The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1906-12-19
ENGINEER DID HIS DUTY
Was Dug From the Wreckage
Terribly Injured.
Entire Train With Exception of One
Pullman Burned - Fast Train Ran
Into Coal Car and Caboose That
Were Driven In Front Of 1t by An.
other Collision.

other Collision.
Rochester, Dec. IS. - New York
Central train No. 81, known as the
Buffalo local, fast train running be-
tween New York and Buffalo, was
wrecked near the pumping station
about mile east of Palmyra, yester-
day afternoon at 2 o'clock, the engi-
neer was fatally injured and the en-
tire train, with the exception of one
Pullman, was burned to the trucks.
A local freight was taking water at
the pumping station on track No. 3
when suddenly another freight, also a
pick up, and on track No. came in
sight. Before it could be stopped it
ran into the rear end of the first pick
up, knocking the caboose and heavy
coal car over on passenger track No. 2.
The crew instantly started to flag
the passenger train, which they knew
to be due, but before they could hard
ly leave the train No. 81 hove in sight
with two monster engines, making up
a little lost time.
Luckily for every one on the passen-
ger train, Engineer Harris, who was
on the first engine, had time to put on
the air thus reducing the speed to
quite an extent when the crash came
and the two engines struck the coal
car and the damaged caboose.
The caboose did not amount to much
in the path of the engines, but the
heavy coal car threw both engines off
the track, and after ploughing through
the mud for quite distance, they
tipped over on their sides and slipped
down the embankment.
The baggage car was thrown partly
off the rails, but none of the other cars
left the tracks. Every one in the
passenger cars was badly shaken up
but none was injured.
Engineer Harris of Rochester, who
was in the first engine and who by
sticking to his post probably saved
many lives, was dug out from under
the wreckage, terribly injured. DR.. ].
M. Lee, Rochester surgeon, and DR..
Garfield also of Rochester, were on
the train and they made the injured
man as comfortable as possible. His
wounds were carefully dressed and
he was taken to the city hospital in
Syracuse. The passengers nearly all
took refuge in farm house.
The caboose took fire when first
struck and set fire to the passenger
train. In short time every one of
the cars, including two Pullmans, one
day coach, the smoking car, an ex-
press and a baggage car, were In
flames and burned to their trucks.
The last Pullman was saved by an en-
gine which came up from the Newark
station and drew it away from the
other cars before it had caught fire.
The passengers were all taken back
to Newark in this car and from there
taken west on an accommodation over
the West Shore. The two passenger
engines were those of the New York
Central's latest type numbered 1872
and 3,S9S.
The wrecking crew was Immediately
sent for, but it was several hours be-
fore it arrived and in the meantime
several freight cars caught fire and
burned.
The express messenger had a mar
row escape, for when the crash came
he was hurled with several large
boxes of express across the car, but
he and the crew did great work in get
ting everything out of the car before
1t took fire.
The east and westbound Empire
State express were sent over the
West Shore road from Lyons to Fair.
port, and as track No. was the only
one that could be used all the other
fast trains used the West Shore
tracks up to midnight.
Not one of the passengers lost a
single article of baggage and so far
as could be learned not one was in
iured, although several were in such
state of excitement that they could
hardly tell anything about themselves.