Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1897-10-27

nave IOuRnC ike nends for a brief
period, for the bodies when taken out
were mass Of wounds.
The closing scene of the first day of
this tragedy is drawn around common
Car that stands near the scene of the
accident where nearly score of
Badly MutiIated Bodies,
none Of them yet claimed by friends.
are lying in long row, gruesome evil
dence OF the disaster, the greatest that
has ever occurred on this railroad.
Poughkeepsie was the last stopping
place of the train before the disaster at
6:I0 a. m.
The day coach contained IS or 20 pas
sengers, many of whom were women
and children. How many of them es-
capped is not known, but at least l2 were
drowned or killed in this car. Behind
the coach were the six sleepers, with
about 60 passengers The total cargo of
human freight consisted of over hun.
dred people.
At Fishkill the train lessened its
speed, as it is it's custom to run from
that point to Tarrytown at the rate of
about % miles an hour. 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 aw-
ful fate will never be fully known, for
the first who felt the danger, Engineer
John Doyle and Fireman John Tomp-
kins, lie dead in the cab of their loco
motive at the bottom of the Hudson
river. Conductor Parish, who was in
charge Of the train, and who was max
ing up his report in one of the cars
when the crash came, was rendered un-
conscious by blow on the head. When
he recovered he was three seats ahead
Of the one in which he had been sit
ting.
One of the trainmen who survived
the disaster made it his first duty to
run to the first signal tower to tele-
graph for help. The place where the
wreck occurred is a rather isolated
place. 1t is at the entrance known as
Kings Cut, three miles south Of Garri-
sons and five miles north Of Peekskill.
Two express trains were following
close behind the ill.fated State Express
and the engine of one Of them was sent
to Garrisons for General Manager j. M.
Toucey, who lives there, while the
other engine hurried to Peekskill for
medical aid. Mr.. Toucey was the first
official of the railroad at the scene,
reaching there at 7:30. The engine
which brought him there steamed to
Cold Spring and returned with Doctors
Winslow, Fillebrowu and Murdoch. In
the meantime other physicians had ar
rived and all the doctors were soon at
work among the injured.
Removing tho Dead and Injured.
The first victim of the disaster found
was lying on shore dying. He was
badly bruised around the head and body
and his right arm was cut off near the
shoulder, the bleeding stump alone
showing. The member was not found.
The man was placed on a train and TAX
en- to Peekskill, but died on the way.
The body was that of middle aged
man.
AT 3 o'clock one of the express trains
left the scene with the man who had
died on the track and about 20 injured
persons. The dead man and five in
jured were left at Peekskill, while the
train proceeded to New York with the
rest of the injured. The train had
hardly left the scene of the disaster
when special engine arrived there
bringing Division Superintendent Nc
Coy and Trainmasters Wyckes and
Slack from Tarrytown. The Chapman
Wrecking company of New York was
lotified to send river derrick and
1oats to raise the cars.
Did Good Rescue Work.
w. S. Langford of Bayonne, N. j.,
was in one of the last coaches, which
remained on the track. He swan out
to the sunken cars with an axe and sue.
ceeded in chopping through one OF them
and rescuing four people.
The wreck occurred about eight miles
above Peekskill. A retaining wall,
which supported the track. slid out
under the weight of the rapidly NOV
ing train. OF late the tide in the Hud-
son river has been very high, and to
this was due the undermining OF the
wall, SO the railroad officials state.
Baggageman's Narrow Escape
Herman Acker of Peekskill, the bag.
gagemaster of the train, who was in the
baggage car with John Shaw, an ex-
press agent, had narrow escape. In
second compartment Of the car were
-sa.rA.al Ghinamen Acker felt q heavy