Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-08

Cohoes, y. y, Sept. 15.-One of the most
appalling disasters in the history of rail-
road wrecks occurred in this city tonight.
shortly before O'Clock a trolley car of
the Troy City Railroad company was
struck by the night boat special of the
Delaware IL Hudson Railroad company at
a crossing at the west end of the Hudson
river bridge which connects this city with
LIusingburg and its load of human
freight was hurled into the air Eighteen
of the 30 passengers are dead and at least
ten of the remainder will die. The catas-
trophe was IN awful spectacle. The hour
was dusk, shortly before s o'clock. Tho
cars entering the city from Lansingburg
were crowded with passengers returning
from Labor Day picnic al Rensselaer,
Park, pleasure resort near Troy. Car
No. 1872 of the Troy City railroad was the
victim OF the disaster. 1t came over the
bridge about 7:Sj o'clock laden with a mcr-
ry party of people fresh from the enjoy
mcnt OF the day.
The crossing where the accident occur
red Is a. grade. Four tracks of the Del
aware and Hudson road. which runs north
and south at this point, cross the tracks
of tho trolley road.
1t was the hour when the night boat
special, a train which runs south and
connects with the New York city boat
NJ Albany was due TO pass that point.
Tho tracks OF the street line run at ft
grade from the bridge to the point where
the disaster took place. In consequence
of this fact and the frequent passage of
trains 1t has been the rule for each motor
ear conductor TO stop his car and go for
ward to observe the railroad track and
signal his car to proceed If no trains were
I'm sight. 1t cannot be ascertaned wheth-
cr that rule was complied with On this oc-
tdsIon for all events prior to the crash
are forgotten by thos who participated
Vac motor car was struck direct in the
centre by the engine of the train which
was going at a high rate of speed The
accident came without the slightest warn
Ing. The car was upon the tracks before
the train doomed in sight and no power on
earth could save 1t. The motor man evil
IDENTIFY saw the train approaching as he
reached the track and opened his lever
and started the car at full speed but his
efforts were IN vain. With crash that
startled the city for blocks from the scene
of the disaster the powerful monster of
steam crashed into the lighter vehicle.
The effect was horrible. The motor car
parted in two. both sections hurled in the
air in splinters The mass of humanity
for the car was crowded to overfiowing
were torn and mangled. Those in the
front car met With the worse fate. The
force of the collision was there expert
'cnced to the greatest degree and every
human being in that section of the car
was killed.
The sight at the scene was most horrible
TO behold. a mass of shattered humanity
lay about. Bodies had been hurled into
the air and their hcadless and limbless
trunks We're found In some cases fifty
feet from the crossing. The pilot of the
engine was Smashed and amid its wreck
age were the MANNED corpses of two wo-
men. The shrieks of the wounded, the
groans of the dying and the terrible spec
tacle WAS gruasome in the extreme.
The passengers of the train suffered no
injury IN addition to a violent shock.
The majority OF the passengers on the
trolley car were young people. They in
cuded many women, There was abso-
lutcly no chance for them to save them
selves from the crash. 1t came without
the slightest warning.
The accident, taking place almost with
In the heart Of the city, caused the
widest excitement. The passengers of the
car were mostly Cohosiers returning to
their homes. Within ten minutes after
the collision fully one half the population
of the city were surging about the vi
entity in an endeavor to ascertain if rela-
tiveS were among the unfortunatcs. The
mass of grlef-strlcken people was almost
as fearful and CHASTITY as the gruesomc
spectacle which constituted the wreck.
The injured Wore taken to the City Hos
pital and to the Continental knitting mill,
the former not having sufficient ambu-
lance service to care for them all.
The bloody corpscs We're picked up in
boxes and placed in a neighboring mill
shed, Many of them were unrccognizable.
rhe crash was frightful in it's results.
Iieadless women with thor gay summer
dresses bathed in their own and tho blood
of others; limbs without trunks or any
means of identification; womens and
mems heads with crushed and distorted
features; bodies crushed and fattened
| these sights constituted a spectacle most