The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-25

speed. DIS il is the custom TO run from
that point to Tafrytown at the rate
OF % 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 it's awful fate
VIII never be fully known. for the men
who first felt the danger, Engineer
John Foyle and Fireman John Tomp-
kins, tonight lie dead in the cab of
their locomotive at the bottom of the
Hudson river Conductor Parish, who
WAS in charge of the train, and Who
was making Up his report in one of
the cars when the crash came. was
rendered unconscious by blow on the
head
one of the few occupants of the
coach who escaped was Frank J. De-
gan, a wood finisher OF New York. His
left eye WAS cut by broken glass, and
his body was slightly bruised. 4 rail-
road man made this statement:
RAILROAD MANS STATEMENT.
with my friend ". Il. c. Meyers of
Passaie, y. J., who was killed in the
car from which l escaped. l had been
to Poughheepsie. We boarded the train
At that place and took a seat in the
coach. Three other people got on at
Poughkeepsie. One was a woman and
the two others were men. Ane of whom
looked like a railroad man. As near as
can judge there We're IS people in the
coach, most of them being women and
children. and nearly all were asleep.
Meyers and 1 sat in the middle of
the car. When the crash came the car
gave a great lurch and rolled over on
its side. The water rushed in and al
most instantly the lights went out. L
knew that we were in the river, and
the car seemed TO plough through the
water for some time after IL was sub
merged.
The car was tilted over on one side
and / managed 10 reach the fan light
overhead and cling TO it until help
came.
I heard people in the back part OF
the car Groaning as IL they were pinned
fast. 1t was so dark that l could see
no one, and L think the passengers
must have been
DROWNED LIKE RATS.
After awhile. it seemed an age. 1 heard
people On top of the car, and an axe
crash through the roof. The noise of
that axe IN the splintered timbers made
the sweetest music ever heard in my
life. A man and a. boy Gather and SOM
were also rescued in the same way, but
1 know Of no others escaping. The car
at this time was floating but fast fill-
ing with water. and We we're put ashore
in a row beat [ am sure that my
friend Meyers was drowned"
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
Augustus Kah, a German living near
the scene of the wreck, gives this de-
scription:
=
I vas awakened by some one in my
yard calling for help. Looking out Of
my window l saw a sleeping car porter
who shouted: For Gods sake, man.
if you own q boat come quickly. Our
train is in the river and people are
drowning
II dressed myself and, accompanied
by the porter, got into my row boat
and rowed around the curve 10 where
the train was in the river. When we
reached the cars, which we're sub
merged nearly to their roofs, the en-
CINE being entirely out Of sight, the
crews Of the tug boats were making
efforts to save the passengers The
first man I saw them take out was,
think, the agent Of the express car.
The first person We succeeded in res
cuing were two Cinnamon who were
sitting on the roof of the smoker One
ashore and then took three persons Off
the top of another car. At the same
time people in their underclOtheS we're
being taken out Of the sleeping car by
the crews Of several tugs. One man on
shore with an arm cut off WAS diving.
and ne made his last moments az COM
Portable as possible. I want TO say
that the porter. although frightened,
SHOWED GREAT BRAVERY,
and saved many lives
One of the traiDmen who survived the
disaster made ii his first duty to run
TO the first signal tower to telegraph for
help The place where the wreck &C.
CURED is rather isolated, It is just at
the entrance Of what Is known as
Kings Cut three miles south of Garri- !
sons. and five miles north of Peeks-
Kill.
TWO other express trains We're follow
ing close behind the Inflated state ex-
press. and the engine of one of them /
was sent TO Garrlson's for General
Manager J. N. Toucey, who lives there. I
while the other engine hurried to
Peekskin for medical aid. Mr.. Toucey !
was the first official of the railroad TO
the scene, arriving there at 7:30. The /
engine which brought him there (
TO Cold Spring and returned I
with Doctors WinsloW, Fillehrown and /
MurooclS. In the meantime Doctors (
Charles and Perley Mason, J. NJ. TiIden, |
2. c. Snowden and F.. D. Lynn had ar
rived ana all were soon at work among !
the injured
DRAMATIC HORROR.
OF the dramatic horror of the situa- |
ton in the combination car when it \
left the track and struck the water, /
perhaps the best account is had from /
the story of Herman Acker of Peeks- |
hill. the baggageman and mail sorter. I
Acloer vas suffering badly from the /
shock when seen, but the scenes he /
described. He said:
"John Shaw. agent of the Westcott [!
Express company. and myself were in !
the compartment, when suddenly there
was q terrible bump and then rush of I
water that forced as toward the ceiling.
The car seemed to turn completely over
and had filled with water to within
about a foot of the roof. When we
struck, the ear whirIed completely
around, the end which the Chinese &C.
cupied being under water while our
and was tilted UP. We swan around
and got g ventnstor open and, noting
The situation. got an AK from a tool box
which was ahoat. and smashed a panel
in the end of the car We crawled
through the hole TO the roof of the car.
and a rowboat came ana took US
ashore"
Acker has been a railroader many /
years and has escaped from three Sc
Tious accidents His arm is badly cut
and his body bruised. Shaw escaped
injury.