I ran across a New York Times article a few years ago that originally ran on Feb. 5, 1909 that was entitled, "Six Ground to Death on Central's Tracks." The article went on to tell the story of a track gang that was hit by an electric locomotive pulling its dirt train. I think from the date it would be likely that the dirt could easily have been excavated from the Grand Central Terminal construction. The foreman of the track gang, who lived in Yonkers, claimed that he never heard any bell or whistle. The quiet operation of the electric locomotive on a solid roadbed was mentioned as a possible factor for the accident. The engineer was held for homicide.
The article also goes on to talk about the track crew as being made up of all Italians. The police are mentioned as saying how unusual it was that the track workers actually went back to work surprisingly fast because they are usually "unfitted" for work once one of their own is killed.
Being Italian myself I thought that was a bit harsh, but I guess that was what people thought back then.
Similiar to that...I mentioned elsewhere that Fred Arone ran the Depot Attic railroadianna store in Dobbs Ferry. Fred worked as an Investigator for the New York Central and was proud that his father was one of the first Italian station agents for the Central, on the Putnam Division at Ardsley. If I recall correctly, a picture of Fred's father is at the back of the Dan Gallo book, The Putnam Division.
Tom
