The Port Jervis Gazette has the following concerning the Erie's wreck on the Eastern Division yesterday. It is said that it resulted in a loss of over $20,000 to the company:
One of the worst wrecks which the Erie has experienced in a long time occurred about 11 o'clock this morning opposite the Sparrowbush tannery. Conductor Howard Crawford's eastbound freight train, Dan Regan engineer, made up of about 65 loaded cars, was bowling along at a fair rate of speed when suddenly a broken journal caused a loaded car to leave the track and a wheel coming off, a blockade was at once formed. Then the entire rear portion of the train came piling against the obstruction, and in less time than it takes to tell 30 cars were off the track and landed in an indescriminate mass in every direction. A portion of the wrecked train went to the north, tearing up the westward bound track for a long distance, eight cars went down the embankment to the south, and the balance remained on the track, but off the rails with their wheels knocked from underneath them and some of them with their ends stove in. Such was the force of the train that the entire westward bound track, rails and all, were forced out at least ten feet, and the heavy steel rails were doubled up like wire. For quite a distance the rails on both tracks were turned upside down or over on their sides, while the axles of many cars were also doubled up. Fortunately no one was badly injured, but brakeman Frank Startup had a very narrow escape and cannot tell how he got out alive. Seeing that the train had left the track he ran back and jumped from car to car as they were leaving the rails, finally being thrown under a car that had lost its momentum.
