Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-09-06
AN APPALLING ACCIDENT.

AN APPALLING ACCIDENT.
A terrible railroad accident occurred
in Cohoes, n. Y, shortly before eight
o'clock last night. A trolley car Of
the Troy City Railroad Company was
struck by the night boat special Of
the Delaware and Hudson Railroad at
a crossing at the west end of the Hud-
son river bridge, which connects Co
hoes with Lansingburg, and its load of
human freight was hurled into the air.
+ ghteen of the thirty-fve passengers
were killed outright, and at least ten
of tie remainder will die. The cars
entering the city from Lansingburg
were crowded with passengers, return
ing from Labor Day picnic at Rensse-
laer Park, pleasure resort near Troy.
Tie i'll fated car went over the bridge
about 7:335 o'clock, laden with q merry
party Of people fresh from the enjoy
ment of the day. The crossing where
the accident occurred is at a grade
Four tracks of the Delaware and Hud.
son road, which runs north and south
at that point, cross two tracks of the
troll4y road. 1t was the hour when
the night boat special, train which
runs south and connects with the New
York city boat at Albany, was due to
pass that point. The tracks of the
street car line run at a grade from the
! bridge to the point where the disaster
took place. 10 consequence of this fact
and ofthe frequent passage of trains, it
has been the rule for each motor car
CONDUCTOR to stop his car and go for
ward to observe the railroad tracks
and signal his car to proceed if no
t:ains were in sight. The conductor
jumped from the car and ran toward
the crossing TO see that all was right.
He saw the train approaching and call
el 10 the motorman to stop. The lat
ter made vain efforts to stop his car,
but the tracks were wet and slippery
He stated afterwards that he believed
the brake was broken.
The motor car was struck directly in
the center by The engine of the train,
which was going at a high rate of
speed. The accident came without the
slightest warning The car was upon
the crossing before the trainmen saw
it, and no power on earth could have
saved it. With crash that was
heard for blocks the engine crashed
into the lighter vehicle, and the efiec
Was horrible. The motor car parted 10
two, both sections being hurled into
the air in splinters. The mass of hu.
maDity-for the car was crowded to
ovelhowing-was torn and mangled
The scene was horrible. Bodies had
been hurled into the air, and
their headless and limbless trunks
we're found in some cases fifty
feet from the crossing. The pilot
OF the engine was smashed, and
amid its wreckage were the MANNED
corpses OF two women. The passengers
Of the train suffered no injury ex-
cepting o violent shock, The majori-
ty of the passengers Of the trolley
Car were young people and included
many women. Many of the bloody
corpses were unacceptable. Headless
women with gay summer dresses bathed
in their own and the blood OF others;
limbs without trunks or any means OF
identifying TO whom they belonged;
women's and mems heads with crushed
and distorted features; bodies crushed
and Aattened; these sights constituted
a spectacle most horrible to behold.
A drenching rain began falling soon
after the accident and stream of mud
dy water poured down the bill and across
the bodies of the ten blood stained
corpses. The Delaware and Hudson
train was running at q very high rate
OF spe d at the time of the accident,
endeavoring to make up lost time. The
conductor of the motor Car was arrested
this morning and is held to await ex-
animation.
The latest report places the number
OF dead at fourteen.