The San Francisco call., 1897-10-25

>SsdssSbSS outs
w. S. Llngford of Bayonne, N. J., was
in one os the last coaches which remained
on the track. He secured an ak and
chopped out panel OF one of the partly
submerged cars and helped to rescue four
people.
At O'Clock one OF the express trains
left the scene with the man who had died
on the track and about twenty-five injured
persons.
The dead man and five injured were left
at Peekskill, where the injured were taken
to the Helping Hand Hospital, while the
train proceeded TO New York with the
rest of the injured. This train had hardly
left the scene OF ;he disaster when special
engine arrived there bringing Division
superintendent Mccoy ana Trainmasters
Wyck and Stack from Tarrytown, and
almost simultaneously a wrecking train
came from Poughkeepsie. The officials
saw at once that the wrecking cars would
be of little avail in raising the cars f.om
their position in the river, where they
were almost com pletely submerged, so the
Chapman Wrecking Company of New
York was notified to send a river derrick
and floats to raise the cars.
General Manager Toucey gave out the
following statement as to the cause of the
disaster:
The accident was caused by the bed of
the railroad being washed out in some in
explicabie manner. In this undermined
condition the track sank as soon as the
weight of the train was put on it and the
embankment giving way the train was of
course precipitated into the river. Such
for. Trains have been running over this
spot for years and years withou accident
or difficulty of any kind, and this piece of
track was considered as good as any Sec
ton of the railroad. Not only was he
roadbed the hardest kind of al EN- Dank-
ment, but il was strengthened by retain
ing water wall OF solid masonry three feet
thick"
Other railroad officials were of the opin-
ion that a quicksand foundation of some
kind below the water line was responsible
for the sinking of the roadbed.
Before 10 o'clock this morning a large
number of curious spectators had gath
cred at the scene, coming from nearby
towns and villages by trains, wagons,
bicycles and boats. The number of NOR
bidiy curious steadily increased as the day
wore on, and excursion boats even came
from places far up and down the river,
all loaded down TO the waters edge, until
at midaiternoon there were fully 10, 900
about the wreck It required the utmos:
exertlon of Chief Hammond Of the rail-
road police and his corps of detectives to
hold these people in check 10 allow the
railroad men to proceed with their WORK.
Chief n M Opd ri in
ering valuables, and if there were any
thieves about they got no opportunity TO
ply their trade.
Tne American Express Company had
mum ber of its agents on the scene, but
they were powerless to do anything, and
no attemp ut was made 10 raise their car.
1t was SAID that this car contained thou
sands of dollars worth OF valuabes, but
the officials said that all would be recov-
cred, as The valuables were il a stationary
safe attached 10 the car.
Among the railroad men it was gener-
ally believed that A. g. Mckay OF Har-
lem, private secretary to the general
superin tendent, Van Etten, had lost his
lie in the wreck. He was a passenger on
the train and was last seen at Albany,
where, il was said, he boarded the loco
motive to ride with the engineer. If that
is true he shared the fate of the engineer
and fireman; at any rate be was missing
up to late hour.
The terrible eviden ces of the wreck were
visible at point TWO miles below here to.
night under intensely spectacular circum-
stances. The great wreckingcar torch
threw a red glare over the men busily en-
gagged in tearing apart the wreckage to
get at any bodies tAat mi ght be under it.
The men worked with great energy and
ever and anon would bring to the surface
a body crampeu into an abnormal posi-
ton.
On the top of the partly submerged
cars gang of men chopped away with
axes and the huge derrick from the wreck
ing train tore out the mahogany tr NJ
mings and ceilings and berfhs III the en-
deavor to recover some body's loved one
rom the wreck. On shore a great gang of
men worked to get the inside, or up track,
so repaired that there would be no trouble
in getting trains through.
Before noon General Manager Toucey
had formed an estimate of the nun Der
of dead. which he placed at twenty-eight,
and no change in this estimate was made
Qurlng the Gay.
A. E. Bracken, cond uctcr OF the Wagner
cars, was able 20 account for all his pas
sengers excepting five, and he was not
sure that they were in the wreck, as they
might have escaped and gone to New
York without his knowledge.
When a diver arrived from New York
this afternoon tine first thing he dio was
to 60 through the three subm- rged Sleep
ing-cars. He reported that he found no
bodies, but said that one or more might be
under the berths, which were in great
confusion.
1t was O. clock before the derrick and
hoisting engine could raise the com bina.
ton car consisting of smoker and baggage
compartments TO such position that the
TOP OF it was out o. the water. Slowly
the big load began 10 rise, and in few
minutes it had been turned over so that
the windows were clear of the water. The
body OF man came ont of window as
the car was being brought to the shore. A
boat was near by, and the oarsmen Sc
cured the body. 1t was the first Iifeless
form OF any Of the passengers to be res