The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-08
TRAIN HITS ITS OWN ENGINE.
,yJSTlL SNASH-UP IN THE
GRAND CENTRAL YARD.
,ucouplcd Locomotive Was Racing for a
irving switch when Driving Rod
Cot I.oosc and Turned II Over-Moant
vernon Police Commissioner Hurt.

p,,,coman Fitzpatrick Of the East Fifty
e,,, street station saw yesterday about noon
uo, .omcthing had happened in the rail
,,od ward at Forty-ninth street and Park
a,,,r,c. which is on his post. He heard
'.,sh and then saw derailed locomotive
and messenger car, and a long string OF
,,,sseucrrs picking their way over the
,roc,s and finishing their journey to the
Grand Central Station afoot.
This il what Policeman Fitzpatrick re-
,,ortcd at the station: Engine off the track
ot Forty-ninth street and Park avenue.
No damage 10 property and nobody hurt.
s, me persons were hurt, nevertheless,
there was lot of damage to rolling
stock. traffic was stopped altogether for
half an hour, and all trains were delayed
more or less for the next four hours.
Police Commissioners Dugan and Hobby
Of Mount Vernon and DR., Baunann and
w A Glover Of Mount Vernon were sitting
in two seats when their car gave Jolt and
MIR Hobby was thrown through the door.
Hs back was wrenched and his side hurt.
The others were thrown from their seats
md slightly injured. Mr.. Dugan's knee
was hurt.
Mr.. Hobby returned at once to Mount
Vernon, where he found that a report that
he and Mr.. Dugan had been killed had
preceded him. The report reached Mrs.
Hobby and she was Frustrated. Mr..
Hobby was confined to his bed by his in
jlres last night.
The locomotive that broke down was
Engine 1908, dragging passenger train Of
three cars that left Brewsters, on the
Harlem division of the New York Central,
at 1923 The train ran express from Mount
Vernon and was due at Forty-second street
at l2l5.
At Forty-ninth street, the locomotive,
in charge Of Engineer John O'Connor and
Fireman f. Winslow, was uncoupled. 1t
shot off ahead Of the cars to make the flying
switch 100 feet away, SO that the cars might
roll into the train shed at Forty-second
street by their own momentum.
The locomotive hadn't got more than
eight feet away from the cars when the steel
strap holding tho back end Of the driving
rod broke and the rod dropped from the
pin TO the ground. This derailed the loco
motive in the path of the three cars that
we're rolling along at the rate of ten or
twelve miles an hour.
The rear Of the locomotive terder and the
front platform Of the forward passenger
car were smashed by the collision. The
forward car was also derailed
There were about one hundred passengers
in the three cars and all got good jolting
Some who were standing in the aisle, ready
to leave the train in a hurry, were thrown
down, and several persons in tho front car
were slightly cut by broken window glass.
Nobody was hurt seriously enough to re-
port to the railroad company's claim agent,
who was on the spot within two minutes
after the accident.
When the driving rod struck the ground
both OF the cylinder heads of the engine
were cracked.
When the locomotive left the rails it
skewed across the track enough 70 block
both the main outward bound and inward
bound tracks.
ave have lots Of derailments," said
Yard Manager Sanford, but the cause Of
this one was most unusual"