Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-06
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
Express Train Crashes Into a
. Crowded Trolley Car.
EIGHTEEN PERSONS DEAD
Al Least Ten Others Fatally Injured. Head.
less and i-i'nbless Trunks Hurled into
the Air and Scattered for .
Space of Fifty Feet.
PERSONS DEAD.
(By Telegraph.>

1 kl}
| CoHoES. N. y. Sept. 5.-An appau.e
ing disaster occurred In this city short.
y. before o'clock tonight. A trolley
ear or the Troy City Railroad COM
cial of the Delaware & Hudson Rail
road. at a crossing at the west end or
the Hudson river bridge. which con-
meets meets this city with Lansinburgh.
Eighteen of the thirty-flve passengers
are dead and at least ten of tina re-.
mainder will die - S1St5.Ea
ne cars entering the city from Ian.
sinsourEh We're crowded with passen-
gers returning from q Labor Day picnic
at Rensselaer, Park, q pleasure resort
near Troy. Car No. 1872 of the Troy
Gity Railroad was the victim OF the
e'Saster came over the bridge about
-, % o CLOCK; laden with a merry party
.. people. The crossing where the ac-
cluent occurred is at grade
-Four tracks of the Delaware ami
hudson road. which runs north and
south ut this point, cross the two tracks
ni the trolley road. 1t was the hour
MLsh the night boat special. a train
which runs south and connects with the
New York City boat at Albany. was
due to pass that point
inc tracks of the street line run at a
sraae from no. the bridge to the point
Where the disaster occurred In con-
sequence of this fact and of the ire
Hueht passage Of trains. it has been the,
rule Tor each motor car conductor to-;
stop his car and go forward to observe
tne railroad tracks and signal his car
I" proceed II no trains were in sight
1t cannot be ascertained whether that
rule was complied with on this occRs-a
ION, for all events prior to the crash
are forgotten by those who were in
| volveu II -
| The motor car was struck directly In
the center by the engine Of the trains
which was going at a high speed. The
ear was upon the tracks before the
| train doomed in sight and no power on
! earth could have saved it, The mo-.
Sorman evidently saw the train APP
| preaching as he reached the track and
| opened his controller but In vain.
with crash that was heard for:
blocks the engine crashed into the
lighter vehicle. The motor car parted
in two. both sections being hurled into
| the air in splinters. The mass If hui
| mainly, for the car was crowded to
overfowins. was torn and nlangled
Those In the front of the car met with
the worst fate. The force OF the COLI
lision was there experienced to the
greater degree and every human being
In that section OF the car was killed sEsS7ag
Bodies We're hurled into the air and,
their headiess and limbfess trunks were
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 I'll
The passengers of the train suffered
81.
shock.
The majority Of the passengers OF
the trolley car 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 suiIl-
| Gent ambulance service to care for
them all.
The dead We're placed in boxes ana
taken to neighboring mill shed.
a ~
was frightful in it's results Headleas
women with gay summer dresses bath
ed in their own and the blood OF Others:
limbs without trunks or any means cf
identifying to whom they belonged;
women's and mems heads with crushed
and distorted features; bodies crush
ed and tlattened. 8
| The train of the Delaware and Hud-
| son road. Immediately after the acct
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
eTorts We're fruitless His train was
going at very high rate of speed at
the time He was some minutes late
ana was trying to make np lost time.
in consequence of the caution taken by
the trolley road to ascertain IL the
tracks were clear at this crossing, the
engineers Of trains have always felt
| safe in running by at high rate az
speed. The engineer says that the first
he knew that the car was coming was
when it hove in sight at the corner cf
the street at which the crossing is sit
uated. He was but a short distance
| from the car at the time. He thinks
| that the motorman, 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 and Hudson tracks. 1t was
the front end of his car that caught
the crash. and he was killed outright.
| Up to | O'Clock eight bodies had
been identified, all residents of Cohoess
except one.