The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-15
COMMUTERS TRAIN WRECKED,
Ten PERSONS HURT IN COLLISION
NEAR BRONXVILLE.
woman walking Down the Track Warned
Approaching Express So II slowed
Down and A,erted . Much Worse Disas-
ter-Three Trains in Ono Block--Did
Express Engineer Run BY . signal:

Down and Ayerted Much Worse Disas-
ter-Three Trains In Ono Block--Did
Express Engineer Run BY . signal:
MorSr VERNON. April N.-Ten persons
were injured in a rear end collision which
occurred near the Bronxville station Of
the Harlem division Of the New York Gem
tral railroad shortly after o'clock to-
night The American Express. known as
the Wildcat and made up entirely of
cypress cars. crashed into the COS White
Plains local, drawn by the Vanderbilt
hog invented by young Cornelius Wander
bilt which has earned the name Of being
the most Inflated locomotive on the road.
The injured are;
MICHAEL CONNOLLY. express messenger: con.
cusson Of BRAIN spinal column injured: taken to
New York.
Miss Louise ERICKSON OF Scarsdsle; conclusion
Of brain. spralped right arm and left leg.
MICHAEL MCNAMARA OF Tuckahoe; kneepan
broken, arm sprsined.
A.D. DosBIE, OF Hartsdale: back and legs bruised.
csAn.s SULLIVAN Of Tuckahoe; shoulder dis.
bcsted,
SIrrHrS GuIRcK. JOHN WHITE. JOHN LxARr and
M BFALs OF Tuckahoe; Commissions about body.
Unknown man; head cut: went To New York.
That a whole carload OF persons were
not killed outright was due TO the presence
Of mind Of Mrs. Margaret Hannigan En-
nett Of Pine and Dakota avenues. Bronx
vile, who waved her umbrella to the engi-
neer Of the wildcat just before he turned
the curve and crashed into the accommo-
da,ion train. Her quick action caused the
engineer to slow down and reduced the
force Of the collision.
Mrs Emmett is the wife Of Frederick
Emmett, and is tall blonde about
~ years old. She is employed in Hodg-
mann's rubber factory In South Railroad
avenue. Mount Vernon.
She had just alighted from the local train
a, the South Bronxville station and had
started to walk down the tracks to her home
the curve. The train was going thirty
miles an hour. and she realized in an instant
that unless 1t was stopped 1t would crash
into the accommodation train with fright
full results.
With one hand she waved her umbrella
and with the other her lunch basket. The
rain was coming down In torrents and a
dense smoke obecured the tracks. Fear
ing that the engineer would not see her
signals she screamed as the locomotive
dashed by her; stop! Stop! For heavens
cake. stop!'
Engineer Kit Carson Of the express was
looking ont OF the cab window and saw
her signal. He applied the emergency
brakes and reversed the lever Then he
pulled open the throttle, and the locomotive
aid along the tracks, making a streak of
fame.
The express was very near the accommo-
dation. which had been halted In the block
becuss Of - souideut 10 another local
train joe abead Of 4. Befors II could be
stopped the express struck the local. The
trains came together just below q stone
bridge which crosses the Bronx River
between Bronxville and Mount Vernon.
The express locomotive buried itself half
way into the rear car Of the accommoda-
uon train and derailed two cars.
The crash broke the windows In the cans
and hurled the passengers from their seats.
The accommodation train consisted OF four
coaches, containing 500 passengers. mostly
commuters.
Fortunately the last car was a combina-
don baggage and smoking car. and the
locomotive tore into the baggage COM
partment. Michael Connolly. the express
messenger. and Conductor Ebert Schuck
were the only persons in the baggage COM
partment. Half q. dozen men were in
tured In the smoker and Others in the middle
Of the train.
Engineer Carson remained at the throttle
OF the express trains engine and escaped
unhurt. The fireman also was not injured.
II was found that the most seriously
injured were Messenger Connolly and Miss
Erickson. The latter cried out in her agony
and had to be held by two doctors to pre-
vent her doing herself bodily harm. After
an hours delay she was placed on a north
bound train and taken to Scarsdale.
The trainmen rushed to the nearest tele.
phone stations to send messages for physi-
clans.
Mrs. Emmett hurried back to the wrecked
train and helped to take care Of the injured
telephoned to DR.. Austin of Tuckahoe and
Dr.. Armstrong OF Bronxville. Messages
were sent to half a dozen Mount Vernon
physicians.
There is no hospital at Bronxville and
most Of the injured were treated either at
the Bronxville station or at the Offices OF
the physicians.
Supt Bronson and Trainmaster Van |
1bSseu were soon al the scene OF the |
wreck with a wrecking train and crew and |
after four hours work the tracks were
cleared. Supt. Bronson said:
Il do not care to make any statement !
until have made thorough investigat ion /
Undoubtedly some one is to blame for this. |
The first thing did was TO look after the |
carc of the injured and see that they got |
I'll medical treatment possible
The passengers Of the wrecked train de- |,
clare that they owe their lives to Mrs. !
Emmett. because II she had not tagged the |
express 1t would have crashed into them |
u full speed
Mrs. Emmett remained until the injured |
were cared for and then went homo TO her |,
husband and two children. Later in the !
evening when she was seen by newspaper 1
Nporiers, she said
i tried my best TO prevent the express
IRON crashing into the accommodation. !
For years have committed on the O'Clock |
tain from Mount Vernon to Bronxville. On !
my way up tonight one Of the passengers ,
who was sitting by me remarked rs We
neared the South Bronxville station how
nice |, would bc II the train would only stop /
and bet me of so would not have to walk