New-York tribune., 1902-12-20
DEATH IN TRAIN WRECK.
One Passenger Hurt-Erpress HIT
Track Jumping Car.

Hackensack. Dec. 10 (SpeciaD.-The Paterson
express on the Susquehanna and Western Rail-
road, due at Hackensack at Isl p. m, while
travelling at the rate OF about fifty miles an
hour this afternoon crashed into coal car that
had just jumped across from the eastbound
track, near Little Ferry. Two firemen were
killed and one of the passengers was seriously
injured The dead are William Kelso. twenty
one years old. Of Paterson, single, who
drowned in ditch near the track, and William
Mabey, twentyeight years old, of Butler. N. J..
married, who was buried under the engine and
scalded. The injured Bernard Won
STEIN hotelkeeper of Cresskill who had his
shoulder dislocated and received severe bruises
on the body.
The scene of the accident was near where
the coal trains the Susquehanna road
switched from the main track to the branch
road that runs through the Farview tunnel to
the Edgewater docks. A coal train with the
caboose unattached, being switched as the
passenger train came in sight. The cars were
moving south on the eastbound tracks toward
the approaching train. The end jumped the
track and bumped over to the westhound track
just as the express came along. All this was
so sudden and unexpected that James Steiner.
the engineer. had chance to put on the emer-
gency brakes. and the fast moving locomotive
struck the end of the coal with terrific force.
An eyewitness of the collision said that the
engine seemed to bounce up in the air. leave the
tracks and then plough along through the sand
and dirt the edge of the tracks for nearly
one hundred and fifty feet. Then the engine
stopped and slid into the ditch and Topped over
the left side. The lurch was so sudden that
the engineer was thrown out of his cab, and
landed in the Eud and water several feet away
He crawled out to a place of safety unhurt
William Kelso. of the fremen. was not
duty, but was "deadheading'' his way home
the engine when he met his death. At the time
OF the collision he sitting in the fireman's
cab, ringing the bell for his brother fireman.
who shovelng coal into the furnace. The
engine turned over in the ditch in such manner
to force Kelso under the water and. escape
being impossible. he was drowned before assist
ance could reach him.
One report that was circulated at the scene
of the wreck was that Mabey thrown half
way into the open furnace when the crash came.
His body parboiled-as much as could be
seen of 1t under the engine-by the escaping
steam. There is hardly a doubt but that both
fremen were dead before the trainmen recov-
cred from the shock Of the collision and reached
the engine in the ditch. Among the first to
reach the demolished locomotive Martin
Mabey baggage master on the wrecked train,
a brother of the fireman who was buried under
the engine few minutes later another Ma
bey a conductor of the coal train service, came
along on his ca boose from the Edgewater docks
He stopped to examine the wreck. and was told
that Billy Mabey under the ponderous
double decked locomotive.
The FIRST r.ar combination baggage Car and
smoker pIoughed its way to the top of the loco
motive the forward trucks being torn on fet'
strange to say. only one passenger was injured
He was Bernard Won Stein, a hotelkeeper. OF
oN-io1 fn Il
sack before 3 O'Clock to pay his hotel license.
this being the last day. Notwithstanding his
injury which was a badly dislocated shoulder.
Won Stein walked TO the Little Ferry station
along the tracks, a mile distant laid MS case
before Michael Collins. hotelkeeper of that
place and was hurriedIy driven to Hackensack-
After settling with County Clerk Ramsey. the
injured man went to physician to have mis-
shoulder attended to-
There was great confusion in the two coaches,
where men and women were thrown about in all
directions The seats were broken and twisted.
but not single pane of glass in the entire train
WAS broken. All the cars jumped the track
and ioted along the ties.
Among the passengers in the coach vas eX-
First Assistant Postmaster General william NJ
Johnson of Hackensack, who related his ex-
perience to Tribune reporter this evening, as
follows:
Il have often read and heard OF experiences
by reople in railroad wrecks, but never properly
appreciated such experience till this afternoon
Fortunately I escaped without injury our
train seemed to be travelling about sixty miles
an hour when the crash came and sent every
bodv forward with a lurch. There was no warn
ing signal or evident application of any brakes'
and the train hit The obstruction with terrihc
force.
Il grabbed the back of the seat ahead OF me
and braced myself. while the car bumped along
over the ties and finally slid down into the
ditch Other men and myself did our pest 10
oriet the women in the car, who L must say
behaved bravely under the circumstances. we
assured them that all danger had passed Wheh
the car stopped, and they believed US SeVeral
men left their seats the car bumped along,
"a ,bay were thrown down in the aises ana
bruised.
with the train so badly wrecked II Is Ger
family q miracle that none Of the passengers
were killed
AS the entire train left the tracks tra1nc was
-. 5alaved TO any noticeable extent. coroner
curry, of Hackensack, viewed the bodies OF the
.aaod Aremen but deemed an inquest unneces-
sary.
CTTES Up LEADERSHIP