Connecticut western news., 1897-10-28
A SCORE OF VICTIMS.
APPALLING DISASTER ON THE NEW
 YORK CENTRAL ROAD.

Garrisons, N. Y., Oct. 26.-The most disastrous wreck in the history of the New York Central railroad occurred near this station on Sunday morning. Train No. 46, known as the Buffalo ex press, was wrecked short distance be- low this station. With a deafening crash and the hiss of escaping steam rhe engine plunged down the embank- ment, dragging with it all but three of the sleeping cars into the Hudson river.
 The engine was submerged in 50 feet Of water, With the engineer at the throt- tie and the fireman in the cab buried beneath 1t. Twenty people lost their lives, and several were badly injured. The following is list of the dead:
 John c. Foyle, engineer, East Albany; body still in the river.
 John Q. Tompkins, fireman, East AL bany.
 Samuel Williams, 7S1 Best street. Buffalo.
 Thomas Riley, St. Louis.
 w. H. G. Myers, Fremont, N. Y.
 A. G. Mckay, New York city; body still In river.
 E. A. Green, Binghamton. N. Y. ..
 William Schenckenbecker, Newark, N. J., otherwise known as William s. Becker
 Isaac Rittenberg, Cleveland.
 Giuseppe Taguana, 3S Park street, New York city.
 Mrs. Robert Lindsman, Utica, N. Y.
 Unknown woman, not yet identified.
 Chin Lee Song, San Francisco, on his way to make New York his home.
 Chin Fong Hop, brother of Chin Lee Song.
 Hoo Wah New York.
 Ciyo Naw York.
 Unknown Chinaman with letter to Hop Sing of Newark, N. J.
 Wong Gim, residence unknown.
 Two unknown Chinamen.
 The III Fated Train.
 The train was hauled by engine SIP and consisted of one American Express car, one composite baggage and smok- ing car, one day coach and six sleepers This was the makeup of the train when 1t left Poughkeepsie, the last stopping place before the disaster. At this time there were in the smoker, In addition to the baggageman, Herman Acker of PeekskiH. who was in his compartment; eight Chinamen en route from the Ca- madam border to New York and a mid dle aged mar supposed to be Thomas Reilly of 2860 Wisconsin avenue, St. Louis. All of these excepting the bag gagemaster perished. The day coach contained IS or 20 passengers, many of whom were women and children. How many of these escaped is not definitely known, but at least 12 were drowned or killed in this car.
 Behind the coach were the six sleep ers-the Gienalpine. with IS passengers; the Hermes, with 12 passengers; the Mi obe, with II; the Diana, with about 15; Anita, nearly full. and the Racket Riv- CT, with no passengers. The total cargo of human freight consisted of some thing over 100 people.
 Conductor Parish, who was in charge of the train and who was making up his report in one of the cars when the crash came, was rendered unconscious by a blow on the head. When he re- covered, he was three seats ahead of the one in which he had been sitting. One of the few occupants of the coach who escaped with his life was Frank J. Degan, wood finishcr of 269 West Thirty fourth street, New York. His aeft eye was cut with broken glass, and his body was slightly bruised. MT. De- gan makes this statement: "Eith W. H. G. Myers of Fremont, N. r., who was killed in the car from which I escaped, I had been to Pough- keepsie. We boarded the train at that place and took a seat in the coach. Three other people got on at Pough- keepsie. One was a woman, and the ! two others were men, one of whom looked like a railroad employee. AS near as I can judge, there were IS peo- pie in the coach, most of them being women and children, and nearly all were asleep. Myers and I sat in the middle of the car. When the crash came, the car gave great lurch and rolled over on it's side. The water rushed in, and almost instantly the lights went out. I knew we were in the river, and the car seemed to. blow through the water for some time after it was submerged. The car tilted over on one side, and I managed to reach the fanlight overhead and cling to 1t until help came.
 Drowned Like Rats In a Bucket. 'I heard people in the back part of the car grooming as if they were pinned fast. It was so dark that I could see no one, and I think the passengers must l have been drowned like rats in a sunken ship. After while-it seemed almost an age-I heard people on top of the car, and an ax crashed through the ! roof. The noise of that ax in the splin- tered timbers made the sweetest music Il a hole cut In the roof and pulled me II through it. A man and a boy Gather \ and son) were also rescued in the same Y way, but I know of no other occupants ' of the coach escaping. The car at this ! time was soating but fast filling with \ water, and we were put ashore in a X rowboat. I am sure that my friend N Myers was drowned"
 ! Of the dramatic horror of the situa- \ Affr,i fIr1d h ks,~,. f4 \ the track and struck the water, per ! haps the best account Is had in the ! story of Herman Acker of Peekskill, ! the baggageman and mail sorter. Ack- | CT was suffering badly from shock when | seen, but the scenes he graphically de-
 scribed. He said:
 John Shaw, the agent for the Vest
 cott Express company, and myself were
 in the compartment, when suddenly
 there was a terrible bump and then a
 rush of water that forced us toward Il the ceiling. The car seemed to turn l completely over and had filled with wa Il ter to about a foot from the top. When I we struck, the car whirled completely
 around, the end which the Chinese oc-
 cupied being under water, while our I end was tilted up. We swan around \ and got ventilator open and, noting
 the situation, took an ax from a tool I box which was afioat and smashed | panel in the end of the car. We crawied I through the hole to the roof of tine car, < and rowboat came out and took us 5 sshore." Acker has been a railroader
 many years and has escaped from three I serious accidents. His arm is badly cut
 and his body bruised. Shaw escaped injury.
 ! The first victim of the disaster found
 was lying on the shore dying. He was
 badly bruised about the head and body
 and his right arm was cut off near the
 shoulder, the bleeding stump alone
 slowing The member was not found
 TBe man was placed on a train and ta-
 ken to Peekskill but died on the way
 The body was that of a middle aged
 man about six feet tall, weighing about
 1Se pounds.