The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-18
DEATH IN
4 TUNNEL
Fearful Accident
in Nav York
City.
TRAINS COLLIDE
BELOW SURFACE
The Vanderbilt System Supplies
the Latest Railway
Disaster.

NEW YORK, Jan. S-A New York
| and Harlem local passenger train
known as the white Plains local."
| ran into the last car of a New York,
New Haven and Hartford train known
as the Norwalk accommodation today.
in the New York Central tunnel be-
| tween Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh
streets, this city. The wreck occurred
about a block and a half from the
mouth of the tunnel. At IL o'clock the
| number of persons killed was placed
by the railroad officials at fifteen and
the injured twenty or more.
The shock of the collision was plainly
heard by people passing on Park aven-
ue above the tunnel. Several of them
| ran to give the alarm. In ten minutes
everybody at police and fire headquar-
tiers was at work organizing relief to be
sent to the spot.
From fire headquarters a dozen
blocks away a hook and ladder truck
was rapidly dispatched to the scene OF
the accident, with several fire COM
panies The reserves from East Fifty
first street and Grand Central Police
Stations were turned out on the run.
hurry call was sent to Bellevue, Flow
err, the Presbyterian and Roosevelt hos
pitfalls and in ten minutes a dozen am
balances were hurrying with a corps Of
doctors.
When the rescuers reached the wreck
smoke was pouring out of the entrance
to the tunnel at Fifty-ffth street and
great columns of smoke came out OF the
first ventilator half block north. Am
balances came in from the east ard
west. Ladders were put down from the
street over the iron fence to the track
and the fremen, policemen and sur
geons were Immediately at work.
1t was very dark in the tunnel, which
was filed with smoke and steam. The
work of rescue was, therefore, difficult.
The locomotive of the White Plains To-
| cal was hidden in the rear car of the
South Norwa1k train. The manned and
| injured were calling from the wreck.
Some, more badly injured than others.
were being assisted by the more fortu-
nate passengers.
The work of rescue was further i'm
paired by the enormous crowds, which,
| in spite of police vigilance. swarmed
into the tunnel through its many en-
frances, or crowded about the opening
at the surface.
The first of the injured taken from
the wreck was woman. She was car
ried to the womans hospital Here, as
well as at other points preparations
were hurriedly made to take care of
the wounded as rapidly as they were
brought to the railroad station. y pas
senger on the Harlem train said:
"Our train was held at the Harlem
end of the tunnel for two minutes to
allow the New Haven train to pass u.s.
Then we proceeded. Suddenly there
was a terrific crash and; we were hurled
from our seats. The shock was fol-
lowed by the roar of escaping steam
and the cries OF the wounded
"a score OF men passengers got out
of the windows and ran to the front OF
our train. The confusion and noise was
awful. Our locomotive had ploughed
halfway through the last New Haven
car. I saw several women taken out
of the first wrecked car"
Eugene Herald of Rochelle Park, one
of the passengers on the Danbury
train, gave this account of the acci-
dent:
1--WE were sitting quietly in the next
to the last car and there were only one
or two unoccupied seats There was
the usual morning crowd. There were
five cars.
..There were several women in my car
and also in the last car we had been
stalled at Fifty-seventh street Tor some
time. Suddenly there came a terT1hc
crash. The lights in the car went out.
There was a roar OF grinding steel ana
wood and a chorus of shrieks- looked
hack and saw the car behind telescoping
over the rear of our car and through
that nlix-up plunged a roaring iocoTno-
tive.
II was thrown on my face by the jolt.
and I felt some blood splash over my
forehead Stihing smoke and steam
seemed to rise ali around and looking
back. 1 could see r'Tangled persons eraw,-
ing about through the mist Then sud
denly the car took fire where the loco
motive was.
"Our one idea was to escape. L found
a friend of mine right in front of me. He
cried. open the window. for Gods sake'
turned to the window and found the
glass had all been shattered by the col
iision we climbed out. 1 saw several
persons almost covered with hood crawl
ing about
The response of the Police and Fire
Depar tnlents to the call was prompt and
within an incredibly short time nearly
800 fremen, ambulance surgeons and
trainTnen We're in the smoke and steam
flied tunnel working desperately to get
the bodies of the deed and wounded pas
sergers from the wrecked trains. Above
the scene Of death on the driveway on
both sides of the tunnel were long rows
of a-1bulances. fire engines and hook
and ladder companies.
In many instances the uninjured ana
those whose injuries We're slight rem
dered splendid aid. while others. Devil
{dered by the shock and darkness, CROPPED
their way along the walls seeking an
exit. Some of the passengers walked
through the tunnel into the Grand Cen