Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1902-01-09
New York Central Engineer
Makes Business GOod For
Charon.
COLLIDED IN 4 TUNNEL
Though He Exploded the Torpedo
and His Fireman Called 10 Stop,
Engineer Wisclo Plunged On.
The Huge Engine Piled on Top of a
Loaded Passenger Car and | }
Lives Were Forfeited

New York, Jan. 9.--In the New York
Central railroad tunnel that burrows
under Park avenue, this city, two To-
cal trains collided yesterday Fifteen
passengers were killed and twice that
number were injured A dozen of the
latter were seriously hurt, and the ros-
ter of the dead may be extended.
1t was a rear-end collision between
a South Norwalk local that ran in over
the New York, New Haven and Hart
ford railroad and was halted by block
signals at the southern entrance of the
tunnel, and a White Plains local that
came by the Harlem branch of the
New York Central. The train was
crowded with suburbanites. Most of
the death. injury and damage was
wrought by the engine of the White
Plains train which plunged into the
rear car of the motioniess train and
was driven through 10 the middle of
the car, smashing the seats and fur
nishings and splitting the sides as it
moved forward. Tae victims either
were mangled in the mass of wreck
age carried at the pilot, crushed in the
space between boiler and car sides. or
scalded by s cam which came kissing
from broken pipes and cylinders. The
eng ne in its fnal plunge of 40 feet
carried the rear car forward and sent
twisted iron, broken timbers and splin-
ters crashing into the coach ahead.
Lights were extinguished and from the
wreckage and darkness came the cries
of the injured and calls for assistance
by those who escaped. Within few
minutes the work of rescue. marked
by heroism AMI sacrifice. began.
Alarms that brought every available
ambulance in the city. ths police re-
serves of five precincts. AMI the fire
men of the central eastern d strict of
Manhattan. we're seunaed at once.
With police firemen and surgeons
came score of volunteer physicians
and half dozen clergymen-
Ladders were run uown the tunnel
air shafts and the firemen and police
attacked the debris with ropes and
axes. Passengers already had rallied
and were trying to release those i'm
prisoned in the debris. Father Smith
the fire department, crawled in over
the wreckage and minIstered to the
dying. Lieutenant Clark of the fire de
partment forced his way to the point
where Miss Rice and Miss Scott lay
and stood in wa.er that scalded the
flesh from his limbs until the women
We're released. T. Nj. Murphy, a pas
senger both OF whose legs were broken
and s.ill held by tse tim5ers. volun-
teered to remain as he was until those
around him were assisted. Two police
men and Chaplain Walk1ey reached
Mrs Howa and the ch plain gave
her a stimulant. The policemen were
cutting away the at which held the
woman down when pipe broke. The
scalding steam drove them back. and
when the rescuers returned Mrs. How
ard was dead.
Responsibility for the disaster is un-
fixed. but Superintendent Franklin
said that so far as he had been able
to discover. j. w Wischo. engineer of
the White Plains train, is to blame.
IL is declared that when the South
Norwalk train stopped fiagman ran
back into the tunnel and besides plac-
ing a torpedo on the track. endeavored
10 flag the oncoming train. The tun-
mel was beclouded with steam and
smoke, while the snow which fell
through the air shafts tended to OBJ
scure the view. Engineer Wischo and
Fireman Christopher Flynn We're ar
rested. signal man also was detain-
ed for time but was released.
Superintendent Franklin has issued
statement as to the accident, in
which he declares that the block sig
mails at seth street were obeyed by the
New Haven train. while the engineer
of the White Plains train disregarded
them. The torpedo on the track
went off. said the superintendent.
but he did not stop. even though the
system of block signals is such that II
is a physical impossibility for a sigma.
man TO make his light declare the
track free IL another train is on the
block"
Residents of New Rochelle contrib
uted the largest number 10 the cas-
ualty list because the rear car of the
South Norwalk local was reserved for
them and was kept locked until the
train reached that place William
Ieys. one of the dead. was general
mana ger of the dry goods firm of B.
Altman & Co, of this city. and was
prominent in commercial circles. A.
NJ. Perrin was second vice president
of the Union Bag and Paper compsny
and was equally well known. HAG
1..emO2o. VINO vas kiiled. was sssist