New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-19
PARK-AVE. TUNNEL WRECK
FIVE BADLY INJURED.
Gar Leaues Track Near Scene Of.
Fatality of 1902.

4 dtduLY OI I@O%'
p- a accident TO Boston Express in the
-,--k-sve. tunnel yesterday five persons were
+,nr4 50 seriously as TO require the attention Of
,,,-zeors and a few more received slight in
sr-tes The tra,n left the Grand Central Station
e noon with its nine passenger cars we'll filled
when If was passing 56tn-st. its fifth coach,
rs-lor car. left the track because Of the spread
.nr 81 a switch. The car broke its connections
and IFS forward end crashed against an iron
r5lIar The vestibule was smashed and one side
:. ,ba car was ripped half its length. All the
windows were broken.
The train was running slowly. and as soon as
Re heard the crash the engineer applied the
brakes. stopping within 6 few feet The passen-
GERS Of the wrecked car were thrown from their
seats. and those or them who received injuries
were hit by splnters Of the car or by broken
efeEs For time there was great excitement.
Y7anv passengers trying to leave the cars. The
.rai1n7en warned everybody not TO get of. be-
caUse trains wsre likely to pass on the next
tracks. The passengers in the wrecked car were
taken into rear cars. which were run back to the
Grand Central Station and an ambulance was
called from Bellevue 10 the station.
Following is 2 list Of the injured who received
the attentions Of the ambulance surgeons:
r7rNx. Mrs. James g teacher in American Inter
a aeHsl sar G Eosss f4es;s and Ven N to spTfnsed
CcwDREY. E G. general manager Laolede Gas Light
COMPANY. St Louis: contusons Of hip. was attenoeo
q hp aad cut on head; attended at station and
z-7>rs MS Edxard B No ss6 west 21st-st: bruises
head and body E;s attended and sent home
Eght leg was attended and went On to R2ston ss9
tussons Of hips and attended in station and
taken TO Bellevue Hosp ital-
Policemen who were in Park-ave- when the
accident occurred. called an ambulance from the
Flower Hospital. but it's surgeon was not per
r1ftted to go into the t1Innel at 56th-st The
police later kept other persons out Of the tunnel
while a Hrecking train was brought to the scene
Trah5c over the New-York CentraIs line in
Park-ave- was suspended until the wreck was
cleared. After the Boston Express had been sent
out again. the police gave notice that they
wanted TO arrest Samuel Reed. the engineer on
q technical charge of assault. although nobody
seemed to think he was TO be blamed for the
accident Reed may be arrested to-day when
he returns from Boston.
W K Vanderbilt. jr. werrt from the Grand
Central Station with the wrecking train and
overlooked the work Of clearing the wreck Ira
A. Mccormack. assistant traffic manager at the
station. said later:
We are examining into the accident. but as
yet we have no explanation TO give. The switches
are the regular low pressure pneumatic switches,
and all chance Of 4 split switch is Impossible.
Mrs Anna E White who was taken to Belle
vue. told this story of her experience:
was in seat No. ?. on the left side in the
front Of the car. The train want slowly up
through the yards. and was gathering speed at
about ssth-sI. when after a rlunblins as we
fesse tina trsck and swing sharply 70 the left
Then the side Of the car cayed IN and showers
OF splinters, oinders and dust came in l was was
knocked over and ptnioned under my chair,
and became unconscious dimly remember
being carried into another car, and then of going
IN a train To the depot, whence came here
There was great COnmOtion when the car-left
the track The women screamed. and some of
the men lost control of themselves. TOO though
most of them were cool and baInad the women
one man. very much excited. kept shouting
Open the door: open the door" and he didn't
make a move TO do anything himself
Mr.. Hines. husband of one Of the injured
women. said:
They treated me like dog at the Grand Cen
tral Station when I went there after heard OF
the injury 10 my wife. l got there at 1920
O'Clock It was after O'Clock before could
get any one TO tell where my wife was
finally found her in the women's waitinf- room.
Now all that time officials knew where she was
and could have told me. I told them I her
husband but they made believe they didn't
know where she was
Tns accident yesterday occurred near the
scene Of the disaster of January S 1902 in
which seventeen persons were killed and about
thirty injured. Yesterdays accident indirectly,
was due to the former accident because the
switch which spread yesterday is part Of the
trackage which is being disturbed in the tunnel
IN the extensive improvements which are being
made at the terminal result Of the disaster
Of three years ago That disaster was caused
by an engineer Of White Plains local train Of
the Harlem division running past danger
signal In the fog. His locomotive crashed into
the rear end OF New-Haven train which had
been held in the tunnel few feet north Of
56th-st
On February 20 1891. a New-Haven train
going north in the tunnel crashed into a train
Of empty cars. and SIX persons were killed and
several we're hurt The collision caused the
ererturning Of an old fashioned stove in one Of
the wrecked cars. setting fire to the car. making
he accident more horrible This disaster led 10
Es abolition Of stoves on New-Haven cars.
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