The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-07-12

torn away and jumbled in Almost mex
trioable confusion. People were pinned
in their berihs and although not hurt by
wood or metal were surocated as they
struggled to get free
TwO SAW THE WRECK.
Only two people saw the frderars
yellow headlight fash from the west and
then leap in the air and whirl over the
stone bridge as the train plunged from the
switch One of them was Clarence Hem
ingway. the tower operator The other
was Mrs James G.. lioran. II stout lady
who had been greatly annoyed by mos
uuitoes and conldn', sleep. But i, was
all over 80 soon tha, neither Mrs. lioran
or Hemingway was able to crvstalliZe
their impressions. They remembered SEQ
ing the whole train swerve. rear blackly
against the gravish light and fall into the
cut with a roar that almost d.afened them.
The signal tower where Hemingway
was on duty early this morning stands ~
mile and half west of the New York.
New Haven and Hartford station. The
operator at 333 A. VI. was tanning HIM
self by the tower window. GUESSING thehea
az he said yesterday There came To
him. family at first and then in fine cres-
Cendo. the roar Of the approaching Fed
eral Express II was behind time bv an
hour and thirteen minutes and was under
orders to stop AT Bridgeport 80 tina, the
fisheries bureau car could bc dropped
of. Ordinarily the fiers for Boston
whiz through this town on the inner
eastbo,ind track without paying any at
A. Il
eral only stopped here anyway when it
had passengers from somewhere west Of
New York to let of and that didn' I happen
often. 1t should have gone through
Bridgeport at 2Io A. NJ. hut the Penn
sylvania Railroad delivered it to the New
York. New Haven and Hartford an hour
behind the schedule and more mimi, es
we're lost rounding Manhattan and getting
on the the Harlem River division Of the
New York. New Haven and Hartford at
Willis avenue in The Bronx.
CRossovER SWITCH TuRNtp.
Hemingway. having received orders TO
connect the crossover switch with the
inner eastbound track threw over his lever
minutes before the Federal showed up.
obeying the signal from the tower miles
to the west. He was astonished to see
that the Federal's engineer was comm &
on full tilt at gait that tests the re-
sources Of solid straight track and was
never expected to be loosed Oh a curving
switch. He leaned from the tower win
dow greatly alarmed because he had never
seen an engineer take a chance of that
kind in all of his railroading.
The Crossover connected with the
inner eastbound track squarelv in front
OF the tower. so that Hemingway had a
clear view of what happened, even though
it took place in a flash. The Federal
thundered up TO the tower "A black streak
in the vague light and with flame jump
ing from the stack Of the big ten wheeler
that was doing tie pulling There was
a shrek os iron being torn suddenly from
supports. grinding and crashing a.
some Of the cars left the traca and then
a terrific. overpowaring roar aS the loco
motive leaped from the viaduCt into the
cut and was followed by five cars. the
fish car. the day coach and three Pull
mans
The distance between the switch in
tersection in front OF the tower and the
stone bridge where the train went over
q ateep emhanknent a, least twenty five
feet high ia about 100 feet The express
took it in one leap it seemed TO Heming
way.
HURLED SECTION or RAIL
The physical shock and the cert iain'v
that came TO him a. a railroad man OF
what lav down in the c't compile ely
upnerv-d the operator. 4 section of
steel rail. sna. .ched up hv the wheels ~ IA
Pullman as they fled the track, was thrown
in an arch of twenty feet and rocked
the tower with tn. violence of the i'm
pact Hemingway was scared For an
instant hr thought the tower was going
Then he pulled himself together. caught
up lantern and ran over the SCARED
ties TO tn. viaduct
Mrs. Horan in her nightc'otheS was AT
a second story window OF her Zig frame
house to the south of the tracl's. Sitting
on the crest Of fine lawn. the hoIis- CON.
mands clear view of the railroad to
the east and west Sleepl,,ss from fight
ing mosquitoes. she remained ~ the Win
dow watching the red and green flicker
Of signal lamps down the yards. She
heard the Federal hummine its .pee,!
song many miles westward I hen in
no time at all she caught the first glimpse
Of the headlight and watched the hla",
streak grow bigger. Ard then "ams
the grinding and crashing. moment :
glimpse OF great cars rearing M auu
shooting over the sheer walls ot the via
duct. another long crash a. the cars ham
mered each uther into the STONES ano
dirt and settled into place and then she
heard the kissing Of escaping steam an,
a medley of sounds that shocked h-;.
DANGER FROM ELECTRIC WIRES.
When she looked again witch fires were
playing over the wreck and cha sing each
other along the Gbulments of the s,ont
bridge. The locomotive leaping over tn,
broken ground from the fore" of it. gree
speed NJ the bottom of tn. cut had bat
tered down or literally eat in Two t.l-
graph and trolley poles The mass q
wreckage was alive with escaping elrJ
tricity, short circuits caused by the Il ,wn
fall of heavily charged wires. Tho,
threatened to make trouble Il lit - Ia .ei
when the Bridgeport firemen and po'ic,
got there.
Morning was coming up rapidly from
the east and Mrs. Horan still staudinl
at her window with clenched hands. saw
more than she wanted To look OF Bu
she couldn't take her eyes away until hel
son caught her by the dress and SAID
something sharp that made her angry
and then she was all right. She old thai
part of the story with u smile
In the dimness Of things she saw in tn,
mound Of wreckage men and women anC
children who shouted and screamed an,
tore at each other in efforts TO get free
Here and there in the gray Smudge Glim
mering with electric wil-o the wis pS
Mrs. Koran saw heats or hands and arm
protruding. and she watched hell ella
men tug frantically AZ women who ha,
got part way from thA car windows bu
who apparently couldn't relep-e thei
legs. But the thing that cam" most
al. l... ...,l.N. .