The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-01-01
|AWRECk
freight xails 70 See Block Signals
and Strikes Passenger With
Terrific Force.

N8W lOhh, dec. 1l.-cpencei
Trask, millionaire New York banker
head OF the great private banking
house Of Spencer Trask q Co.. was
Instantly killed az s o'clock this morn
ing when the Montreal Express. on
tho New York Central: standing on
the main line at Croton, "a miles from
New York. was run down by south
ib0und freight train Two Negro por
ters, James r. Bell, and Scipio Jack
son, were injured and taken to a hos
pital In Ossining.
Mr.. Trask occupied the drawing
room on the rear sleeper OF the Mon
treal Express. into which the heavy
freight engine ploughed. He was In
stantly killed.
Omcials of the road are making a
thorough Investigation, but are In.
clined 70 blame the crew OF the freight
train. which struck the express train
whine the latter was standing still.
The Montreal express consisted of
one ba9gage car, two day coaches and
1ys rleepsrs. II runs over the Della
wuse & Hudson line to Troy and
from that city runs over the tracks OF
'ths New York Central.
The train was stopped at Croton'
which IL not stopping place. by the
[ block signal which warned II that
there was a train In the block anead.
The southbound freight. In charge
or Engineer Flanagan and Conductor
shufelt. was following the express.
Eur some unknown reason the freight
failed To see the block signals and
struck the last car Of the express with
terrific force.
The heavy engine ploughed it's way
over and through the last OF the Pull
mans. Trask, who was returning to
New York from his country place at
Saratoga. was in the drawing room at
tie very end of the Pullman. The
heavy engine made kindling wood OF
the drawing room. and Trask was In
utantly killed.
Word Of Trask's death was tele-
phoned to his once here by New York
Central onlcials who stated that the
body would be cared for until 1t was
decided where to take it
8pencer Trask was born In New
York ON Sept. IS. 1914. He graduated
from Princeton and Immediately en-
tered the banking business In wall
street. He was interested in the Edi-
ron electrical enterprises and his firm
has been very prominent in the street
for several years. He was a director
and president of the Broadway Realty
Co. and president and director of the
axe George Real Estate Co.. besides
being heavily interested in many cor
porations. Trask was a member OF
the Metropolitan, Union League, City.
Reform. National Arts and Lawyers
clubs.
This afternoon Engineer Eugene
FLANAGAN and his fireman. of the
freight crew, were arrested at the or
der OF the coroner OF West Chester
county. until the wreck can be thor
oughly Investigated.
Brakeman Ritter. of the passenger
train. came to New York on the ex-
press. but II IL said, he too. will be
arrested. Al soon as the express
stopped, II Is said. Ritter was ordered
10 70 back and nag the approaching
freight- AZ precautionary measure.
Ritter. Il II said, did go back. but how
Ear he went or how long he remained
be determined.
O6ncials OF the New York Central
announced this afternoon that they
hsd made careful tests OF the auto
matic block signal and found 1t was
working perfectly. The weather. too,
wns clear, and the signals must have
han n4ou.