TUNNEL DISASTER IN NEW YORK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7401, 1 March 1902, Page 2

TUNNEL DISASTER IN NEW YORK.

FIFTEEN PEOPLE MEET A TERRIBLE DEATH.

Fifteen persons were killed and some 50 injured as the result of a collision which occurred in the New York Central railroad tunnel on Wednesday, January S. One woman was amongst the killed. The accident took place a few hundred yards outside the Grand Central Station, which is situated at Forty-seconcl-street, in the heart of the city, and is approached by a tunnel used by both the New York Central and the New York. Newhaven, and Hartford companies. The tunnel has been exposed to attack because of its inadequate ventilation, ami plans were under consideration for the opening up of the outside walls and the substitution of electric traction. The disaster occurred at 8.20 a.m. An express from South Norwalk had- stopped in the tunnel at Fifty-sixth-street, when a local train crashed into the rear end of it, the locomotive telescoping the last car. Hardly one of the 60 odd passengers in that car escaped death or injury. The locomotive came to a "stop near the middle of the car, and the clouds of escaping steam par-boiled the dead and injured. Dozens of people were pinned down in the heavy wreckage, and many of them remained prisoners an hour. The nojgp of the collision and the shrieks of iKe maimed were heard by persons in the street overhead, and the fire alarm was rung up at once. To reach the imprisoned passengers ladders were lowered through the tunnel opening at Fiftysixth street, and with their axes the firemen CUT A WAY THROUGH THE ROOF OF THE COACH. A rare degree of heroism was exhibited by many of those injured. A notable instance was that of two young women belonging to New Rochelle, Miss , Sadie Scott and Miss Minnie Rice, whose first concern was for their relatives, both asking that the latter should be appraised.^ that they were still alive. The body of / ' a dead man had to be removed before they could be extricated. Two of the chaplains of the Fire Department. Mr Smith and Mr Walkley, were present, and administered whisky to the young women, and with reassuring words aided ii> keeping up their spirits. Lieut. William Clarke, of Hook and Ladder Company No. 2, noted for gallantry on previous occasions, distinguished himself here. All the while the steam was playins around him and scalding one of his legs, and in this painful position he htood fofr half-are-hour <or more, and, making a fan out of a newspaper, he fumed the girls, thus keeping the steam off their faces. Acting-Battalion Chief Friel, speaking later on of Miss Scott, W said she showed wonderful nerve. "The woman," he said, "was pinned fast, and the dead body of a man was lying over her legs. 'Madam,' I said to her, 'I will handle you as gently as I can, but you must not mind if I violate some of the Jj conventionalities.' The woman replied, fl 'I won't mind that if you try to release t| me. I'm not thinking of conventional^ * ties now.' " Dr. C. Gillette, of the Eellevue Hospi-' tal, who was among the first to arrive at the tunnel, went down into it in company with Dr. William Darragh, of the Presbyterian Hospital. "It was so dark," said Dr. Gillette, "that we could not see anything, and had to feel our way. ONE OF THE ENGINES WAS PILED UP ON THE WRECK, and to get to the car whence we heard cries for help proceeding we had to slide down the side of the hot boiler of the engine. When we got into the car we found the dead bodies of three men hanging half out of the window. The seats were smashed and scattered all over the car. Cries of 'My God! Save me!' cam* from near us, and we found two women pinned . down. These we managed to extricate, and passed them to the lire chief, who sent them up to the street. This kind of work was constantly repeato.i." Mr Cornelius Vanderbilt, the million- , , aire, who is president of . the Now York > Central Railway Company, on hearing of the accident rushed from his house, which is not far away, and attempted to climb a fireman's ladder, with th.? avowed intention of helping the. ambulance mon. On seeing the dead .and dying he v.as stricken with horror and sympathy, nnd in a voice broken with emotion, he cried out, "Oh, this is awful." He was persuaded to return to the street, where he remained for some timo watching the r3mov.ll of the injured, ii the mids; of a binding fall of snow. Among the killed were sever il wellknown business men, Including Mr E. F. Walton, member of the Stoc»: V.xchange; Mr Frank Washburne, presidfnt J^ of the National Paper Bag Company; ana Mr Oscar Meyrowitz, one of the bi»st known opticians in New York. The officials of the railroad company, after making an investigation, announced that the engine driver of the local train was entirely to blame, as h<? had disregarded the danger signal at Pifty-ninth-street, and also a fog signal on The rail. The engine driver was according!;/ detained in custody. The fireman was admitted to £1000 bail. This is the third accident that has occurrexl in the tunnel. The first was in November, ISS2, when 20 were killed, and the second in February, 1891, when six were killed and many were injured.