Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-10-30
TRAINS FATAL PLUNGE.
Six Cars on the New York Central
Road Jump Into the Hudson.
TWENTY LIVES WERE LOST.

Both Engineer and Firomen MetDeath
at Their Post-Passengers Rescued
Through the Roofs or Cars-The Acci-
dent Probably Caused by ouicksands
Garrfsons. N. Y, Oct. 25-At $40
o'clock yesterday morning a terrible
disaster occurred near this city. which
resulted in the loss OF 20 lives and IN
juries to a large number. The New
York Central express train which left
Buffalo at 7 o'clock Saturday night was
composed OF one express car, one COM
posite baggage and smoking car, one
day coach and six sleepers- Suddenly
the locomotive plunged over the low
embankment into the Hudson river.
carrying with II all but the three last
sleeping cars, which remained on the
track on account OF the breaking OF
the coupling pin. In that way some
so lives were saved.
When the accident happened most Of
the passengers were asleep, those in the
sleepers 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
Tomplxins, were carried down. with the
engine. as was A. G. Mckay, private
secretary Of General Superintendent
Van Etten. who was riding on the en-
CINE.
Conductor Parish, who was In charge
| OF the train. and who was making up
his report in one Of the cars wheR 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.
! Augustus Kah, a German living near
the scene of the wreck. gives this de-
scription:
1T was about FIVE minutes before
when was awakened by some one in
my yard calling for help. Looking out
of my window I saw q sleeping car
porter who shouted: For Gods sake
man. II you own a boat, come quickly.
Our train Is In the river and people
are drowning.
1T dressed myself and accompanied
by the porter got into my rowboat and
rowsd around the curve to where the
train was in the river. When We
reached the cars. which were sub
merged nearly to their roofs, tho en-
, CINE being entirely out Of sight, th'
, crews of the tugboat were making Of
r forts to save the passengers. The mrs
! man I saw them take out was. think
. the agent of the express car. The frs
= persons we succeeded IN rescuing wer
. two Cinnamon, who were sitting on tn
roof of the smoker. One had his arm
q broken. We put them ashore and the
= took three more persons Off the to-
q Of another car. At the same time peopl
In their underclothes were being take
q out OF the sleeping cars by the crews Q
;s the several tugs. One man on SHORE
with an arm cut of. was dying, and W
Ia made his last moments as comfortabl
as possible.
Five men were rescued from the to
d of a floating car a few minutes ate
III the accident They were put on trsi
30 and taken to Peekslxill, about ten mile
down the road. They were admitted
the Helping Hand hospital. where the
s. wounds were dressed. OF the FIVE thr'
" were Cinnamon, and none were fatal
"a injured.
w. S. Langford. OF Bayonne. N.
was In one OF the last coaches whiC
as remained on the track. he secured 9
a AK and chopping out a panel Of one
the partly submerged cars helped
rescue four people
u, General Manager Toucey says: ct
e accident was caused by the bed OF {
railroad being washed out in some
|
condition the track sank az soon as
weight of the train was put on 1t, a
the embanlment giving away the ira
. was of course precipitated into (
river.
=. such conditions as this we have ney
"a looked for. Trains have been runni
over this spot for years and years wit
out accident or difficulty OF any XII
and this piece OF track was consider
So as good as any section OF the railro'
Not only was the roadbed the hard
rs kind OF an embanlSment. but II "
go strengthened by retaining water W
W. OF solid masonry three feet thick"
Other railroad officials were of
To-, opinion that a Quicksand foundat
IA OF some kind below the water line v
the responsible for the giving way Of
roadbed.
The complete list of the dead is
hio follows:
m Thomas Reilly. ST. Louis; e. Acre
Chicago; w. II. G. Myers. fremont
to Y; Giuseppe Taguana, New York;
.rd, Standardization, Newark. N. j.; Sa
ace. uel Williams. Buffalo; A-G. Mckay. !
ur- vate secretary to General Superfnte
and ent Van Etten; John Foyle, engine
ave Eas- Albany; John Q. Tompk
fireman. East Albany; Mrs. Robert
.ars Lhhusmah' Ouca' ~ IL III" ASS %
du- san Francisco, Nnna oHs HoP,
az years old. brother of Lee Song,
Francisco; Chin Quong Hong.
York, father of Fong Hop and
-. Song; Hoo Wuh, New York; Lee T
.IH Sing, II Mott street, New York, n
.rnr chant; Wong Gin, Hop Sing and
unidentified Chinaman; unidenti
woman. about "a years old, said tc
., from Hudson, N. Y: Isaac Ret
49, berg, OF New York.
Chauncey M. Depew. president Of
-. New York Central railroad, decl
49, that there are suspicious that the w
at Garrisons was caused by q d.
mite explosion.