New-York tribune., 1915-03-14
Express Carrying Oil Man
and Party Derailed by
Head-On Smash.
ARRIVE HERE SAFE,
BUT LOSE BAGGAGE
Father and Son Weep at Bier
in Pocantico Hills Home
Wife'S Funeral To-day.

Rockefeller to-day, narrowly escaped
injury when the Coast Line Express on
which the party left Richmond at l0:30
o'clock yesterday morning ran into an
open switch and crashed head-on into
freight train on siding at Milford,
Va, about seventy-fiye miles south Of
| Washington.
The express locomotive and several
cars were damaged. People were
thrown out of their seats, and the
Rockef6llers, who occupied a state
room, were badly shaken up. After
considerable delay their car was at
tached to another train, and the oil
mans party resumed the journey
north.
In the confusion, however, following
the crash and the makeup of the new
train the Rockefeller baggage was lost,
and the best efforts of railroad off,
cals and Mr. Rockefellcr's personal
representatives had failed up to an
early hour this morning to locate it.
Owing to the wreck and the conse-
quent change of train time, the Rocke-
fellers escaped the crowd of curious
who had gathered at the Pennsylvania
Station last night to witness the par
ty's arrival.
The accident occurred on the Rich
| mond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Rail-
road; consequently Pennsylvania Of
fcials who had charge of the arrange
ments here knew nothing of the Rookie
| fellers' transfer TO another train. IL
was expected that they would arrive on
the Coast Line, which was due at 1880
o'clock last evening but which had been
reported an hour and forty minutes
late.
Two hours before train time a squad
! of Pennsylvania detectives and men in
Mr.. Rockefeller's employ were at the
station. An electric brougham and two
/ touring cars from the Rockefeller es-
| tate were smuggled into the Eighth
Avenue baggage passageway, and II
was arranged to rush the party through
| the baggage tunnel to the automobiles
The sleuths were in Station Master
Eaaan's Office awaiting ,ne word 10 60
! to their posts when Eagan, TO make
sure there was no mistake, called
| Washington by telephone. lie was
/ amazed TO learn that the Rockefellers
| instead of being on the Coast Line ex-
press, were coming on mo. TO- which
! was on time and due at that very mo-
ment.
Mr. Rockefeller preserved his char
/ acteristic silence on all subjects per-
| tanning to himself, and the details OF
! his narrow escape from injury were
| not known until after he was an hour
on his way to Pocantico Hills. Then
il was discovered that the baggage,
which had been aboard the Atlantic
Coast Express, was missing. A man
who was sent to look after the luggage
admitted that Mr.. Rockefeller arrived
here with his stick and small, hand
| bag AS his only travelling equipment.
Mrs. Rockefeller's funeral will take
place at $3.50 o'clock this afternoon at
the Pocantico Hills estate. 1t is ex-
pected that the Rev. Cornelius Woelf-
! kin, pastor of the Fifth Avenue Baptist
Church, will conduct the services: lie
sent word Yesterday from Old Point
Comfort. Va, that he would try to get
to New York either late last night or
early to-day.
l. Simple Funeral Service.
A simple service-the singing Of two
HYMNS and brief remarks by the clergy
man-will constitute the funeral. The
hvmns will be "Abide with Ne" and
"Jesus, Lover of My Soul" Mrs. Rookie
| feller's favorites.
Owing to the absence of Mr.. Rocke-
| Teller and his son, no attempt was
made Yesterday TO complete the burial
/ ARRANGEMENTS. There will be confer
ence early to-day for this purpose.
John d. Archbold has offered the use
of his vault at Tarrytown, and 1t IS
probable that the body will be placed
there until it can be decided whether
the burial will take place at this place
or in Mrs. Rockefeller's family plot at
Cleveland.
The Rockefellers have lot in Sleepy
Hollow Cemetery.
Since Mrs. Rockefeller's death Sat-
urday morning, her sister, Miss Lucy
Spelman, her daughterfi Mrs; +; Par
malee Prentice, and Harold +. McCor-
mick, of Chicago, her son-in-law, nave
been at the house assisting In the fu-
neral arrangements.
During the last twenty-four hours
the guard on the great estate has been
redoubled to prevent any untoward oc-
currence during the funeral: The
elaborate telephone system which Mr..
Rockefeller had installed after the /.
w. W. outbreaks last year, has been
carefully inspected, and there are ex-
ira squads of guards at each OF the
seven gates that give entrance to the
estfte.
Father and Son Weep.
John D. Rockefeller and Mr.. and Mrs.
John d. Rockefeller, jr., entered the
Rockefeller estate at Pocantico Hills
by a side gate and escaped all inter-
viewers. The Rockefeller home was
ablaze with light awaiting their arrival.
When the Rockefeller home was called
on the telephone later II was said that
Mr.. Rockefeller was standing up brave
ly. but that his son was very much
affected and broke down as soon as the
car entered the grounds.
Mr.. Rockefeller, it was said, would
not have anything to say about the
funeral arrangements last night. lie
broke down and cried when he learned
from the Rev. Howard Nelson that the
last act that Mrs. Rockefeller did was
TO send a bunch of flowers 10 Mrs. Nell
son. This was half an hour before she
died.
Miss Spellman, r. and Mrs. Percy
A RocE ,feller, Mr.. and Mrs. William
G.. Rockefeller, Mr.. and Mrs. VI. Hart
lev Dodge, the Rev. an Mrs. Sartell
Prentice, Harold Fowler Mccormick,
Miss Helen Johnson, Guy b. Johnson,
Mrs. w. w. Benjamin and the Rev. w.
s. Richardson will be among those at
tending the services.
The body of Mrs. Rockefeller lies in
her own room at the Rockefeller home.
IL will be laid out downstair- in the
drawing room for the services. II Is
surrounded by flowers from the gar
dens of the estate and floral tributes
from dozen intimates.