The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1898-09-09
EIGHTEEN PEOPLE KILLED.
Collision Between a Train and
Trolley Car.


Delaware 81 Hudson railroad at a
crossing at the west end of the Hudson
river bridge which connects this city
with Lansing burg, and its load of hui
man freight was hurled into the air.
Eighteen of the 35 passengers 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 Rensselaer, park, pleasure
resort near Troy. Car No 1872, of the
the Troy City railroad, was the victim
of the disaster. 1t came over the
bridge about 1885 o'clock laden with
merry party of people fresh from the
enjoyment of the day.
-Four tracks of the Delaware and
Hudson road which runs north and
south at this point, cross the two
tracks of the trolley road.
The tracks of the street line run at
grade from the bridge to the point
where the disaster took place.
In consequence OF this fact and of
been the rule for each motor car con-
ductor to stop his car and go forward
to observe the railroad tracks and sig-
nal his car to proceed if no trains
| tanned whether that rule was complied
with, on this occasion, for all events
prior to the crash are forgotten by
those who were involved.
The motor car was struck directly in
the center by the engine of the train,
which was going at high rate Of
speed. The accident came without
the slightest warning. The car was
| doomed in sight and no power on
earth could have saved it. The motor
man evidently saw the train APP
preaching as he reached the
but in vain. With a crash that
was heard for blocks the engine
struck into the lighter 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 overlooking, was torn and
mangled. Those in the front of the
car met with the worst fate The
force of the collision was there exper-
fenced to the greatest degree and every
'human being in that section of the car
was killed.
The scene was horrible. Bodies had
been hurled into the air and their
headless aad mbless trunks were
found in some cases so feet from the
crossing.
The pilot of the engine was smashed
and amid its wreckage were the MAIN
ed corpses of two women.
The passengers of the train suffered
no injury in addition to a violent
shock.
The majority of the passengers Of
the trolley car were young people.
They included many women.
Within ten minutes after the col
lision fully one-half of the population
of the city were surging about the
vicinity in an endeavor to ascertain if
relatives were among the unfortu-
mates.
The injured were taken to the city
hospital and to the Continental knit
ting mill, the former not having suffi-
cient ambulance service to care for
them all
The corpses were placed in boxes
and taken to neighb boring mill shed.
Many of them were unacceptable.
The crash was frightful in its results.
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 fea-
lures; bodies crushed and fattened-
these sights constituted a spectacle
most horrible to behold.
The train of the Delawar and Hud-
son road. Immediately after the acct
dent, proceeded to Troy. The en-
gineer 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
train was going at very high rate OF
speed at the time.
He was some minutes late and was
trying to make up lost time. In con
sequence of the caution taken by the
trolley road to ascertain if the tracks
were clear a. this crossing, the engi
neers of trains have always felt safe
in running by at high rate of speed.
The engineer says that the first he
knew that the car was coming
was when it hove in sight al
the corner of the street at which the
crossing is situated. He was but q
short distance from the car at the
time 1t was utterly impossible fo1