Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-01-16
MET In A TUNNEL.
A Frightful Accident at New York
City.
New York Central Train Crashes
Into "a Passenger Train, Causing
the Death of 10 Persons and
Injury TO 30 Others Signals.
Disregarded by Engineer.

New York, Jan. 9.-In the New
York Central railroad tunnel that
burrows under Park avenue, this
city, two local trains collined yes
terday. Fifteen passengers were
killed and twice that number were
injured. a dozen of the latter were
seriously hurt and the roster 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 &
Hartford railroad and was halted by
block signals at the southern en-
trance of the tunnel, and a White
Plains local that came by the Har-
lem branch of the New York Cen
tral. The trains were crowded by
suburbanites.
Most of the death, in Jury and dam
age was wrought by the engine of
the White Plains train, which plunged
into the rear car of the motionless
train and was driven through to the
middle of the car, smashing the seats
and furnishings and splitting the
sides as it moved forward. The VIC
tins either were mangled in the
mass of wreckage carried on the
pilot, crushed in the space between
boiler and car sides, or scalded by
steam which came kissing from brok-
en- pipes and cylinders. The en-
gine, in it's final plunge of 40 feet,
carried the rear car forward and
sent twisted iron, broken timbers
and splinters 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.
Responsibility for the disaster is
unfixeu, but superintendent Franklin
said that so far as he had been able
to discover, John Wischo, engineer of
| the White Plains train, is to blame.
1t is declared that when the South
Norwalk train stopped a fiagman
ran back into the tunnel, and, be-
sides placing a torpedo on the track,
| Jendeavored to flag the oncoming
train. The tunnel was beclouded with
steam and smoke. while the snow,
which fell through the air shafts,
tended to obscure the view. Engineer
Wischo and Fireman Christopher
Flynn were arrested.
superintendent Franklln mas issued
statement as to the accident, in
which he declares that the block sig
mails at Fifty-ninth 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
dld not stop, even though the fire.
man called to him to do so. The
system of block signals is such that
it is a physical impossibility for
signalman to make his light declare
the track free if another train is on
! the block
District Attorney Jerome visited
the wreck and examined many wit
nesses. The state railway commits
sion also announced it's intention to
make an investigation and similar in
| tent was expressed by the officers of
| both the New York Central road and
the New York, New Haven & Hart
ford railroad. Residents of New Ro-
chelle contributed the largest num-
Der to the casualty list because the
rear car of the South Norwalk train
was reserved for them.