New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-08
GRAND CENTRAL WRECK
CAR ON CONCOURSE.
Goes Through Bumper and Gate
One Man Killed.

One Man Killed.
Peigrno Landi, of No. 2.231 1st-ave.. was
killed and George Griffin, of No. IA West 136th-
St. was injured at the Grand Central Station
at $40 p. m: yesterday in one of the most pc
culiar railroad accidents that have ever occurred
in this city.
In making up the Adirondack and Montreal
express, which leaves the station at I:5o o clocK'
six cars were shunted with such force against
three extra cars that stood the track as 10
drive the last of these onto the concourse ana
up against the building The car broke INTO
fragments the buffer against which 1t STOOD
knocked down the iron railing and srnashed INTO
splinters one of the exits from the station. Inc
forward part of the car was demohSheo anu
every pane of glass was broken.
Mrs Henry Smith of Mount Vernon, who was
waiting on the platform and was a witness Oh
the killing of Landi, described the accident, al
though she had not recovered from the snock
and spoke with some difficulty
'I was On the PLATFORM said Mrs. Smith,
with my back to the track on which the cars
stood. 1 was startled by terrific report and'
turning TO see the cause saw, the car come up
on the platform.
There were man and woman directly IN
front of the car. They were in frenzy or
fright and In their effort to escape became sep
the street. while the man attempted to get into
the building He pushed the door. but II would
not open 1t was a door that opened outward
Before he realized it, however the car had
reached him and he was crushed between 1t ana
the door of the vestibuled exit Then the woman
with shrek shall not soon forget, tainted
A TERRIFIC NOISE.
.o7be breakins.of wood and glass, which flew
terrific n0i6S.- 0U1
whole thing was over in a moment
An ambulance surgeon from the Flower Hos
ni+sI said that Landi had met instant death
The train that caused the accident was No 11
Of the New-York Central. and was MADE up at
the Mott Haven yards 1t was hauled down 10
47th-st by a switching engine. of which r
Fitzgibbons of No. $50 East 146th-st-. was the
engineer Jeremiah Sullivan of No 692 East
1S2d-st. was the conductor, and the others OF
the train crew were Edward Conery, of No o6o
West 5Sth-st and Frank Roller, of NO IN
East 51st-st., brakemen. The train consisted OF
six cars. At 47th-st the engineer made a fly
ing switch, the locomotive was uncoupled ana
switched off another track. allowing the tram
to go into the station.
The train went along at about ten miles an
hour. II was said On the rear platform, the
conductor controlled 1t with safety device. con-
Meeting with the airbrakes When Sullivan tried
to slow up the train the device failed to work.
and he opened the airbrakes wide, but without
result The shunted train. with undiminished
momentum. crashed into the three extra
coaches. The impetus knocked down the
bumper the rear car of the dead" coaches was
ripped off it's trucks and was pushed thirty feet
over the concourse and crashed into the vestt-
buled doorway leading to the station waiting
room
&c he nae rLxaO On
ROOM and the attendants ran to shelter The
car lay on its side.
MANY NARROW ESCAPES.
There was crowd on the concourse at the
time and there were many narrow escapes from
injury If not death.
The dead man was an Italian clothing de-
signer He and his wife, bride Of six months
had gone to the Grand Central Station in the
course of stroll. His body penned in
under the wreck that it required hours work
by the wrecking crew before 1t could be
moved Mrs. Landi had narrow escape. She
was removed to the office of the station master.
and it was not until two hours later. on the ar
rival of her father Felix Rubano, that she was
told that her husband had been killed.
AT about 10 o'clock Miss Annie Landi. sister
of the dead man. arrived at the station and her
historical grief was pitifu She was half car
room. and remained there until she had partly
recovered her composure, when she was permit
ted to join Mrs. Landi. A large number of the
friends of the family down from Harlem
and obtained a permit for the removal of the
BODY from the Grand Central sub-police station
to the mans home
George Griffen, who was slightly injured by
fivfng glass. is station porter.
A physician was called to treat Mrs. Iandi.
who was said to be in critical condition.
Mr. Slater, the station superintendent, said
last night that he could not advance any ex-
PLANTATION of the accident until he had made an
investigation which he would undertake imme-
diateIy. CAPTAIN Stevenson. who in charge
of the police at the accident. said he would make
no arrests last night, and that If 1t became
necessary, he could find the men responsible for
the accident when they were wanted
PIONEER GLASS MANS BIRTHDAY.
fBy Telegraph TO The Tribune.I