New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-25
CLEARING UP TIL WRECK.
PROMPT WORK BY THE ROADS OFFICIALS SIGHT
s-r-ES FLOCK TO THE SCENE.

sEi-Rs FLOCK TO The SCENE.
car-isor.s y Y Oct q (spec!aD-Ths disaster
TO the state Express occurred at $50 o'clock IN the
morning and not an hour and a hall elapsed be-
fore the work OF recovering the bodies OF tho
drowned began. The work was In charge OF - -
Mccoy superintendent OF the Hudson RIVER d.
vision Of the road Mr.. McCoy was in bed at his
home In Tarrytown when the message telling OF the
wreck was delivered at his house. but he reached
the scene IN about an hour. The three wreckins
outfits which he had ordered-one from PeeKsKl!!'
the second from Poughkeepsie and the third from
Tivol-were there almost as soon. and the I'VE nun
dred men of the crews were set TO work instantly
All day long they worked. many OF them without
food until they had done all that they could DO the
work Of raising the heavy engine and the sub
merged car being left for the Chapman-Merr,tt
Wrecking Company.
SAW 4 C;RENSO SIGHT.
OF course the sizbtseers hocked to the spot a
large part of them being women: and those VINO
came early enough had their I'LL OF grewsome
sights when the bodies OF the drowned were oeils
removed from the combination baggage and smok-
,ng-car and the day coach. II was scene OF com
nIete wreck too. that met their eyes. The river
at this point Is ten feet below the top OF inc
masonry which confines the level bank on which
the road runs and from the edge o, this retaining
wall TO the southbound track Is about ten feet
The stone wall inspected regularly. like the track
itself and only last Thursday the roadmaster went
over the ground OH special inspection train.
Indeed at AS o'clock yesterday morning the
Atlantic express went over the place speeding
toward New-York and felt no trcmor. At 80 the
Inflated Boston express came. the retaining wall
and the bank for nfteer or twenty feet behind IT
and for north-a nd-souh distance OF a5ou: thirty
fec. sank under the weight and melted into the
river as II the ponderous engine had run onto
erea. ouicksand, the locomotive and a half-cozen
cars sank or plunged or opped into the river, and
about twenty human beings, imprisoned beyond
nosslbIlity OF relief felt the dcath-agony o. the
drowning.
Nearly sixty feet In all OF the roadway caved in.
the bank for part OF the distance now shelving
down to the waters edge: while for the twenty
dye-toot stretch which is water where yes
terday morning the Central trains were running
over apparently solid ground, the bank is curved
and perpendicular. Into this gull run the rails
OF the souhbound track massive stretches OF steel
bent almost to right angle by the fearful force OF
the trains weight suddenly exerted without re-
s.stance from the roadbe6. Some ties are IN place.
binding the upheaved rails. and In other places the
rails take widely different directions
WAGNER sLEEPER5 ~ THE RIVER.
In the water close to shore lie three OF the
Wagner sleepers-the Glen Alpine Hermes and
| Niooe-p!tifu! wrecks. but. happily not charnei-
houses The rearmost OF thcm-behind which were
an the train three other Wagners which did not
leave the track or suffer any iniury-uas the
| sullyins was done which wrecked the train. her
| ends spanning the arc OF the washout-t it may
! no described Next In front o. her Is the Hermes
| the Toronto car one end protruding from the
water and a third Of her length submerged.
Then comes the first Of the sleepng-cars. the
| Glen Alpine which was entirely submerged. Tho
| railroad company's wrecking crew succeeded late
"a the afternoon in getting the Glen Alpine partly
out OF the water her roof being above the surface
as she lay on her side. nclinng toward the shore.
| Part Of her roof has been torn entirely away In
| der Il: could be seen only water. d!scoored with
| the soakings Of garments and bedding and blan-
| ke,s. and from the side Of the car rose twisted
| pipes and wires.
| II had been feared that bodies might be found In
| the stateroorn Of the Glen Alpine and the Chap
| man. Merritt Wreckng Company. whose big der.
rick arrived at the scene about 10 last night had
been directed to use It's first endeavors to pulling
| this sleeping-car entirely UP. that any bodies
| which might possibly be in Il might be recovered
| without moments delay. But soon came a dis
Latch from General Superintendent Van Etten
saying that the two occupants OF the statsroom
| had been found IN New-York The Wagner con-
| ductor E. A. Breckon. had been IN the car Her
| mes and had escaped urin,ured. taking with him
the list Of the passengers o. the sleeping-cars SO
| OF course, the names could all be checked of in
| New-York and the passengers accounted for Mr.
Breckon. by the way did valuable and heroic work.
assisted by the coored porters in saving the pas.
| eengers from the sleepng-cars, which on touching
the water sank so gradually that there was on
| portunity by quick and Intelligent work to rescue
the occupants.
GRAPHING FOR THE CARS.
| The Chapman Merritt wrecking ecow. with its
| great derrick. fully seventy-hve feet high, made
| fast about o'clock last night alongside the Clan
| Alpine. and sent her divers dUwn to arrange for
passing the graphing chains under the car. A
great scow belonging TO the same company IL be-
| ing towed up from New.York. and on her arrival
at the scene Of the disaster. about o'clock this
| morning the car will be lifted onto her and the
| way cleared for an attempt to locate the engine
| and tender on which are three men-the engi-
| nesr. John Foyle; the fireman. James Tonpkns.
| and A. G. Mckay. General Superintendent Van Et-
tens private secretary. The engine, though. may
| to further back. for between the Hermes
| and the Niobe there seems to he some
thing which tlts their ends upward 4