A BRAVE FELLOW.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 23, 26 September 1884, Page 22

A BRAVE FELLOW.

New Yobk, July 8. — A wrong signal or an engineer's mistake led to a fatal collision between a drill engine and a passenger train at the east end of the tunnel of the New York, West Shore aad Buffaio Railroad, at Weehawken, N.J., yesterday. The passenger train, drawn by engine No. 75, was leaving the tunnel for the depot as drill engine No. 92 waß backing down to run to the round house at New Durham. The engineer of the drill locomotive claims that the signal was shown indicating that the tracks through the tunnel were clear. He was running his engine over the freight tracks which join the two tracks running through the cut at the mouth of the tunnel. He was running at a rapid rate when the engine of the passenger train shot from the tunnel. The drill engine was only a few feet away, and although the engineer reversed the machinery ifc was too late to stop. On the front platform of the first passenger car of the train was Patrick Mahan, a car inspector. He saw a collision could not be averted, and while he might have saved his own life by jumping he hoped to lessen the force of the collision and seized the brake. He was turning it when the tender of the drill engine telescoped the passenger car. The unfortunate car inspector was buried in the debris. When the wrecking train arrived the horribly mutilated remains of Mahan were discovered pressed between the rear of the tender and the stout timbers of the car. The drill engine was badly damaged and the tender was broken. The railroad officials claim that none of the passengers were injured, although it was rumoured that several had been hurt by the flying fragments of the wreck. Mahan was agel twenty-two years, and lived at No. 201 Willow street, Hoboken. ___