New-York tribune., 1903-02-28
on CENTRAL.
FOu1 Hundred Feet of Track BM7fd
IN the Hudson
ALL TRAFFIC ON ROAD BLOCKED.


over four hundred feet of the New-York Cen
trail Railroad track at what is known as the
loop. near Croton- -on- Hudson. is out in the Hud-
son River. buried under tons of earth and rock.
and all traffic over the road is blocked until at
least noon to-day. Meanwhile all through trains
are being sent around from Albany by way of
the Harlem road
The loop has been of trouble to the
road for years, and some time ago work was
begun on blasting path through the rocks
near the track, to bring the road, which
has been practically out over the river, on to
rock foundation. While this work was in prog
ress all trains compelled 10 use one track
for a short space. The landward track had to
be abandoned for the use of the work trains
which carted away the rock and earth which
were blasted out
few minutes before 3 p m. yesterday the
side Of the hill where the blasting has been go
ing on, shaken by the blasting and loosened by
the thawng of the frost in the ground slid down
to and against the single track in use and
pushed it out into the river The slide began
slowly, and lasted perhaps half an hour. When
it began men sent up and down the road
to signal trains, so that for minutes be-
fore the track actually affected the road
was blocked. either side of the danger point.
Nothing could be done to avert the mshap.
The slide which was slight at first, continued
to grow in extent until hundreds of tons of
rock and earth had slid down on to the right
of way
Even before the track wrecked the eng-
neers saw what would take place and word
was sent both north and south that the track
would probably be blocked. Trains between
NewYork and this point were halted and as
soon as possible sent back to Mott Haven TO
he sent north again over the Harlem road.
Trains between Peekskill and Albany cor
F1i11cy1
WreckerS, with a big force of men, went to
work on the slide at once Some of the rocks
which slid down and rest on the track are so
large that they will probably have to be blasted,
as they are too heavy for the derriCks to lift.
According to several passengers who arrived
in the Grand Central Station last night on the
second section of tn, Chica go Limited Express.
the first section of the train, which
ming about hour ahead of the second section,
had a narrow escape from running into the land
slide
The train. crowded with passengers. had
past Garrison without receiving any warning of
what was before it, but on rounding curve the
engineer of the train had seen the signalman in
a tower waving red flag The engineer
stopped his train only a few hundred feet from a
spot in the track on which hundreds of tons of
dirt and rock were piled. If the train had gone
on 1t would probably have run into the Hudson
River. great loss of life probably resulting.
About half hour before the landslide oc-
CURED the Albany Express had passed the place
where the landslide
As soon as the Stalling of the first section OF
the Chicago Express became known to the sta
ton men at Harrison. the stations all along the
line were Informed, and soon nearly dozen
trains stalled along the tracks at differ
ent points. Between the first and second sec
tions of the Chicago Express three trains.
The passengers of all these trains, including
those in the first section of the Chicago EX-
press, were forced to walk back mile along the
tracks in the pouring rain to Garrison. They
were then put on board the second section
On the walk back bonffres were built by the
employees of the railroad company to enable the
passengers to see their way along the railroad
ties. Porters carried the smaller children in
their arms, and when the passengers finally
arrived at Garrison. most of them were soaked
to the skin by the rain.
On the second section of the express were
the members of the Indianapolis Bowling Club,
who due in NewYork last night, to play
match game with another club of this city.
John ]. Guilfoyle. of No. 1S6 South Fourth
St. Brooklyn, passenger on the first section
of the Chicago Express. said upon arriving at
the Grand Central Station:
"It was experience shall never forget.
There we were. mile away from any ha bita-
ton, it seemed to u.s. and were forced under
the most disagreeable conditions to tramp over
uneven ties until we reached the second section
of the train.
Among the passengers delayed by the land
slide a prominent clergyman, it was said, of
this city. The clergymans name could not be
learned. but it said that he had had an en-
gagement to speak at meeting in the city last
night. Business men with important engage
ments it was said. also Inconvenience by
the landslide and the passengers. on reaching
Garrison. held Indignation meeting. protest
ing against the railroad company for not pro-
vdng them with train to take them to Car
rison from the place where the train was
stalled.
The second section of the express was shunted
onto the tracks of the New-York and New-Eng-
land Railroad, which branch off from those OF
the New York Central and Hudson River Rail-
road at Garrison. Then upon reaching Brew
sters, the train switched onto the Harlem
Railroad tracks and reached the Grand Central
Station at 1O3O p. m, four hours late
The Empire State Express which leaves AL
bany a little after O'Clock, was shifted to the
West Shore Railroad tracks, and landed its pas
sengers in Weehawken.
The full extent of the damage caused TO the
railroad tracks by the landslide could not be
learned at the Grand Central Station last night,
but it was said that ii would result in serious
delay Of trains for some time to come.