The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1911-08-30
2B PEOPLE PER|SHEL
Lehigh Passenger Train Plunge:
Off Bridge Near Manchester NY

More Than go Are Injured, Many o.
Whom Are Severely Hurt - Trair
Was. Crowded With G. A. r. Vet
Grams and Excursionists From the
Encampment at Rochester - Wreck
Was Worst In History of the Lehigf
Valley Railway.
Lehigh Valley passenger train No.
ran into spread rail on a trestle neal
Manchester last Friday and two
day coaches from the middle sec
tion of the train plunged down
ward 40 feet, striking the easi
embankment like pair of projectiles
Twenty-eight persons we're killed ant
more than 60 injured. The injuries o.
several were so serious that It Is fear
ed they will die.
The wreck was the worst in the his
tory of the Lehigh Valley line in New
York state and one of the most disas
tIous ever recorded on the system.
Crowded with passengers, many o.
whom were war veterans and excur
sionists from the G. A r. encampment
at Rochester, train No. 4, made up o
II cars, drawn by two big mogul en-
gines, was 40 minutes late when il
reached Rochester junction and from
q there sped eastward to make up time
before reaching Geneva.
The engines and two day coaches
had just passed the center Of a 400
foot trestle over Canandaigua outlet
500 yards east of the station at Man
chester, at 1895 o'clock when the
Pullman car Austin, the third OF q
long train, left the rails. 1t dragged
the dining car with it and two Pull
mans, in this order followed.
All bumped owe! the ties short dis
tance until the coupling between the
first day coach and the diner broke
The forward end of the train dragged
the derailed Pullman, Austin, and the
diner over safely, after which both
plunged down the south embankmen,
and rolled over.
The free end of the illfated Lehigh
Valley day coach. where most of the
slaughter occurred, showed out over
the gulf and. followed by a Grand
Trunk day coach, stripped the rear
guard off the south side of the trestle
and plunged into the shallow river
more than 40 feet below.
Buried In Wreckage.
The end of the first day coach that
went over struck the east embank,
ment of solid masonry and with the
other 6O-foot cars behind it, both shot
against the wall with terrific force. IN
an instant the crowded cars lay a mass
Of crumbled wood. metal and glass, un.
der which hundred men, women and
children, many of whom We're killed
instantly, were buried.
The most destruction occurred in
the head day coach and dozen per.
sons were later taken dead from the
second day coach, which, following the
first over the trestle. snapped its rear
coupling and thus saved the rest OF
the train from being dragged over.
This second day coach struck on the
bottom and stood end up, the rear end
projecting few feet above the top OF
the tcstle. All of the passenger in this
car were piled in a tangled mass OF
broken seats at the bottom Of the car.
The cars did not catch fire. Axes
were secured and body after body was
removed and carried by the rescucrs,
knee deep in the river he'd, to the bank
on the west side of the trestle. There
the dead and injured were laid out on
the damp ground while planks and
timber, taken from buildings in course
of construction, were reGuisitioned and
a field hospital was established.
At the Rochester hospitals, four
more injured are not expected to live
They are Miss Susan Everett of Vir.
ginia avenue, Niagara Falls; Mrs. Jo.
seph Hickey of 1899 South street, Phil.
adelphia; Howard Headley of Phila.
delphia aud Mrs. Army Lawrence OF
Philadelphia, If these die, the death
list will reacn 33.