The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-25
Sweetest Music Ever Heard.

One Of the few occupants OF the coach,
who escaped with his life was Frank j.
Degan, a wood finisher OF New York.
His left eye was cut by broken glass and
his body was slightly bruised. Mr.
Degan made this statement: with my
friend. w. ii. G.. Myers OF Passaic. N. j.,
who was killed in the car from which l
escaped. l had been TO Poughkeepsie
We boarded the train at that place and
took seat in the coach. Three other
people got on at Poughkeepsie, one
woman and the two others were men,
one OF whom looked like a railroad en-
ploye AS near as / can Judge there
were IS people in the coach. most of them
being women and children. and nearly
all were asleep. Myers and l sat IN the
middle OF the car.
when the crash came the car gave
a great lurch and rolled over on it's side.
The water rushed in. and almost in
stantly the lights went out. l knew we
were in the river. and the car seemed 70
plough through the water for some time
after II was submerged. The car was
tilted over on one side and I managed
to reach the fanlight overhead and cling
TO IL until help came. I heard people IL
the back part OF the car groaning as II
they were pinned fast. IL was SO dark
that l could see no one, and think the
passengers must have been drowned like
rats.
After awhile--it seemed an aPe-I
heard people on the top OF the car, and an
ak crashed through the roof. The noise
OF that ak In the splintered timbers made
the sweetest music / ever heard in my
life. Soon they hal n hole cut IN the
roof and pulled me ont through IL. 4
man and boy. father anI son. were also
rescued in the same way but know Of
no other occupant Of the coach escaping
The car at hts time was floating, hut
fast filling with water. and We wer, pIt
ashore in fowlol: nm sure TIA, my
friend Mvsrs was irowned"
Augustus Eah. living near the scene
OF the wreck gives this description: 1T
was about five minutes before when
was awakened by someone In my yard
calling for help. Looking out OF my
window. saw sleeping car porter. who
shouted: For Gods sake. man, IL you
own a boat come quietly. Our train Is
In the river and people are drowning
I dressed myself. and accompanied by
the porter. got into my rowboat and
rowed around the curve to where the
train was in the river When we reached
the cars, which were submerged nearly
TO their roofs, the engine being entirely
out OF sight. the crews OF the tugboats
were making efforts TO save the passen-
gers. The first man I saw them take
out was, think, the agent OF the express
car. The first persons We succeeded In
ttt,rr g..
sitting on the roof OF the smoker One
had his arm broken. We put them
ashore and then took three more per-
sons off the top OF another car. the
same time people in their underclotlcs
were being taken out " the sleeping
cars by the crews o. the several tugs
One man on shore. with an ara cu. of.
was dying. ana we made his last no.
ments as comfortable as possible.
want 10 say that the porters showed
great bravery and saved mary lives"
one OF the trainmen who survived tho
disaster made II his iiist duty to run 10
the nearest signal tower 10 telegraph for
help. The place where the wreck oc-
CURED is rather isolated. II is just al
the entrance 10 what is known as Kings
cut, three miles south Of Carrisons and
fve miles north of peeasl;ill
The other express trains were follow.
iny close behind the ill-fated state cx-
press. and the engine ~ one OF them
was sent 10 Garrsons for General Mana
ger Toucey. who lives there, while the
other engine hurried 10 Peekskill for
medical aid. Mr. roucey was the firs,
official OF the railroad ut tho scene.
reaching there a; 80. The engine which
brought him there returned 10 Cold
Spring and thought back Drs winslow.
Fillebrown and Murdock. In the mean
time Drs Charles and Percy Mason. Til
den. Sowdcn and Lynn had arrived. and
all the doctors were soon at work among
the injured