People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1893 — COST NINE LIVES. [ARTICLE]

COST NINE LIVES.

Frightful Railway disaster on Long Island —An Excursion Train Wrecked in a Tunnel and Nine Passengers Are Killed—The Injured Number About 100. New York, June ?L —A train on the Long Island railroad, upon which were about 1,000 persons returning from the Sheepshead Bay races, was derailed Tuesday evening in a tunnel a short distance from Parksville. Two persons were killed outright, seven died soon after being removed to the hospital and about 100 were injured, many so seriously that they will not recover. Those killed ontright at the time of the accident were: Patrick Daly, a court officer of the Third district, New York city; H. S. Pringle, whose residence, according to card in his pocket, is New York. The following were removed to the Seney hospital, Brooklyn, and died soon afterward:

Henry Spink, marshal at Jefferson market police court, New York city; Robert Cudley, a policeman, New York; R S. McGonigle; Fritz D. Johnson; John Simlay; Quinby, Utica, N. Y.; unknown man, about 30 years old, dark mustache and dressed in dark clothes. The accident happened upon what is known as the Bay Ridge division of the Manhattan railroad and about half a mile from the little town of Parkville, which is at the junction of the roads rdnning to Coney Island and Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay. The Bay Ridge division after leaving Parkville passes under a viaduct of .the Coney Island boulevard. The fatal train reached this point of the road at 6 o’clock. It had left Sheepshead Bay race track at 5:45. The crowd aboard were men, women and children, who had been to witness New York’s great race, the Suburban. The train consisted of six cars, the front and rear cars being closed, the others open. Every seat was taken and the men stood in the aisles of the closed cars and shoulder to shoulder upon the platforms running along the sides of the open cars. Everybody seemed merry, and the uppermost thought perhaps of the whole train was to get back to New York as quickly as possible. The train, which was going at full speed, suddenly gave a jerk and jolt, and the expressions of pleasure were instantly turned to feelings of terror and dismay. The engine and the first two cars ran along upon the track, dragging behind them the other cars of the train, bumping and reeling along the ties up to the very mouth of the tunnel. Then the engine and the two ears that remained on the track broke loose from the others and were carried by their own speed clear through the tunnel and 25 feet beyond. The other part of the train pulled apart, the first dragging itself half way through the tunnel. No one knew what had happened, so quickly had the fatal accident occurred. People jumped from the train and fell upon the embankment, to be bruised and cut by the cars. Others were carried along upon the train, their bodies rubbed and bruised upon the rocks of the tunnel and the stones of the embankment There were shrieks of pain. Women fainted and men became panic-stricken and trampled them and the children under their feet in their mad flight for safety. When the train finally stoppad the cooler heads immediately began to render assistance to the wounded who lay along the track. Court Officer Daly was found beside the track, the lower part of his body frightfully crushed. A few feet from him was found Mr. Pringle. He was still alive, and he was carried up to the top of the embankment and laid upon the grass. Then others carried up Robert Cutting and Henry Spink. A physician who was upon the train hurried to these two men, and after a very superficial examination pronounced both of their injuries fatal. He did what he could for them and they were transferred to a hospital. Policemen who had arrived immediately sent orders to Brooklyn hospitals for ambulances, which soon began to arrive. In the meantime the wounded had been gathered up and stretched out upon the grass on the embankment The physicians attended to their wounds as best they could. One hundred persons, it is said, found upon this green plat a temporary hospital.

The cause of the accident and who is to blame for it are matters which are yet to be investigated. The train was without doubt derailed by a misplaced switch—it stood there open after the accident in mute evidence. Whether it had been opened by the switchman or whether through long use had become unsafe and was jolted open by the passing train, is not definitely known. As the first two cars remained on the track, it is declared by some that the switch was shut when these passed over but was jolted loose and allowed the other part of the train to be derailed. The engineer of the train was John Bachner. The conductor was George Ormsby. Neither would give any statement as to how the accident happened. Ormsby said that he was collecting tickets at the time and had just warned the people to get on the inside of the cars.

Coroner Kane said that there would be a formal inquest over one of the dead in a few days and then there would be a general investigation to see who could be held responsible for the accident.