The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-07
Automobile With Nine Persons
Goes Over an Embankmemt.
Drops on Railroad Track 20
Feet Below.
STRUCK BY A TRAIN.
Three Persons Were Killed and
the Others Injured.
Car Was Travelling at a Rate of
% Miles an Hour.

New York, Oct. 7.-Driven at the rate
of 25 miles an hour a three seated
touring car containing nine persons,
four men and five women, dashed over
an embankment at the southern end of
Jerome avenue today, landing on the
southbound track of the New York
Central & Hudson river railroad Just
at that moment a southbound local
train, running fast to make UP time,
rounded curve and struck the automo-
bile. Three persons were killed, two
instantly; two We're seriously injured
and the other four, although badly
bruised and shaken were able to go
home.
The dead are:
ALLEN MOVES, chauffeur of the au-
tomobile, instantly
MADGE 'CORCORAN. 80 years old.
killed instantly.
BELLA PEREZ. died in hospital.
The injured are:
Mrs. Kitty WadSwOrth as fractured
skull, will die.
Moses Spies, fracture of the jaw, gem
eral COntuSionS
jeanette Davis, shock and slight con-
tusions; went home
Emma Perez sister of Bella Perez
shock and hysteria.
Thomas Murphy, not badly hurt
The party was returning to the River
side casino from a trip to Mount Yer
non. Allan NOyeS, the chauffeur had
intended turning from Jerome avenue
into the approach of the McCombs dam
bridge to cross to Manhattan. Whether
he knew of the short extension on
jerome avenue, beyond One Hundred
and Sixty-first street or not will never
be known. The corner at that point is
brilliantly lighted, but the extension
leading to the edge of the embankment
above the New York Central park is
paved with brick and the car tracks
run down to a picket fence at the edge
Several persons, including two police
men, saw the automobile rushing down
the avenue. They shouted a warming
but 1T was too late. With no apparent
slackening of speed the big car crashed
through the fence, cleared a dirt en-
bankment extending about five feet
above the stone retaining wall and then
clearing the wall, made a sheer drop
of rs feet to the railroad track In its
descent the car half turned and several
of its occupants were spilled out. When
it struck the tracks Noyes Bella Perez
and Madge Corcoran were thrown to
the track, the others falling to the side
O fthe rails.
The occupants of the car were stun
ned and bleeding and trying to recover
themselves when they heard the roar
of the train and then a frightful
crash Noyes was caught in the
wreckage of the car and tossed up
with it on the pilot of the engine. His
body was still there when the train
was brought to stop. Madge
Corcoran was dragged by her long
automobile coat which caught on the
smashed car for a distance of 200 feet
and when the cloth gave way she fell
to the track only to be cut in two at
the waist by the wheels of the engine.
The whole train passed over her body.
Bella Perez was dragged about so feet
and then tossed to one side. The
tower man, in a switch tower about a
hundred feet north of Jerome avenue,
heard the automobile as it broke
the fence and running to his
window saw the car strike the track.
The Croton local was but 200 feet
away and the engine about fifty feet
north of a block signal. Jumping to
the switch mechanism he dropped the
lever that worked the arm of the
signal which was showing the green
light and instantly the danger signal
flashed before the eyes of the locomo-
tive engineer who just caught the red
glare as his cab passed the signal post
At once he reversed his engine and put
on the air brakes, but his speed had
hardly slackened perceptibly when the
train struck the automobile. The train
came to stop in a distance of about
500 feet.
On the train was Health Commits
sioner Darlington, who took charge of
the work of caring for the injured. The
locomotive engineer was arrested but
released on his own recogniZance.