Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-01-16
II DEAD IN N. Y. WRECK
Collision Of Passenger Trains in
New York Central Tunnel.
AEARTRENoINe SCENES OCCUR


and Pows Over Human Beings.
Many Victims Crushed to Death In
the Dark.
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 we're injured. A dozen OF
the latter were seriously hurt, and
the roster of the dead may be eX-
tended.
The dead are: Albert M. Perrin, B.
D. c. Foskett, A. e. II. Mills, E. G.
Hinsdale, Mrs. A. F. Howard, Frank
Washburn, Williams Legs, Theodore
Gorgardo. William Fisher, William
Howard, Oscar Meyorowitz, Franklin
Crosby, Ernest F. Walton, H. G.
Diamond, Charles B. Mars. All of
the dead are from New Rochelle, ex-
cept William Legs. OF B. Altman G.
Co., New York.
1t was a rear-end collision between
South Norwalk local. that ran in
over the New York, New Haven and
Hartford railroad and was halted by
block signals at the southern en-
trance of the tunnel, and White
Plains local, that came by the Har-
lem branch of the New York Central
railroad Most of the death. injury
and damage was wrought by the en-.
gine of the White Plains train, which
plunged into the rear car of the mo-
tionless train and was driven through
to the middle of the car, smashing
the seats. furnishings and splitting
the sides as 1t moved forward. The
victims either were mangled in the
mass of wreckage carried at the pilot,
crushed in the space between the
boiler and car sides or scalded by the
steam which came Kissing from broken
pipes and cylinders. The engine, 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 assist
ance by those who escaped. Within a
few minutes the work Of rescue,
marked by heroism and sacrifice, be-
gan. Alarms that brought every avail
able ambulance in the city, the police
reserves Of five precincts and the fire.
men OF the central-eastern district OF
Manhattan, were sounded at once.
With police, firemen and surgeons
came a score of volunteer physicians
and half dozen clergymen.
Scenes of Horror.
Ladders were run down 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
and Rev. DR.. Walkley, chaplains Of
the fire department, crawled in over
the wreckage and ministered to the
dying. Lieutenant Clark, Of the fire
department, forced his way to the
point where Miss Rice and Miss Scott
lay, and stood in water that scalded
the flesh from his limbs until the two
women were released. T. M. Murphy,
a passenger, both OF whose legs were
broken and still held by the timbers,
volunteered to remain as he was until
those around him were assisted. Two
policemen and Chaplain Walkley
reached Mrs. Howard, and the chaplain
gave her a stimulant. The policemen
were cutting away the seat which held
the woman down, when a pipe broke.
The scalding steam drove them back.
and when the rescuers returned Mrs.
Howard was dead.
Engineer Arrested.
Responsibility for the disaster is
unfixed, but Superintendent Franklin
said that so far as he had been able
to discover ]. NJ. Wischo engineer of
the White Plains train, is to blame.
1t is declared that when the South
Norwalk train stopped fiagman ran
back into the tunnel, and, besides
placing torpedo on the track, en-
deavored to flag the oncoming train.
The tunnel 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 were ar
rested.
investigating the Wreck.
| New York, Jan. 11.--District Il
to,ney Jerome and the state railroad
commissioners resumed their investi-
cation of the tunnel horror yesterday.
The district attorney, Railroad Com
missioner Baker, Assistant District
| Attorney Garvan and Superintendent
Franklin, of the railroad. made a trip
OF inspection through the tunnel.
The party left the Grand Genital u
tion on locomotive with no car at
tached.
At the end of the district attorneys
trip through the tunnel one of those
who had accompanied him said they
had found the atmosphere fairly clear
most of the way, but at Ninety-sixth
! street they were enveloped in cloud
of smoke and steam so dense that