New-York tribune., 1899-08-31
ONE DEAD, MANY INJURED.
RUNAWAY FREIGHT CARS WRECh AN
ERIE PASSENGER TRAIN.

SMOKING CAR HURLED DOWN AN
EMBANKMENT-THE REST OF
THE TRAIN REMAINS ON
THE TRACKS.
Two freight cars running wild down a long
steep grade dashed along the tracks OF the New
York and Greenwood Lake division OF the Erie
Railroad from Bloomfield to Arlington, ~ ''
Yesterday afternoon. and as they shot around
curve, travelling at a high rate of speed 'heS
crashed into the engine OF a passenger us'h
bound west The two runaway cars ana '"e
locomotive and the smoking car ol '"e f"'
senger train were wrecked.
One person died soon after being taken out
OF the wreck three others are go seriously i"
tured that they are likely TO die, and more 'i'h''
twenty-one others were hurt.
THE DEAD.
NEARBY Thomas hytour years old o. ,sI.sy No; Sy
Water Works at Reeyue aksn cen from s' me nome OF
Mrs. Frances Carney. in Mdland-aVe'' "
PROBABLY FATALLY INJURED.
n,-Sx = q, ,-n,o, Hn concussion Of the brain. cut
and bruised; taken to his home -,
MARTIN James Of Newark concussion Of the erS,n sdn
to st. Michaeis Hospital. Newark 49,.
RIER sISsSn t Of . May' he Ssd snd body
jured internally.
OTHERS INJURED.
ASP Bertram S OF New-York mechanical engineer eu'
and bruised about the head
BALL. Dexter Of Caldwell
BLACK Pierson Of New-York cut and bruised.
CONNOLLY. j. X. station agent at Bioomneid' "'''
and body and bruised. ,,
cRAwLEY Jonn OF Belleve cut. bruised and prooao'y
hurt internally. -.
CURRY Archie Of bloomfield engineer Of train cut
and bruised by jumping.
DoDD. John r.. OF East orange. injured internally
DOLE CAPTAIN IRA Of the Old Dominion idne' oi
Arlington cut and bruised.
FtrRAY r. A. c. OF Pompton. conductor OF the tra''
HALL. j. C.. OF Tiffany.
KRUGER. ?. H.. of Short Hills cut and bruised '''''
ffteenh-s ST.. New-York. and bruised about head
and body
MARSHALL John. OF Franklin.
MICHEL. Frederick. OF Arlington
MURPHY. w j. OF Jersey city.
NEWBOLD A. W.. Of Roeeland, hurt ABOUT 'ne "'"1
NICHOLAS. Edward F.. Of Orange.
OSBORN. William. fireman OF the train cut ana o'"
IN jumping
POTTER, A W, ot Bloomfield
SHEPPARD. Charles E.. Of Arlington head ana O1'
cut and bruised. -
Stokes w. A.. Of No coo st. Marks ave, Brooklyn
cpt and bruised about head and shoulders
RAN WILD FOR TEN MILES.
The two runaway went about ten miles
from the time they broke loose from the train Oh
which they formed part until they STRUCK 'ne
passenger train. So great was the force OF t''e
collision that the engine was broken INTO man!
pieces and the smoking car was lifted from Tue
tracks and hurled into the air and rolled down
forty foot embankment. turning over and over
but not a person in the coaches behind IL re-
ceived a scratch.
The wrecked train was No. 3o9 which ief'
Jersey City at 1;45 p. m. and was due AT Hrhhe-
ton at 1:5S O'Clock 1t consisted OF an engine
and tender a combination baggage and smoking
car. two ordinary day coaches and Wells
Fargo express car. II was just on time pass
ing the last si..nal station on the meadows ana
the signal showed a clear track to the deep cut
IN the hill at Arlington. Archie Curry was en-
gineer and William Osborne was the fireman.
The train was moving at a good speed along
the embankment which rises from the meadows
and leads up into the long cut through the Ar
lneton hill Just east of the mouth of the cut
there is a gradual curve, and on the inner side
there Is clump Of bushes and trees. which
shut off the engineers view OF the other end or
the curve Owing TO this he did not see the
runaway fat cars coming until they were close
upon him, coming at the rate Of fully forty or
forty-fve miles an hour.
The two fiat were heavily loaded with
farstones They broke loose as the train was
nearing the top Of the hill at Montclair Heights.
The efforts OF the operators along the line to
head them were toe late. As the cars dashed
past the station at Arlington the message
reached the operator there to throw them from
the rails. Before he could reach the levers the
cars had shot past the last switch he could use
and were flying down the track Some seconds
later the crash came a quarter of a mile beyond
the station.
There is a block signal system In use on the
road but II did not save the passenger tram.
as before the runaway cars entered the block
at Arlington the passenger train had already
entered the same block at the east end The
cars in their flight had almost continuous
downhill stretch Of track The few inclines they
had to climb were not sufficient to stop them.
FUTILE EFFORTS TO CHECK THE CARS
There was a brakeman on the two fiat cars
when they broke loose. He tried to stop the
cars. but found that one Of the brakes was use
less He tried to check the runaways with this
but while he had IT set as hard as possible the
brake chain broke and the sudden release al
most threw him between the cars. Standing on
the fagstones the cars were rounding the
curve near Arlington he could look over the tops
OF the bushes and he saw the locomotive ap-
preaching. The cars being low they could not
be seen by the engineer. The brakeman swung
his red flag above his head. and this was the
first signal of danger seen by Engineer Curry,
who tried TO stop his train. but a moment later
the cars swung into sight. The brakeman on
the freight cars jumped and rolled down the en-
bankment and ESCAPED with only slight injuries.
RELEASING THE INJURED.
From the wrecked combination car there came
groans and screams and the train hands and
other passengers hurried to give aid. They were
soon joined by people from Arlington. who heard
the crash and hurried TO the scene The axes
were got out Of the unharmed cars. and with
these holes were cut into the wrecked car and
a search made. Most Of the passengers had
climbed out of the car through the openings torn
q. Il. .l..- LII. IA.-