The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-25

sake man, II yOL own boat come uulSh-
lyl Our train Is In the river ana people
are drowning"
II dressed myself and accompanied by
the porter, got into my rowboat and row.
ed around the curve to where the traln
was IN the river. When we reached the
cars which were submerged neaTly 70
their roofs, the engine being entirely out
OF sight, the crews OF the tugboats were
making efforts 20 save tho pnssengers'
The first man ] saw them take out was,
think, the agent OF the expires car IAe
first persons we succeeded In rescutng
were Two Cinnamon who were sitting on
the roof OF the smoker. One has his
arm broken. We put them ashore and
then took three more persons of the top
OF another car. At the same time people
In their underclothes were being taken
out of the sleeping cars by the crews OF
the several tugs. One man on shore with
an arm cut off was dying and we made
his last moments as comfortable as poai-
slble. want 10 say that the porters,
althought frightened, showed great
bravery and saved many lives"
One of the trainmen who survived the
disaster, made 1t his first duty to run TO
the nearest signal tower to telegraph for
help. The place where the wreck occur
red is rather isolated. 1t Is Just at the
entrance to what 10 known as the ktng' 8
Cut, three miles south OF Garris0hs and
five miles north of Peeksklll.
Two other express trains were follow
ing close behind the ill-fated state eN-
press and the engine of one of them was
sent 10 Garrisons for General Manager
]. M. Toucey who lives there, while the
other engine hurried to Peekskill for
medical aid. Mr.. Toucey was the first
otlcial OF the road at the scene, reachina
there at 7:30. The engine which brought
him there steamed to Cold Springs and
returned with Doctors Winslow, Fill
brown and Murdocis. In the meantime.
Doctors Charles and Herley Mason, J.
NJ. Tilden. r. c. Snowden and Ed Lynn
had arrived and all the doctors were
soon at work among the Injured.
OF the dramatic horror OF the sltua-
ton in the combination car when IL LEFT
the track and struck the water, perhaps
the best account is had from the story
OF Herman Acker, of Peekskill, the
baggageman and mail sorter. Acker
was suffering badly from shock when
seen, hut the scene he graphically de-
scrlbed as follows:
"John Show, agent for the Westcott
Express Company and myself were In
the compartment when suddenly there
was terrific bump and then rush OF
water that forced US toward the cell
Ing. The car seemed to turn complete
ly over and had Allied with water to
within about a foot OF the top. When
we struck the car whlrled completely
around, the end with the Chinese being
uynder water, while our end was tilted
up. We swan around and got Venti-
lntor open and, noting the situation, got
an axe from tool box which was
eve crawled through the hole to the
roof of the car and rowboat came out
and took us ashore"
THE FIRST VICTIM FOUND.
The first victim Of che disaster found
was lying on shore, dying. He was Dad
ly bruised about the head and body and
his right arm was cut off near the
shoulder, the bleeding stump alone
showing, The member was not found
The man was placed on train and ta-
ken to Peekskill, but died on the way:
The body was that OF q middle-aged
man. 49,.
Five men were rescued from the top
OF n floating car n few minutes after
tho accident. They we're put on train
ana taken TO Peekskill. They were ad-
mitted 10 the Helping Hand hospital
where their wounds were dressed VI
the Ave. three were Chinamen and
none were fatally injured.
w s. Lnngford, OF Bayonne, n. j.,
was In one Of the last coaches which
remained on the track. He secured an
axe and chopping out panel OF one
Of the partly submerged cars, lie hefp-
ed to rescue four people.
A specinl engine brought DIVISION
Superintendent Mccoy and Trainmas-
tors Wtckes and Slack from TaTTY-
town. md almost simultaneously a
wracj,ing train arrived from Peeksklli
and another from Poughkeepsie. The
oHfciois saw az once that the wrccking
cars would be of little avail In raising
fine cars from the positions in the river
whore thew were almost completely
submerged, SO the Chapman wrecking
company, OF New York, was notified to
send a river derrick and floats TO raise
the cars.
The American Express Company had
a nunnber of It's agents at the scene
early in the day. but they we're power
less TO do anything, as no attempt was
made to raise their car. 1t was said
thot this car contained thousands OF
dollnrs worth OF valuables, but the OIL
cInls said that oil would be recovered,
ns the valunbles were In a stationary
safe attached 10 the car.
When the derrick and hoisting engine
raised the combination car to such
posltion that the windows were clear
Of the water. the body of n man came
out of window. It was the first life
less form of any OF the passengers 10
he rescued. The searchors were only
able 20 find eight Cinnamon and they
were also carried TO the morgue car.
They were laid In row, numbered, and
were ready for Identification.
The derrick next pulled the day conch
10 the shore and tho searching parties
wero able to reach It. Although 1t Is
known tina there were many more
nergons In the coach, but elk bodies
were recovered. Two Of these were
women. They were all placed side by
aide. The last body was recovered at
5:l5 o'clock.
on the body OF W. II. Myers, Of IRE
mont n. Y. s75 In money was found,
In his vept pocket was n handsome op-
en-faced watch. The searcher CHANGED
10 look nj II and found that the hands
pointed to $40. The wntoh atoppcd at
The minute OF the accident.
The Chinese boarded the train at Ma
lone, n. Y. There were fourteen In tho
pnrty, three Of whom are missisg.
From the time the bodies were tnltNn
from tho Inflated cars, thousands OF
morbidly curious persons assembled
about The imProvlsel morguc. ~