Whitesboro, NY Train Wreck

February 1909

WRECK ON THE CENTRAL.

ENGINE EXPLODED JUST AS ANOTHER TRAIN WAS PASSING.

Every Car Blown From the Rails – Two Railroad Men Killed and Several Passengers Injured.

One of the strangest wrecks in the history of railroading in this section occurred at Whitesboro, three miles west of Utica, at an early hour Saturday morning. Train 23, the western express, was drawn by an engine known as one of the Pacific type. As this engine was passing train 30, the Buffalo special, eastbound, the westbound engine exploded. The full force of the explosion was felt in the second car of the eastbound train, as the westbound engine was directly opposite that car when the explosion occurred.

Both trains were running at full speed and were well filled with passengers, the westbound train being one of the best trains on the road for sleeping car passengers. The coaches opposite the exploding engine were thrown from the tracks in both directions.

It was supposed that a score or more of lives had been lost and that twice that number of people had been severely injured, but when the work of rescue had gone forward through the early hours of morning, and the wreck was examined as carefully as possible with the mercury 15 degrees below zero, it was found that not a single passenger had been killed, that there were possibly no passengers fatally injured, and that the wounded were really very few.

JOHN ALLEN, engineer of the westbound train, of Albany, survived the explosion of his engine, was taken to a sleeping car, where he died. JOHN BRENNAN, fireman of westbound train, of Albany, was instantly killed. A large number of passengers were injured but none fatally.

Most of the people who were injured were in the sleeping car on the eastbound train which was opposite the engine of the westbound train at the instant of the explosion. About 600 feet of track was tore up and strewn with wreckage. The total damage arising from the wreck in property loss, but not in injuries to passengers, will be about $60,000.

The westbound train did not leave the rails. The knowledge that an accident had happened came to the sleeping passengers on this train when the cars slowed down with a suddenness and a shock which threw the occupants of the berths backward with great force, in some cases tossing them out of the berths to the floor. This shock was followed by a gradual slackening of the speed until half a train's length ahead, the cars came to a full stop. In the intense gloom of the early morning the more serious plight of the eastbound express was not observed immediately, but when the situation became known the crew of the western express and many passengers hastened to the rescue. The long train of 18 cars literally had been blown from the rails as if it had been a string of toy coaches. The rear Pullman had toppled into a ditch to the side of the track, but the forward cars had been hurled into an adjoining field at distances varying from 10 to 40 feet. Several flew from the supporting trucks and wheels, and ploughed [sic] deep into snow banks, their ends being demolished by the impact.

The roar of the explosion awakened nearby residents, who assisted in relieving the imprisoned passengers. Sleighs were procured and several of the injured were taken to the Whitesboro sanitarium.

The arrival of a relief train from Utica hastened the work of examination of the overturned cars. Some of the injured were taken back to Utica at once. Soon afterward a special train was made up and the westbound passengers were carried on to Buffalo.

Judge WARREN B. HOOKER, of Fredonia, N. Y., was among the passengers injured. He was severely bruised and cut about the head and body, being wedged in between broken seats for a considerable time.

The cause of the explosion will probably always remain a mystery. It is thought, however, that it was due to low water in the boiler.

Lowville Journal & Republican New York 1905-02-09

Submitted & transcribed by Stu Beitler  Thank you, Stu!

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