The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-17
At High Speed -Four Coaches
Filled With Matinee Crowd
Leave The Track
BODIES GROUND TO PIECES
MANY WOMEN AMONG DEAD
Terrific Crash as EIectric-Drawn Brew
ster Express Whirls Around Curve.
Horror of Holocaust Averted
BY Broken Third Rail.

New York, February 16.-Sixteen pas
had died of their injuries at midnight,
and at least fifty more were more or less
seriously injured following the wreck
Of the White Plains and Brewster express
on the Harlem division of the New York
Central and Hudson River railroad near
Woodlawn Road, in the Bronx borough
of Greater New York, tonight.
The train was filled with matinee
crowds and commuters, and was made up
of two electric motors, a combination
baggage and smoking car, and four pas
senger coaches. It left the Grand Cen
tral station at 6:13 o'clock with the first
scheduled stop at White Plains. 1t was
running at high speed when it reached
Woodlawn Road, where there is sharp
curve. The motors and the second car
took the curve safely, but the following
coaches were derailed and tumbling on
their sides, were dragged one hundred
yards before the couplings gave way and
the four cars piled together in ruins at
the foot of a low embankment. A sheet
of electric flame enveloped the railroad
car, and for a moment threatened to
roast the victims pinioned in the debris
The flames did not, however, spread and
the horror of a holocaust was averted
AS the cars fell, they smashed the third
rail, breaking the current, and ending the
danger from this source. In the crash
which followed there was death for
four coaches received injuries OF some
sort. Many were ground to pieces, and
for hours identification was almost hope
less.
As the cars went over many of the
passengers were thrown into or through
the windows and so cut and manned.
The Identified Dead.
Myron E. Evans. White Plains, civil en-
gineer.
Robert ]. Rosenborough, White Plains,
employe.
e. F. Johnson. Briar Cnffe. N. Y.
c. F. Page, Williamsburg N. Y.
Mrs. Mary Kinch, Chappauqua, N. Y.
Miss or Mrs. Warren.
w. Sloane.
s. Sloane.
Annie Moorhead, aged IT.
Jessie A. Jabin.
Mrs. Edith Brady.
Clara s. Hudson.
Mrs. Jennie Tobin.
Unidentified Dead.
Body of a woman, about 40 years, sailor
hat, bearing stamp, Brigham company.
Springfield. Gold ring, inscribed, III.
II. T. to II. S. c., Dec. 16, 1897
Body of woman, about % years of age,
brown hair bracelet inscribed M
Body of woman about % years of age,
ri nd al haa arin
Remington Typewriter Co, 1602-B."
Body of woman, % years, dark brown
hair, plain ring, inscribed, Herbert to
Mary
Body of woman 40 years of age, gold
chain with three pearls and chip diamond,
solitaire; one ring with six diamonds
and one emerald.
Body of woman, crushed almost beyond
recognition, black clothes, gold chain.
Body of woman, 60 years of age, ring
with green stone, silver watch
Body of woman 3S years, dark hair, ring
with white stone.
Body of man, 40 years. black hair, dark
clothes.
The list of dead at the Grand Central
station included Mrs. G. Klntsch of
Chatham, N. Y. This name may have been
confused with that of Mary Kinsch, be-
fore reported Annie Morehead is said to
have belonged in Fitchburg Mass She
died in the hospital.
Shortly after midnight Coroner
Schwannecker made a statement in which
he said:
IT have taken possessjcu of one of the
rails over which the train passed and
shall hold them for technical examna-
tion. In my preliminary investigation
found defect in this rail which indicated
In my opinion the place where big
wheel, probably one of the drive wheels
of the engine, hit a rail at a point almost
directly under the Woodlawn road bridge.
This rail has an indentation clearly de-
fined which shows where some heavy OBJ
feet dropped on it. The theory is that fol-
lowing the dropping of this heavy object
upon the rail, it spread, allowing the
wheels that passed over the rail later TO
drop TO the ties"
Rises From Tracks.
One Of the witnesses secured by the
coroner says that while passing at a
point almost under the bridge he felt
the train rise up off the tracks and it
seemed 10 fly through the air.
"I shall continue my investigation as
soon as daylight will permit" said the
coroner.
The coroner ordered the arrest of Engi-
neer Warren Williams and his assistant,
Stanfield. The engineer was held without
bail and his assistant paroled.
Many of the injured were brought to
this city on special trains while others
were removed to nearby hospitals, and
some sent to their homes at White Plains
and Mount Vernon.
Speculation as to the speed of the
train when it struck the curve was gen.
eral among survivors of the wreck to-
night but there was little opinion on
which to base reliable estimates
The train was in charge tonight of
Engineer Edward Rogers and Conduc-
tor John Williams. In the motor car with
Rogers was Assistant Superintendent of
the Division F. Z. Williamson. Operating
Inspector B. o. Stevens was also on
board.
pismembered bodies were strewn along