New York, New York

Train Wreck

January 8, 1902

MEET IN TUNNEL

REAR END COLLISION ON THE NEW YORK CENTRAL.

FIFTEEN VICTIMS ARE DEAD

FATALLY CRUSHED OR SCALDED BY ESCAPING STEAM

TWICE THAT MANY INJURED

DISASTER OCCURS ALMOST IN HEART OF CITY

Rescue Work Prompt and Effective Under Trying Circumstances--Robber of Dead Narrowly Escapes Lynching

NEW YORK, Jan 8.--In the New York Central railroad tunnel that burrows under Park avenue, this city, two local trains collided today. Fifteen passengers were killed and twice that number were injured. A dozen of the latter were seriously hurt, and the roster of the dead may be extended.

The Dead
ALBERT M. PERRIN, forty-three years old, recently from Chicago, secretary of and second vice president of the Union Bag and Paper company, residence New Rochelle, N. Y.
B. D. C. FOSKETT, forty, New Rochelle.
A. E. H. MILLS, twenty-five, New Rochelle.
E. C. HINSDALE, thirty-five, New Rochelle.
MRS. A. F. HOWARD, thirty-five, New Rochelle.
FRANK WASHBURN, formerly of Chicago, president of the Union Bag and Paper company, of New Rochelle.
WILLIAM LEYS, thirty-five, New Rochelle, general manager B. Altman & Co., New York
THEO FORGARDO, thirty, New Rochelle.
WILLIAM FISHER, or FORBES, twenty-five New Rochelle.
WILLIAM HOWARD, forty-eight, New Rochelle.
OSCAR MEYROWITZ, fifty, New Rochelle, optician in New York and secretary of the New Rochelle Yacht club.
FRANKLIN CROSBY, thirty-five, New Rochelle.
ERNEST F. WALTON, thirty, New Rochelle, broker in New York.
H. G. DIAMOND, New Rochelle, assistant general manager of the American Bridge company of the city.
C. B. MARS, New Rochelle employed in the New York custom house.

Seriously Injured.
Ernest Coffin, aged fifteen, New Rochelle, serious wound on head.
Unknown man, taken unconscious to a hospital.
Alfred Wadely, florist of New York, fracture of both legs, shock and scalp wounds.
Albert W. Adams a carriage builder of New York, left leg cut off below knee.
George M. Carter, of New York, leg fractured.
G. M. Fisher, East Port Chester, severely injured.
Mable Newman, contusions of body, and hip fractured.
Mamie J.. Rice, fractured nose, lacerated ear and sprained ankle.
Sadie Scott, left hand and left foot fractured.
Richard Millineaux, compound fracture of thigh.
Thomas T. Murphy, both legs broken and internal injuries, condition critical.
Winfield Schultz, fractured legs and burns.
A. McRae, leg fractured, all of New Rochelle.
Henry Keen, general manager of the Siegel-Cooper company, this city, fractured ribs and internal injuries.
George Winter, New Rochelle, compound fracture of left leg; the leg was amputated.
William Brooks, of Erie Pa., lacerated face and possibly fracture of skull, taken to Roosevelt hospital.

A Rear End Collision.

It was a rear end collision between a south Norwalk local that run in over the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad and was halted by block signals at the southern entrance of the tunnel, and a White Plains local that came by the Harlem branch of the New York Central. The wreck occurred at 8:17 a. m., at which hour the trains were crowded by suburbanites.

Most of the death, injury and damage was wrought by the engine of the White Plains train, which plunged into the rear car of the motionless train and was driven through to the middle of the car, smashing the seats and furnishings and splitting the sides as it moved forward. The victims either were mangled in the mass of wreckage carried at the pilot,, crushed in the space between boiler and car sides, or scalded by steam which came hissing from broken pipes and cylinders. The engine, in its final plunge of forty feet, carried the rear car forward and sent twisted iron, broken timbers and splinters crashing into the coach ahead. Lights were extinguished and from the wreckage and darkness came the cries of the injured and calls for assistance by those who escaped. Within a few minutes the work of rescue, marked by heroism and sacrifice, began. Alarms that brought every available ambulance in the city, the police reserves of five precincts and the firemen of the central eastern district of Manhattan were sounded at once. With police, firemen and surgeons, came a score of volunteer physicians and half a dozen clergymen.

Ladders Run Down Air Shaft.

Ladders were run down the tunnel air shafts and the firemen and police attacked the debris with ropes and axes. Passengers already had rallied and were trying to release those imprisoned in the debris. Father Smith and Rev. Dr. Walkley, chaplains of the fire department crawled in over the wreckage and ministered to the dying. Lieutenant Clarke of the fire department, forced his way to the point where Miss Rice and Mrs. Scott lay and stood in water that scalded the flesh from his limbs until the women were released. T. L. Murphy, a passenger, both of whose legs were broken and still held by the timbers volunteered to remain as he was until those around him were assisted.

Two policemen and Chaplain Walkley reached Mrs. Howard and the chaplain gave her a stimulant. The policemen were cutting away the seat which held the woman down when a pipe broke. The scalding steam drove them back and when the rescuers returned Mrs. Howard was dead.

Injured persons in need of immediate attention were given temporary dressing by the ambulance and volunteer surgeons and then hoisted to the street. Many Park avenue mansions were thrown open to the suffering, but most of the injured were at once taken to hospitals. The dead were carried to morgues and police stations.

An immense crowd, heedless of the snow which swirled through the street, gathered about the tunnel entrance and shafts and watched the rescue work.

Vanderbilt is Barred Out.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was among those who came to the tunnel, but the police denied him admission, despite the fact that his family controls the railway.

Responsibility for the disaster is unfixed, but Superintendent Franklin said that so far he had been able to discover J. M., Wischo, engineer of the White Plains train, is to blame. It is declared that when the South Norwalk train stopped a flagman ran back into the tunnel, and besides placing a torpedo on the track, endeavored to flag the on-coming train. The tunnel was beclouded with steam and smoke, while the snow, which fell through the air shafts, tended to obscure the view. Engineer Wischo and Fireman Flynn were arrested. A signal man also was detained for a time but was released.

Superintendent Franklin has issued a statement as to the accident in which he declares that the block signals at Fifty-ninth street were obeyed by the New Haven train, while the engineer of the White Plains train disregarded them. “The torpedo on the track, went off,” said the superintendent, “but he did not stop, even though the fireman called to him to do so. The system of block signals is such that it is a physical impossibility for a signalman to make his light declare the track free if another train is on the block.”

Eugene Herold of Rochelle Park, one of the passengers on the Danbury train, gave this account of the accident:

“We were sitting quietly in the next to the last car and there were only one or two unoccupied seats. There were five cars. There were several women in my car and also in the last car. We had been stalled at Fifty-seventh street for some time. Suddenly there came a terrific crash. The lights in the car went out. There was a roar of grinding steel and wood and a chorus of shrieks. I looked back and saw the car behind telescoping over the rear of our car and through that mixup plunged a roaring locomotive.

I was thrown on my face by the jolt and I felt some blood splash over my forehead. Stifling smoke, and steam seemed to rise all around, and looking back, I could see mangled persons crawling about through the mist. Then suddenly the car took fire where the locomotive was. Our own idea was to escape. I found a friend of mine right in front of me. He cried; ‘Open the windows, for God’s sake!’ I turned to the window and found the glass had all been shattered by the collision. We climbed out. I saw several persons almost covered with blood crawling out.”

The Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, NE 9 Jan 1902

Transcribed by Audrey.  Thank you, Audrey!

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