New-York tribune., 1911-04-17
LAKEWOOD FLYER KILLS
THREE At CROSSING
Baggage Master Of Local Train
Meets Death Trying to Save
Two Women.
TRAIN GOING AT TOP SPEED
Aged Resident Of Riverhead,
N. j., and Her Daughter Vic.
Tins of Fast Express in
Elizabeth, N. J.

The Lakewood FLYER, vhirling through
Elizabeth. y. j.. last night at the rate OF
more than seventy miles an hour,
ploughed it's way through crowd OF
passengers waiting to board local train
al the Elizabeth avenue station ana
killed three persons, one OF them
woman eighty-seven years old and an
other her daughter. The third was the
baggage master of the local train. VINO
met death trying to save the lives Of the
two women.
The victims Of this latest accident at
the dangerous crossing were Edward :.
Saunders, Of Point Pleasant. baggage
master Of a Perth Amboy local; Mrs.
Ann Eliza Stone, eighty-seven years old,
Of Riverhead. y. j., and her daughter.
Mrs Hannah Cosgrove, of Belford. n. j.
The two women had been visiting at
the home Of Chauncey Watson, at NO.
552 First avenue, Elizabeth, and were on
their way to take q southbound train on
the Perth Amboy line when they were
killed Watson is a son-in-law OF Mrs.
Cosgrove, and the women had just left
a young nephew of Watson when they
started to cross the tracks TO get their
train.
The Perth Amboy train had just
pulled into the station at 8 o'clock, and
the women, with other passengers,
started from the east to the west side
of the crossing. The Lakewood Flyer Is
one OF the fastest express trains on the
Central Railroad Of New Jersey, and 1t
was due at the same crossing at 9Ol
o'clock. The latter train does not make
a stop at the Elizabeth avenue station.
and goes through the town at high
speed.
When Mrs. Cossrove and her mother
we're almost In the centre OF the express
tracks, the onrushing express. bound for
New York. suddenly appeared at the
farther end OF the station, sWaying from
side 10 side with the speed OF its pas
sage along the rails. The two women
were too frightened to make the slight
est effort to save themselves, and stood
in the centre Of the tracks, unable TO
move.
At this moment Saunders, standing in
tho baggage car OF his train, saw the
aged womans peril and was quick to
act With a few leaps he was beside
Mrs. Stone and her daughter. and
grabbed them each by an arm, striving
10 pull them to safety. The task was
more than he could accomplish. however,
and while he WAS still trying he saw the
Lakewood train bearing down on them
with undiminished speed
Even then Saunders did not try to
save himself. Short as was the time, he
would have had opportunity TO jump
aside and let the express go by In
stead of taking advantage OF the oppor-
tunity, however, he gave final des-
perate pull at the helpless women and
almost succeeded in getting them out OF
the path Of the locomotive. but before
they were quite out Of the path Of the
train the cowcatcher OF the engine
them many feet through the air. All
must have been killed instantly. as their
bodies were terribly mangled when
picked up.
After striking the three persons the
express continued its flight down the
tracks, with no let-up in It's speed.
The accident happened SO quickly that
there were few people who got clear
idea rs To how tho victims met their
death. When tho shrek and roar of the
passing train had died away those stand
ing at the station saw that a terrible ac-
cident had occurred Three inanimate
forms we're lying I'm tho roadbed beside
the tracks. more than fifty feet away,
and when the people on the platform ran
forward 10 sec what had happened they
found the two women and the baggage
master dead and mutiated.
The bodies were taken to local
Continued on second rsS'