The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-25
HURLED INTO THE HUDSON.
A New York CGlIr0I TrQiI PIuIgGS
From The TrQCk
DOWN TO DEADLY DEPTHS.
No Warning Given the Cargo Of Hu-
man Freight Until
CARS CRASHED UPON CARS.
Twenty Eight Persons Estimated to
Have PeTiShed.
MANY SERIOUSLY INJURED,

A Caved-In Embankment Causes
the Disaster-Engine With Enei-
neer and Fireman, and Probably
vate Secretary, at the Rivers Bot
tom-TVO Coaches Pile in the Wa
ter Upon the Engine-FOrtunately
a Coupling Pin Breaks ands Leaves
Six SIeepers Upon the Track-Hc-
roes Swim to the Emerged Cars
and Cut Exits for the ImprisOn-
ed PaSsengers-WOrk of Rescue
Progressing With All Rapidity
Possible.
New York, Oct. A-By the cav
ing in of an embankment on the
Hudson river, about six miles from
Peeksknl, this morning at 1880 o'clock
a New York Central train was thrown into
the river and twenty-eight persons killed.
The New York Central train left Buffa-
10 last night and had progressed for nearly
nfne-tenths of the distance towards its
destination. The engineer and his fire.
man had just noted the gray dawn break
ing in the east, and the light streak of
red betokening the suns appearance,
when, with the great engine, a servant on
the rails, a devil off, plunged into the
depths of the river. Neither engineer nor
fireman will ever tell the story of that ter
rible moment for with his hand upon the
hi
gine to the river bottom, and the fireman,
too, was at his post. Behind them came
the express car, the combination car and
the sleepers, and these piled on top of the
engine.
1t is known that 1t was a trihe foggy
and that the track was not visible, but if
there was any break in the lines of steel,
it must have been of very recent hap
pening, for only an hour before there had
passed over it a heavy passenger train,
laden with human freight. Neither is
there an explanation ready. All is con
lecture.
The section Of road was supposed to be
the very best on the entire division. There
was a heavy retaining wall all along the
bank and while the tide was high yes
terday, it was not unprecedented.
What seems to have happened was that
underneath the tracks and ties the heavy
wall had given way, and when the great
weight of the engine struck the unsup-
ported tracks it went crushing through
the rest of the wall and toppled over into
the river.
Then there happened what on the rail-
road at any other time would have caused
disaster, but now proved very blessing.
As the train plunged over the embank-
ment the coupling that held the last three
OF the six sleepers broke and they mirao
ulously remained on the broken track.
In that way some sixty lives were saved.
Of eye-witnesses there were none, except
the crew of a tug boat passing with
tow. They saw the train with it's light
as 1t came flashing about the curve, and
tAen saw the greater part of it go into
the river.
Some of the cars with closed windows
noaled, and the tug, whistling for help,
cast off its hawser and started to thu
rescue. A porter jumped from one of the
cars that remained on the track and ran
INTO the yard of Augustus Carr's house,
near which the accident occurred, and
stood screaming for help, and moaning:
Inc rain is in the river; all our pas
sensers are drowned"
IN few minutes Carr had dressed him,
ser and, getting boat, rowed with the
porter to the scene.
AS they turned a point of the bank they
Iame u9on the express car and the COM
2IRauon car floating about twenty feet
rom shore but sinking every minute. One
man was taken from the top of the car
u"' N"orts were made to rescue those in
sue few were gotten out, the passen-
eIs Iett upon the track making a hui
ilan nIidge TO the shore to take the wound
Nl on The day coach and smoker had
cone down In the deeper water and res
cue was impossible
IN the latter coach fhe conditions must
nave been horrible, The car turned COM
5'g,eiy over and the passenger end OF it
N'S lh the deep water, while the baggage
'uu stood up towards the surface. The men
+i '4"s lower end must have fought like
-ghIs for a brief period for the bodies,
"m,u aiken out. were a mass Of wounds.
I"e losing scene of the first day of this
ase"N IS drawn around a common car
'' stands near the scene OF the accident
,,H,Ie nearly a score of badly mutlated
tJI't none of them yet claimed by
''le'y'' I,lI are lying in a long row, grewsome
"eeS of disaster, the greatest that
p occurred on this railroad.
sts. wrecked train was known as the
l.' express. It left Buffalo at o'clock
night and was due ia New York at