Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-18


pany employees. the comrany's BOOKS ana
time sheets. with schedules. models
maps, etc.
At the company's office 1t was said the
coaches In the wreck were Of the OLD OF
wooden type, net the new steel cars tnal
have been ordered. According to the
company, J. Jacobs, oiler. and assistant
to Metorman Rogers. has not been seen
since the accident and his Whereabouts
are unknown.
New York, Feb. 17.-Sixteen passen-
gers were killed outright, four otners
had died of their injuries and at least
| 50 more were more or less seriously IN
jured following the wreck Of the White
Plains and Brewster Express on the
Harlem division Of the New York Cen
trail Railroad near Woodlawn road IN
the Bronx Saturday night.
The train filled with matinee croWds
| and commuters was made up OF TWO
| electric motors combination baggage
and smoking car and four passenger
| coaches. II left the Grand Central at
1918 o'clock with the first scheduieo
l stop at White Plains. 1t was running at
high speed when it reached Woodland
road where there is a sharp curve. Inc
motors and forward car took the curve
safely but the following coaches were
derailed and tumbling on one SIDE were
dragged 100 yards before the couplings
| gave away and the four cars piled to-
gether in ruins at the foot of low en-
| bankment.
| A sheet of flame that signalled the
disaster. enveloped the rear car and Tor
a moment threatened to roast the VIC
| tins pinioned in the debris. The flames,
d:i not, however spread. and the >sor-
row of q holocaust was averted. AS the
| car; fell they smashed the third rail
breaking the current and ending the
| danger from this source. In the crasn'
| however, there was death for many
while practically every one in the tour
| coaches received injuries of some SORT
Many were ground to pieces and 1or
hours identification was almost nope
less. AS the cars went over many of the
pa ssengers We're thrown into or through
| the windows and SO cut and MANNED.
| The train pulled out of 125th street on
time. at 6.26. having clear Roadway
for White Plains. over one of the four
tracks of this division. Just below
| Woodlawn avenue. there begins a deep
cut. which above the Woodlawn road
| bridge comes out into more open coun-
| try. At the road the eight rails turn
rather shortly to the left. Smoker and
passenger coaches were we'll filled. the
first two cars chiefly by men and the
rear cars with women.
Leonard B. Green of White Plains
| who occupied a seat in the smoker, di-
rectly behind the second motor. told the
story OF the trains approach to the
curve. 1t was travelling at terrific speed,
according to Mr.. Green. though railroad
men who later viewed the wreck estl-
mated by the distance which the gath
cred momentum carried the overturned
cars. that the train was making be-
tween 40 and so miles an hour at the
time.
| Il remarked on the speed, said Mr.
Green when we hit that curve we
instinctively stopped playing a game of
cards and looked back. Suddenly the
we seemed to have broken loose from
the rest of the train and We could see
the others turning over"
| So ran the stories of other survivors.
Both motors whirled around the curve
l
The second car struck with thunar
| and, followed by the others. whirled IL
the right and with one terrific rip and
tear and splinterinS Of wood, fell on its
side. Cars went into short strings of
iron and ties were made into kindiing
wood as the coaches BUMPED along. The
latter slid for a hundred yards before
they stopped Then there was a moment
l 49, hon or onrl
croans and screams rose above the con-
fusion of the scene.
MANY of those in the cars were res
cued still alive but fatally injured; two
score were taken out with slight inju-
| RES; Is others We're dead or dying.
The scene at the wreck beggared de-
scription. The fact that the majority OF
the victims were women added to the for-
ror Dismembered bodies were strewn
| along for a distance of 100 yards One
woman was imnaled on a huge splinter
from a railroad tie. The condition of
other bodies was too frishtful for de-
! scriptiop. 1t was a gruesome sight and
the task that awaited physicians and po-
llice was sickening Although the scene
of the wreck was in the heart of the
thickly populated section, it was some
time before nearby residents IedcHed LIE
| scene. For time only one physician
| could be secured. Later aid came with
| out stint.
The rear car, containing more women
than the others. suffered the most as il
Overturned and before the breaking of tht
coupling released it from the cars ahead
it was literally torn to pieces and broken
bits scattered for hundred feet across
Woodlawn avenue. Many passengers
practically uninjured. tumbled from the
cars and hurried to telephones summon
: ing aid. AS other injured climbed from
the twisted wood and iron they were
helped to the roadside and made as com
Portable as possible until physicians ar
rived When the ambulances arrived
those desperately hurt were hurried t.
hospitals.
Edward C. Tandervoorst of White
: Plains was one of the passengers il
one of the four derailed cars who es
capped with very slight injuries. HI
said:
The train was going at very rap
l :, zI,4lo ,1 J,