The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-02-24
AND.
MANGLES WAGON
LOAD OFPEOPLE
Party Of Merrymakers Run
Down by Express
SIX DEAD, THREE BADLY HURT
Victims Were Residents Of Spring
Valley, N. T., and Were Returning
From Basket Ball Game,
SIX DEAD, THREE BADLY HURT

SPRING VALLEY, n. u, Feb. "a
A foam specked pair of horses that
tore through the main street here, drag
ging between them a splintered wagon
pole. brought TO the village the first
news of a grade crossing accident In
which nine members of Its most prols
inent families We're either killed out
right or frightfully injured.
The runaways brought up at the llv-
cry stables of George Young, from
whom they had been hired the night
before TO take a party of men and
girls TO a basket ball game at Nyack.
Returning at an early hour, the wagon
load of merrymakers was run down at
a West Nyack crossing by an Ontario
and Western passenger express train.
Four of the party were instantly kill
ed, two died while being removed to
the Hudson County hospital at Hobo
ken, n. J., and the other three lie in a
serious condition at that institution.
The dead are George ReIth, aged
thirty, assistant superintendent of the
telephone Office and manager of the
Spring Valley basket ball team; Nell
son May, aged nineteen, who drove the
team: Bertha Singer, aged eighteen.
daughter OF Leonard Singer Edith
Singer, aged twenty, sister of Ber-
tina; George Shinn, aged thirty-eight, a
basket bali player and Jeanette Pal
m,r, aged twenty-one, daughter OF f.
B. Palmer of the Palmer Drug COM
pany.
The injured are Warren Palmer,
brother of Jeanette, injuries to back,
head and internal organs; Henry Die
teren, twentythree years, basket ball
player, body and limbs cut, nose brok-
en- and scalp laid open, and Mary
Edith Bird, aged eighteen, serious in
ternal injuries.
OF the three injured the condition of
Miss Bird was said to be the most des-
perate.
Tie responsibility for the accident Is
in dispute. The survivors cannot be
questioned, and the only other witness
was the crossing gate tender lie claims
that the team was driven through the
lowered gates. The gate on the side
of approach wasDroken down. but the
opposite gate was intact and II pre-
viously lowered must have been hur-
died by the frightened horses after the
| sra unn had hoap strttcl. opd ta-,, frn,,
It's pole. The animals were uninjured.
The Spring Valley basket ball team
and eleven supporters drove to Nyack.
occupying two carriages. The party Of
sixteen included six young ladies'. The
teams started for home half hour
apart. AS the first wagon load ap-
preached the crossing at West Nyack
the southbound Mountain express run
ming over the West Shore road came
In sight. II was behind time and be-
ing pushed ii Is stated. The gateman
says that he lowered the gates and at
! the same time waved q warning to the
merrymakers. whose shouts of laugh
ter could be heard as their horses came
galloping along. He believes that
young May thought he could beat the
train. At any rate. the gateman says
the team plunged through the gate.
and the next moment the wagon was
poised on the cowcatcher of the loco
motive. thrown off and completely de-
molished.
AS the vehicle was smashed to pieces,
the occupants tumbled out some to one
side. but others directly under the en-
gne's wheels. The train ran a consld-
cradle distance before IT could be stop
ped. The bodies Of the dead were lit
terly crushed to pieces and scarcely
recognizable. In the dim light the
wreck was a. heartrending sight.