garrisonnewyork

i almost missed how incredible this is

I think there is little doubt that this train wreck took place in Garrison, NY, on October 24, 1897 -- not Harrison, New York.

"A horrible train wreck occurred at Garrison on the Great Hudson River Railway on October 24, 1897, killing 20 people." -- Wikipedia

The New York Public Library Digital Gallery also maintains a collection of William M. Van der Weyde's photographs of this train wreck. Their collection identifies each photograph, twice, as "Garrison, New York" (includes identification taken from mountings).

This photograph, above, is identified as, "Overturned train car with broken windows" -- New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Printed on mounting: "Garrison, NY railroad wreck"

Garrison, New York, is located directly across the Hudson River from the United States Military Academy at West Point. A couple of contemporary photographs, below, depict railroad trains passing through Garrison. This may allow you to see how similar the river bank landscape is in the train-wreck photographs to that of the Hudson River Valley.

Harrison, New York, on the other hand,is a small land-locked community in Westchester County (and the only community close to Long Island Sound without access to the water).

"A Metro-North train heads north on Constitution Island, across the river from West Point and just north of Garrison, New York" by Steve Ostrowski



"Garrison, NY Train Station" by Daniel Case


Of course, there's only one letter difference between these two locations.

"Recovered train on ship in Hudson River" -- "Garrison, NY railroad wreck" -- New York Public Library Digital Gallery

Definitely not Harrison, NY. Most likely a location on the Hudson River, like Garrison, perhaps?

Wonderful. We will look into it and make the change. Thanks!

I concur. No water near Harrison NY. There was a train wreck at Harrison's Landing, CT in 1892, although the accounts I've read don't mention carriages landing in the water.

Whow!! very interesting documented, extraordinary picture indeed

Maybe it's this? 20 people died in this wreck. A definite cause was never found. Either the embankment gave way or the engine jumped the tracks. It took several days for divers to find all the bodies. AFTER THE CRASH.; Efforts to Rescue the Passengers from the Cars in the Hudson River. New York Times Oct 25, 1897. pg. 1 GARRISON'S, Oct. 24. -- After the moment of crash and splash, during which woodwork was torn, splintered, and ground into bits, and iron and steel were rent, twisted and broken, the waters closed silently and swiftly over the engine, the express car, and the combination car, while the first three sleeping cars, half submerged, were slowly sinking.