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car. They believed they survived only by being cushioned by bundles of newspapers, and were treated at the Little Falls hospital. The engine and second baggage car were damaged but not seriously and could be repaired. The other derailed baggage car was destroyed. All three set of tracks involved were forced out of service due to twisted rails and damaged ties. Another train was sent and the newspapers were delivered with a two-hour delay.
214:, the sharpest curve in the New York Central system, a six to seven degree bend. After negotiating approximately 75% of the curve, the engine derailed and crossed two of the parallel tracks and went down an embankment landing on its side. The first baggage car also went over the embankment. The tender and second baggage car derailed but remained on the rail right-of-way, blocking the other tracks. The last car remained on its track.
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235:, 9.83 miles (15.82 km) east of the crash site, four minutes before derailing. From the distance, the train's speed at the time was calculated to be at least 60 miles (97 km) per hour. According to the survivors, the train was approximately 15 minutes behind schedule and the engineer was trying to make up time.
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Engineer Lilly (age 48) was killed instantly by decapitation and fireman
Connolly (age 25) died from a broken neck and skull injuries shortly after being removed from the wreckage. Four newspaper messengers were injured. The two most seriously injured were the only occupants of the destroyed baggage
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The train left the track due to excessive speed on the curve. The conductor stated that the train did not reduce speed upon approaching the curve. Although there was no speed limit on the curve, most engineers did use braking to slow the train when rounding the curve. After the accident, a 45
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Inspection of the track and equipment found no contributing defects. The track was "in perfect surface and alignment". The braking gear on the engine was in working order. The engine and tender had undergone routine maintenance the prior May. The engine's
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was observed after the accident as being "wide open". The train passed a signal tower at
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Twenty-First Annual Report of the Board of
Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York
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and Canada. The train had left Albany at 6:05 a.m. and was instructed to reach
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The accident happened approximately .5 miles (800 m) east of the Little Falls
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at 3:00 a.m. All three cars were loaded with New York newspapers destined for
277:"Fast Train is Wrecked, Newspaper Special Runs Off Track on New York Central".
182:. The train was also instructed to reduce speed in three locations –
190:. The train was run by engineer Robert Lilly, fireman Thomas Connolly, and
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On August 23, 1903, at 7:33 a.m. a westbound newspaper train of the
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due to excessive speed on a curve, killing two crew members – the
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George
Erhardt. Lilly was an experienced engineer on freight trains.
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number 2941, baggage cars 2570 and 2535, and horse car 2312.
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Accidents and incidents involving New York
Central Railroad
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miles (72 km) per hour speed limit was put in place.
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where the tracks run parallel to the north shore of the
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Railway accidents and incidents in New York (state)
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304:. Albany: State Legislative Printer. 1904.
116:New York Central and Hudson River Railroad
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166:within three hours, including stops in
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19:Little Falls Gulf Curve crash of 1903
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392:Connellsville, Pennsylvania, US
79:Excessive speed on sharp curve
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374:Little Falls, New York, US
462:New York Central Railroad
457:Herkimer County, New York
442:Railway accidents in 1903
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386:Indianapolis, Indiana, US
342:Railway accidents in 1903
134:. The train consisted of
70:New York Central Railroad
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452:1903 in New York (state)
398:East Paris, Michigan, US
146:The train originated in
243:Second Gulf Curve crash
124:Little Falls, New York
52:Little Falls, New York
247:The much more deadly
186:, Little Falls, and
279:The New York Times
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362:Glasgow, Scotland
355:Location and date
118:, originating in
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168:Schenectady
436:Categories
255:References
212:Gulf Curve
142:Background
84:Statistics
364:(27 July)
210:, on the
192:conductor
184:Amsterdam
43:7:33 A.M.
229:throttle
198:Accident
176:Herkimer
164:Syracuse
128:engineer
48:Location
344: (
160:Buffalo
132:fireman
105:Injured
58:Country
33:Details
156:Albany
136:engine
97:Deaths
89:Trains
222:Cause
180:Utica
172:Fonda
154:from
76:Cause
423:1904
410:1902
346:1903
188:Rome
178:and
130:and
66:Line
38:Date
158:to
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287:^
263:^
174:,
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348:)
335:e
328:t
321:v
108:2
100:2
92:1
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