Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-09-08
EIGHTEEN KILLED.
SUDDEN CRASH AT COHOES WITH
AWFUL RESULTS.

/ Party of Merrymakers Were Returning
From the Labor Day Picnic at Rensselaer,
Park, Near Troy.
CoHoEs, N. Y, Sept. 6.-An appall-
ing disaster occurred in this city about
s o'clock last night when trolley car
of the Troy City railway was struck
by the night boat train on the Delaware
and Hudson River road, at the west end
of the bridge which connects this city
with Lansingburg and its load of human
freight was hurled into the air. Eigh-
teen Of the 30 passengers are dead and
at least 10 of the remainder will die.
| The cars entering the city from Ian
singburg were crowded with passengers
returning from Labor day picnic at
Rensselaer, park, q pleasure resort near
Troy. Car No. 1872 Of the Groy City
railway was the victim of the disaster.
1t came over the bridge about 1885
O'Clock laden with merry party of peo-
| pie fresh from the enjoyment of the
day.
The crossing where the accident &C.
Cured is at a grade. -Four tracks of the
Delaware and Hudson River road
which rms north and south at this
point, cross the two tracks of the troll
ley road It was the hour when the
night boat special, q 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
line run at grade from the bridge to
the point where the disaster occurred.
In consequence of this fact, and Of the
frequent passage of trains, it has been
the rule for each conductor to stop his
train and go forward to observe the rail-
road tracks. 1t cannot be ascertained
whether that rule was complied with
on this occasion, for all events prior to
the crash were forgotten by those in
| volved. The motor car was struck di-
rectly III the center by the engine of the
train, which was going at g. high rate
of speed.
The accident came without the slight
est warning. The car was upon the
tracks before the train doomed in sight
and no power on earth could have saved
it. The motorman evidently saw the
train approaching as he reached the
track and opened his controller, 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 iuto the air in splinters.
The mass of humanity, for the car was
crowded to OVERLOOKING, was torn and
mangled. Those in tile front of the car
met with the worst fate. The force of
the collision was there expended to- the
greatest degree, and every person in
that section of the car was killed. The
scene was horrible. Bodies had been
hurled into the air and their headless
and lifeless trunks were found in some
cases 80 feet from the tracks.
The pilot of the engine was smashed,
and amid its wreckage We're the MANNED
corpses of two women. The passengers
of the train suffered no injury except a
violent shock. The majority of the
passengers of the trolley car were young
people, They included many women.
In 10 minutes fully one-half the pop
ulation of the city were surging about
the scene in an effort to see if relatives
were among the unfortunates. The in
jured We're taken to the city hospital
and to the Continental knitting mill,
the former not having sufficient ambu-
lance service to care for them all.
The corpses were placed in boxes and
taken to neighboring mill shed. Many
of them were unacceptable.
Horrible Scenes.
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 OF
any means of identifying to whom they
belonged; women's and mems head:
with crushed and distorted features
bodies crushed and flattened, these
sights constituted spectacle most hor
rible to behold
The train of the Delaware and Hud
son road Immediately after the acciden
proceeded to Troy. The engineer stated
that he did not see the car until n
was upon it. He tried to prevent hi
train from striking The car, but his eff
, forts were fruitless. He thinks tn
! motorman when he saw the train wa
on him tried to get beyond the DANCE
line. The grade made it impossible
|. for him to stop before he reached tn
tracks. 1t was the front end of his ca
: that caught the crash and he was kille'
: outright.
The following bodies have been ider
tilted:
d ARCHIE CAMNEAU of Cohoes
JAMES TEMPLE of Lansingburg.
: EDWARD BARNEY of Cohoes.
S MRS. JOHN CRAVEN, Cohoes.
/. Miss KITE CRAVEN Cohoes.
:. JOSEPH SENSE, Cohoes.
, NELLIE SWEET, Is years old, Cohoes.
- MRS. ELIZA MCELRoY, Cohoes.
- MRS. JAMES l.. TAYLOR, Cohoes.
Z MISS WINNIE CRAVEN, Cohoes.
JAMES LINsE, Cohoes.
MRS. ELLEN SHAW. Cohoes.
JOHN TIAIMINs, Cohoes.
Us MRS. JOHN w. SUTCLIFFE, Cohoes
lie Injured.
lie Isaac Shaw, Cohoes, skull fractured.
ly George Ankers, injured internally.
- John w Sutcliffc Cohoes, head C