Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-09-06
EIGHTEEN DEAD.
Trolley Car Cut In Two
by an Express Train.
Ten Instantly KilIed--Eight Since Die
III Badly Injured.
Not Ono Escaped Injury and Ten or More Of
Them Will Die.

Cohces. N. Y, Sept. 5.-A trolley car
of the Troy City Railway Co. WIS
struck by the night boat special of the
Delaware & Hudson Railroad. about 3
O'Clock tonight. at a crossing at the
west end of the Hudson river bridge
which connects this city with Lans-
ingburg, and It's load of human freight
was hurled into the air. Eighteen of
the 35 passengers are dead and at
least 10 of the remaindes. viii die.
The caTtntefed the city from Lans-
ingburg, tonight. were crowded with
passengers returning from a Labor
day picnic at Rensselaer, Park pleas
ure resort near Troy. Car No 1872 OF
the Troy City Railway was the victim
of the disaster. It came over the
bridge about 1856 o'clock, laden with a
merry party.
The crossing where the accident oc-
Cured is at grade. Four tracks of the
Delaware & Hudson. which runs north
and south at this point, cross the two
tracks of the trolley road. 1t was the
hour when the night boat social. n
train which runs south and connects
with the New York City boat at AL
pdiS, WAS UuS 10 pass lflsiI point
The tracks of the street line run AT
a grade from the bridge to the point
where the disaster took place In con-
sequence of this fact and of the fire.
quent passage of trains 1t has been the
rule for each motor car conductor to
stop his car and go forward to observe
the rail tracks and signal his car TO
proceed if no trains We're in sight 1t
cannot he ascertained whether that
rule was compiled with on this oc-
casion, for all the events prior to the
cras are forgotten by those who par
ticipated
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 track before the train doomed in
sight and TO power on earth could
save 1T. The m0torman evidently saw
the train approaching as he reached
the track and opened his lever in vain
With a crash that startled people for
blocks around. the locomotive crashed
into the lighter vehicle. Tie motor car
parted in two, both sections being
hurled into the air in splinters. The
mass of humanity was torn and man.
Sled. The force of the collision wasex-
perienced in the greatest degree in the
front part of the car and every human
being in that section was killed.
The scene after the accident was a
horrible one. A mass of shattered hui
mainly lay about. Bodies had been
hurled into the air and their headless
and GInbless trunks were found in
some cases for so feet from the cross
ing. The pilot of the engine was
smashed and amid it's wreckage wera
the manned corpses of two women.
The shrieks elf the wounded, the groan,
of the dying added TO the horror Of
the scene. The passengers Of the
train suffered no injury other than a
violent shock. The majority of the pas
sengers of the trolley car were young
people. They included many women.
The accident. taking place almost
within the heart of the city causedi the
widest excitement The passengers,
Of the car were mostly Cohosiers re-
turning to their homes.
Within 10 minutes after the collision
fully one half of the population of the
city were. surging about the vicinity
IN an endeavor to ascertain if relatives
were among the unfortunates. Inc in
jured were taken to the City hospital
ana to the Continental Knitting mill.
The bloody corpses were picked ND in
boxes and placed in neighborinu
mill shed. Many of them were un-
recognizable. The crash was frightful
in its results. Headloss women with
gay summer dresses bathed in their
own and the blood of others: limbs
without trunks or any means of identi-
hcaticn to whom they belonged: wo-
mems and mems heads with crushed
and distorted features; bodies crush
and flattened-these constituted a
hOrrifying spectacle.
The train officials of the Delaware &
hudson Road Immediately after the
accident proceeded to Troy. The en-
Sineer 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 We're fruitless His train
was going at very high rate of speed.
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 il the tracks
were clear at this crossing the engi-
neers of trains have always felt safe
in running by at a high rate Of speed.
The engineer thinks that the motor
man when he saw the train was upon
him tried to get beyond the danger
line. The grade of this. crossing and
the speed at which his car was going
also made it impossible for him to |
stop before he reached the Delaware &
Hudson tracks. The motorman was
killed outright.
The following dead bodies were iden- |
tilted up to ] O'Clock:
Archie Campaux of Cohoes.
James Temple of Lansingburg.
Edward Barney of Cohoes.
Mrs. John Carven of Cohoes.
Miss Kittie Carven of Cohoes.
Joseph SEM of Cohoes.
Nellie SWEET. Is years old Of Cohoes. |
Mrs. Eliza McElroy of Cohoes.
The injured are:
Isaac Shaw of Cohes, skull fractured. |
George Ankers of Cohoes, injured in
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