The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-25

b'h' HcIhhpS Ulto'n, VI tnC people IN the car were
taken out. They were lifted through the win.
dows. From the other cars somo cscapod
by bnttoring out the end doors. The
passenger coach was tho only ono on
which tho roscuers could not work; but
there were men In that who were strong enough
to help themselves and their less fortunate com.
panions. They seized tho axes with which the
car was equipped and banged and hammered
and cut until they had driven a hole through
the side aud the roof, and out of this they
dragged after them, before they had TO desert
tho floating car. four of their companions, two
of them wor en-.
TuGBoAT TO THE RESCUE.
These were all taken ashore by the tugboat
Samuel Chase. The Chase had been coming
down the river. Tho men on her had not seen
the accident happen, but they did sec the com.
motion ashore, and in reply to the frantic sig.
nails. they headed in and took off not only the
people from the roof of the day coach. but nlso
from the sides OF tho %slccpcrs. where some OF the
rescued passengers stood shivering.
1t was perhaps thrCc.Quarters of an hour after
the wreck, when every window within reach
had been smashed and holes cut in the roofs OF
the cars, that the passengers and the train crew
stopped their work OF trying to get people out.
They had taken ashore more than n dozen who
were injured, one of these being Samuel VIII
liams. a passenger In the Buffalo sleeper, whose
arm had been torn ont,
While the work of rescue was going on mes
scngers had rushed to Highlands and Garrison'u
and sent news of the wreck along the line and
had warned the villagers, so that by the time It
was over there was Il crowd heading toward the
scene. The Atlantic express had also arrived.
and the Passengers from that train went to
work caring for the injured. James j. Corbett.
the pugilist. was "A passenger on this train, with
some members pf his thpnt rirnl tnnn trlo,
carried Williams into their car, and it was there
that he died.
1t was more than an hour after the wreck when
the company succeeded In getting the first
wrccking train to the scene and n coach in
which the wounded people could be taken to
hospitals. Their wounds in the meantime had
been attended to by physicians from Garrison's
and Highlands. When the coach was ready only
six said they wanted to 90 TO n no ,pital, the
others preferringt to come on to New York; SO
the six were taken to Peekskill. Ono died on
the way.
A TEMPORARY TRACK QUICKLY BUILT.
There being no hope that any of the persons
who were still in the cars were alive, the rail
road officials bent all their encrg cs to getting
n temporary track laid, over which they could
send the trains that were stalled and get the
rescued and the injured passengers to this city.
There was still enough of the bank left TO per-
NIT the laying Of u temporary track. and this
was strengthened as the work went on. Orders
were sent all along the road to send every avail
abl- man TO the scene of the disaster.
In two hours there were 500 railroad en-
ployees at work. They finished this temporary
track before 8 o'clock. and the stalled trains
were sent on around the wreck. The passengers
Of the wrecked train and the injured who came
TO New York were on the Atlantic express. and
arrived here about IL o'clock.
II was mt until aftcr trn Mo ,rou time ro,,,,al
that any systematizcd effort was made to find
out exactly what had happened. AS stated be-
fore. the road at the point OF the accident is on
an emibankment. This embankment is about
ten feet above the level OF the water in the river
at high tide. 1t is bedded on solid rock
that slopes toward the river and pro-
tected from the water by a stone wall a little
more than three feet thick. On the side
Of the road nearest the woods there is n
ditch, but it has been dry for n long time, and
there was nothing to weaken the embankment
ON that side. The land inside the stone wall.
that is the cmbankment. was a mixture of dirt
and ashes up to within two feet of the top.
These two feet were the bed Of tho road. Tho
roadbed was of broken stone. The company
had anticipated putting another track on tho
embankment closer to the river, and the outside
track was sixteen feet from the river.
WALL AND ~EMBANKMENT A OUT OF SIGHT,
The inspection showed that this stone wall
and the embankment, except a strip about eight
feet wide. had literally disappeared. taking with
them the railroad tracks, the tics, and every
thing else. The missing strip was more than
fifty feet long and was fully thirty.fve feet
wide. What was left OF the embankment slanted
down toward the water, showing plainly that
what was missing had slipped Off into the river.
Above the hole the track was torn up for some
distance, the ties were cut and the stones
crushed. This could got have been il some part
Of the train had not gone beyond the slide. Re-
viewing the whole affair. it looked ms il the On.
ginc had passed over tho part of the road that
was missing. and the cmbankmcnt Ia given
way when the first or second car Of the traiu
reached that point. These cars slid down with
the cmbankment, pulling the engine and the
slecpers after them.
TIE water twenty feet fr III shore is NOR,
than thirtj five feet dee and a tn: engine
topplcd I must have fallen at lens tat dis.
tancr, 70" it disappeared entirely rom vie =.
An examination of the bed OF the river outside
tho st II @ wall ubo G and below I &c gap showed
that ii of roci. The railroad officials snid all Of
the embankment that l. mi 5 ng was nls } built
on rock. The 70, X had disap. cared with tho
wall and the mad, land and the rail that were
on them.
SEARCH FOR TIE DEAD.
IT was afternoon before the railroad officials
had things in shape to set about the search for
the bodies OF tho dead in the cars that were in
the river. The passenger coach. which had
hoated off, had been captured by a tuRboat
about a quarter OF n mile down the stream and
Ind been towcd ashore ana anchored. Tho ex-
press car had tloatcd down nearly n mile. That
also had been captured and anchored near u
wharf. 1t was believed when the work Of search
ing the wreck was begun that all the passengers
were ont OF the sleeping cars. so the first work