The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-07-05
Engineer of Express Runs by
Scmaphorc and a
Flagman.
TWO CARS DEMOLISHED
Passenger Train Was De-
layed by Breakdown of
Freight Ahead.
FOG HUNG OVER TRACK
Victims Include Many From
Greater New YOrk-Thrill-
ing ReScucs.

CORNING. n. Y, July a.--Forty persons
are dead, three are so badly hurt that their
death is expected and more than fifty are
suffering injuries as the result OF tail end
collision between the crack Buffalo Lin.
tied Of the Lacka wanna Railroad and q
train OF express cars in thick fog above
Gibson Narrows, two miles from this town,
in the dawn Of this Independence Day.
Trainmen say that the accident was
caused by the carelessness of the engineer
of the express train, who ran at terrific
speed past a signalling cagmnn and ths
warning Of set scmaphore arm
into tho passenger train standing still upon
the track with its hundre d or 80 sleepin1
passengers.
The dead. which filed to ove-a, wing
the MOI CUES OF the little town. are In many
instances SO mangled that Identification
is almost impossible.
The engine Of the express train ripped
its way through the two day coaches At
the rear. killing instantly every one in
them. ploughed on through half OF s:cel
Pullman, throwing tho sleeping car oy
the track. and then came to a stands.iil
with the green carpet OF the Pullman dung
about its pilot.
Engineer Jumped Before Crash.
The engineer. who is blamed by tho
authorities for the accident. jumped
before the crash came. He sat on a rail
high up a hill near the scene Of the acci-
dent, watching in a dazed way tho wreck
ing crews at work.
The accident occurred at sis A. NJ.
and it was no, until long after o'clock
that the last body was taken in an am
bulance to Corning.
The Buffalo Limited left New York at
si5 O'Clock Wednesday evening loaded
with passengers bound for vacation
resorts upstate. 1t left Elmira at l:?6
with Engineer Jack Dennison at the
throttle of the first of the two heavy
engines that were to bring it up the Gibson
cut to Corning.
A heavy fog overhung all the valley
Of Chemung River. along whose hanks
the big engines were rolling and Denni-
son from his cab window was una bic
to see more than two train lengths down
the track.
At the Gibson Narrows the etting OF the
semaphore warned Dennison that there
was trouble ahead. Conductor Horace
Staple from Binghamton ran up tho track
to find IA disabled freight train short dis
tance ahead Of the Lackawanna Flier.
standing still in distress. She had
drawhead broken and was stalled.
Dennison left his relay engine and In
his own rode on to nose the stranded
freight up siding between the east and
west bound tracks and leave clear road
to Buffalo.
In tho mean imc the Buffalo Limited
stood behind her one engine for so long
period that the passengers sprawled
out across the uncomfortable benches Of
the day coaches in the rear and began to
wonder what was keeping them.
Delay of Ten Minutes.
They must have been in the fog by the
river bank for ten minutes. when George
Reynolds OF 2ii Spencer street. Brooklyn.
went out on the back platform to smoke.
His wife remained in the car.
As he looked hack into the smoker he
heard high up the click OF the ssmaphore
dropping a protecting arm behind tn,
still train. Mr.. Reynolds says he saw no
fagman. The railroad officials say that
fiagman was some half mile up the track
ready to warn any oncoming train.
As Mr.. Reynolds flung away his Gig
arctic. out OF the gray over his head he
.,l;p,N,ol ASyiun ,oko tn nk N
few feet away when he jumped sideways
from the platform and went rolling down
the embankment unscathed.
Ten minutes later MIR. Reynolds was
running up and down beside the mass
Of splinters. twisted steel and broken
glass. begging tho rescuers to save the
life Of his wife. pinned beneath tons Of
wreckage.
For the engine that Reynolds had seen
from the back platform was that drawing
train No. II. composed of several express
cars, which had been made up at Hoboken
and which makes the speed Of n passenger
train.
Engineer William Schroeder OF Buffalo
was at the throttle He told several
witnes sss after the wreck that he had ssen
no fagman and that he had not noticed
tho semaphore half mile down the track
and faginan i,W yards behind the stalled
passenger train.
Hc jumped junt before III" pilot ot his
,n.,,,, h.. 2rl sung a-,d" tho platform
where Reyuulds mad h~co standing kept
on ,hrough living spllniors ot IN" hrss
car and tho second and on still further
until buried dcep in ths vreckage OF tho