The record-union., 1898-09-06
The Car Cut in Two, and Both Sec
tions Reduced to Splinters.
Eighteen Persons Killed Outright, and at
Least Ten Others viii Die-The Ac-
cldent Occurs at C0hOes
City, New York.

COHOES On. Y.), Sept. 5.-An ap-
palling disaster occurred in this city
tonight. Shortly before s o'clock a
trolley car of the Troy City Railway
Company was struck by the night boat
special of the Delaware and Hudson
at a crossing at the west end of the
Hudson River bridge, which connects
the city with Lansingburg, and its load
of human freight was hurled into the
air. Eighteen of the thirtyfve pas
sengers are dead, and at least ten Of
the remainder will die.
The cars entering the city from
Lansingburg were crowded with pas
sengers returning from a Labor Day
picnic at Renssalaer's Park, a pleasure
resort near Troy. 1t was car No. 119
OF the Troy City Railway that met with
about 7:30 o'clock, laden with merry
party of people, fresh from the en-
joyment of the day.
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 tracks before the train loomed
in sight, and no power on earth could
have saved it. The motorman evil
IDENTIFY saw the train approaching az
he reached the track, and opened his
controller, but in vain.
With a crash that was heard for
blocks the engine struck the lighted
vehicle. The effect was horrible. The
motor car parted in two, both sections
being hurled into the air in splinters.
The mass of humanity, for the car
was crowded to overflowing, was torn
and mangled. Those in the front of
the car met with the worst fate The
force of the collision was there ex-
perienced in the greatest degree, and
every human being in that section
was Killed.
The scene was horrible. Bodies had
been hurled into the air, and their
headless and limbless trunks were
found, in some cases, fifty feet from
the crossing.
The pilot of the engine was smashed,
and amid the wreckage were the
manned corpses of two women. The
passengers Of the train suffered no
injury except a shock.
The majority of the passengers on
the trolley were young people. They
included many women.
The injured were taken to the City
Hospital and to the Continental Knit
ting Mill. the former not having sufti-
cient ambulance service to care for
them all.
The corpses were placed in boxes and
taken to a neighboring mill shed. Many
of them were unrecognizable.
The crash. was frightful in its re-
suits. Headiess women with gay sum
mer 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 distort-
ed features; bodies crushed and flat
tened. These sights constituted
spectacle most horrible to behold.
The train of the Delaware and Hud-
son road. Immediately after the acci-
dent. proceeded to Troy. The engineer
stated that he did not see the car until
he was upon it. He tried to prevent
his train from striking the car, but
his efforts were fruitless. His tram
was going at a very high rate of speed
at the time. He was some minutes
late and was trying to make up lost
time.
consequence of the caution taken
by the trolley road to ascertain II the