF Garrison's and
Ave miles north OF Peekskill.
Two other express trains we're follow
ing close behind the ill-fated state ex-
press and the engine of one OF them was
sent to G%arrison's for General Manager
J. M. Toucey. who lives there, while the
other egine hurried to Peekskill for
medical aid, Mr.. Toucey was the first
oficial Of the railroad at The scene, ar
irving there at 1880. The engine which
brought him there steamed to Cold
Spring and returned with Drs. Winslow,
Fillebrown and Murdoch. In the mean
lime Drs. Charles and Perley Mason. J.
". Tilden, P. G. Snowden and E. D.
Lynn had arrived and all were soon
at work among the injured.
OF the dramatic horror OF the situa>
ion In the combination when 1t left the
rack and struck the water. perhaps the
best account 10 had from the story OF
Herman Acker, Of Peekskill. the bag
gageman and mail sorter. Acker was
suffering badly from schock when seen,
but these scenes he graphically describ-
ed. He said:
HERMAN ACKER's STORY.
John Shaw. agent Of the Wescott Ex-
press company, and myself were In the
compartment whom suddenly there was
: terrible bump and then . rush Of wa
ter that foecsd ~ toward the ceiling.
The car seemed to turn completely over
and had Oiled with water to within
shout . foot q tie top. Whsn ~ struck
the car whir1d6 coao3etely around. thu