Year: 1869

the accident did not particularly notice the chalr
where the break occurred, but l noticed that
new chair was put In where the broken rail
was; | did not examine that portion very


re In the lie for some distance; 1t continued from
where the broken fal was 10 where the track was
displaced; the ties that were taken out were consd,
erably decayed; should think they would not hold
a spike; one or two OF them In particular were very
bad; you could run knife into them.


TESTIMONY OF CARMI b. GRUMAN.


Reside al Glen Cove; am In the house furnishing
business there; my wife and were In the rear car at
the time of this accidents think the second or third
seat from the front, on the LETT hand side; think
there was a closet in front OF u.s.; there was
no one In front OF US; there was only one lady
% side; took the cars at Hunters Point; know the
train was very nearly on time; 1t might have been
few minutes late; we came as far as Jamaica about
servaton to me- ut Is just ten minutes past eleven
by the town clock Of Jamaican after leaving Ja
we progressed; we had ridden about i've minutes
from Jamaica when felt JOLT was sitting,
think, directly over the forward truck, and at the
of iron; the jolt itself did not seem to be
very heavy JOLT IL was more like the
reverson of the engine; tine jlngling sound was a
distinct sound, as OF q loose piece OF iron breakng
that was the first impression l had that anything
was wrong; Immediately after this jolt perceived
that threw us Off was not heavy JOLT not more than
Jolt that frequently occurs when train OF cars Is
We ana are 1ea of nta the Up c anS
reached my hand around her waist and took hold
of the inside OF the window where the lattice work
runs down; the window was not open: then looked
around and all the persons In the car jolted up
and down; saw two or three OF the children get up
upon their seats, but the remainder OF the passen-
gers kept their seats; there was nothing broken In
the car at this time at ALL should judge 1t was
full minute before there came tremendous crash,
and then the car went to pieces, as II lightning mad
struck IT. the bottom part OF the car was almost In
simultaneously destroyed; Immediately alter this
T at oil, exec except that Of a child, who
cried, "oh my motaer OH my mother p'
l then looked around again; IN the meantime the
remained fast to the side OF the carr the bottom had
completely gone from under me; when looked
around | saw the persons pitching down towards
the rear end Of the and nothing but flying bits
of timber; they were not bits either; there were
large pieces OF flooring and timber nyng around the
and glass and iron; our end Of the car was three
feet higher than the front at that time;
saw the passengers pitched to :. the rear
som some u of ' them M appeared to Be- tangled IN
the tmbers and dragging; should think we travel
led IN that position for minute more; thought 1t
was ten minutes then; then something ahead Of me
seemed to fly past me and tore my grasp away from
the side Of the window; the car was gong slower at
was covered up to my chin In this loose material; /;
my wife was covered up entirely; when those flying
timbers broke my hold my wife and ! fell
in and pulled the timber of me and assist:
ed US u.s., both ,,o out Of The ruins cSS could
out Of the front door Of the Car then; assisted my
wife out and found she was badly cut on the arm;
the sides Of the car seemed to be level with the
ground; then helped my wife to O seat on the bank
and went back to see II could assist any one else
saw some dead bodies but did not wait to look at
them went back into the car; think there four
in the car then Mr.. Magnus was there sitting with
his face towards the rear Of the car and heavy tim
bers his legs his wife was in the centre Of the
or be moved; the lady that sat directly
back Of me think was In the car then; she held on
children who seemed to be caught in the rubbish;
think they were both alive; think there were none
killed except those over wnom the car had rolled;
when they went out they looked like straw running
through hay cutter; was in the COR from two to
three minutes before came out again; after speak
ing to my wife on the bank went along the track
brakeman and two or three l did not know
near the rear Of the car; ! saw q
saw 1t half an hour after; next beyond them saw
the body of MIR. Shannahan; he was alive at the
rails out OF place; the first displacement was a
couple OF rails out OF place and bent to the south
ward going west from the train; the rails were not
broken there; the ties were up, the ground dug up
and the rails dspaced the rails were thrown little
south; walked along some distance further and
saw rail broken like this here; this suppose Is
the one; 1t was lying in three pieces, but not In
line; the long ran was fastened to the track.
That never have seen before to-day; think should
have seen 1t II 1t was there that day unless 1t was
covered up in the sand; those pieces were not in
sde far enough be outside OF the end OF the ties;
/ made up my mind at the time how the accident oc-
cufrcu. we were thrown IRON tHe trdCk Dy some.
thing, know not what, but we rode along con-
siderable distance on the ties had plenty OF time
to consider what to 40; made up my mind the side
OF the car was the safest; l did not apprehend
any great danger, but when this tremendous crash
came, | supposed 1t was from the forward truck
turning round under the car; we rode further after
the crash than did after the jolt until the crash;
before we reached that broken rail- we rode on the
ties quite way; saw some indentations OF the
iange west of this; do not know how we got or
the track; thought something might have gwen
way under us; | heard the jingling OF iron at the
first jolt; the was Off the track before 1t came
to this broken rail- we rode far enough If the
bell had been pulled In time after the first
jolt to stop the train before any further accidents
can't account for the breaking OF ps rail; the truck
came whizzing through like circular saw; did
not any flooring lett in the car but BIT near the
front car; but you could not tell with the debris that
was piled up about foot thick.


To juror-The jingling seemed TO be under me or
ahead OF me, between the iloor and the ground we
were running on Immediately after this jerk they
seemed TO be putting on more steam; after the tre
mendous crash there was q perceptible slowing OF
the cars could not tell the position Of the turck
when 1t broke through the car; | saw two or three
ties where this broken rail was and one OF them ap
peared TO be in very imperfect condition; gem
tleman came along anu nit 1t with his cane and
made very strong remark about II; IL appeared to
have been newly taken out OF the ground and
looked decayed; was in the vicinity OF the broken
rail-


TO the District Attorney-The trucks went out
nearly together; we were nearly two or three feet
persons were being torn out of II.


To iuror-Before noticed the jolt we were run
ming along as smoothly as usual; think we were
running faster tnan usual.


A recess for an hour was here taken.


TESTIMONY OF THOMAS RuDDEN.


am In the employ OF the Long Island Railroad
Company as foreman OF section =, from willow Tree
TO two miles east of Winfield crossing: Inc and my
gang were the first at the scene OF the accident and
we liked the rail; my section Is about five miles Or
may oe, more; am foreman OF gang OF five mem;
1t Is the next section TO me where the accident hap
pened from The 10th OF March TO August OF year
/ was foreman OF the section on which the
accident occurred; had ten men on that
minutes after twelve O'Clock the day the accident
occurrel an engine came up with Mr.. Thompson
that Gay; when came up all the dead lay on the
north side OF the track except the youngest man OF
all, who lay the middle OF the track, ani helped
TO remove MIN; the chair here produced lay on the
end OF the broken ra: IL was not disturbed except
the two spikes were pulled up out OF it We liked
the track with the tie tat was IN II until the mail
train going West had passed over IT. we had not put
I'm any new ties until after the mail train passed,
about twenty minutes after two; the tie that we put
IN was a little masheu on the end took 1t
out alter we put everything in order; the first new