Mathew Maher and the 1907 Little Falls Train Wreck

Enhanced and colorized

Enhanced and colorized. I believe the colorization is off on this one as the green debris on the hill should probably be some other color. However, this colorization was done using AI. The enhancement does, however, bring into clarity some elements of the picture that might otherwise be overlooked, like the waterpipe in the lower left.

A few years ago, while searching old newspapers, I found a small newspaper announcement that my great-grandmother Ellen Murphy (nee Maher) would be attending the funeral of her cousin, Mathew Maher, in Syracuse.

This tiny little announcement lead to my learning about the train wreck of 1907 in Little Falls, NY (where my great-grandfather, PJ Murphy, was employed) and the sad story of Mathew Maher's death.

To confirm that this Mrs. Patrick Murphy was in fact Ellen Maher, I have a page from the Little Falls Directory:

You will see Patrick Murphy (my grandfather) listed as a machinist living on W. German St. and Patrick J Murphy (my great-grandfather) working as a lampman for the New York Central railroad also living on W. German St. This listing is from the 1909 directory.

Back in the early 20th century, Little Falls was a booming city. Home to the highest lock in the world, it was nestled in the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York. The New York Central Railroad ran through Little Falls. It was the site of a few horrific train accidents, the most famous happening in 1940. Another, a bit less famous, in 1903. One that often gets overlooked is the May 21st 1907 accident that happened when a New York Central Railroad passenger train collided with a derailed Buffalo and Cleveland special freight train, just outside of Little Falls, NY. The accident claimed the life of one man instantly, and another was badly burned and died a month later. That man was Ellen's cousin Mathew.

Mathew was a fireman on the railroad. He was married and had two sons. His father, William, had died in April, and the funeral had been held at Mathew's home on May 1st 1907. 

The accident made front page of several newspapers. I've included a link to the Utica Herald front page story here: Utica Herald Dispatch May 21, 1907. This particular article has a great amount of detail regarding the accident as does this article in the Auburn Citizen. News of this even made it to the New York Times.

Below are various clippings about the story of the train wreck. The last article I posted was after the investigation of the accident, which appears to have been caused by rocks falling on the track derailing the first train. Mathew's wife filed a lawsuit. I do not know if she won her case.

Mathew's death certificate lists his parents as William Maher and Mary Morrissey. I do not know if his mother's name is correct, as I have not been able to verify it. I do know that there were at least 3 other children in the family, and their mother is listed as Margaret Hennessey. 

According to William's death certificate,  he died at the age of 57 from diabetes complications. His parents are listed as Mathew and Bridget (no maiden name given). If this is correct, then William named his first born after his own father, which fits traditional Irish naming conventions. I could find only one William born to a Mathew Maher and a Bridget (Carew) in Ireland in 1850. He was born in Cashel.

It would be easy to assume that William was the connection to Ellen, because they had the same last name, but it is also likely that Mary Morrissey was the connection. We must keep an open mind about this. Too often we overlook female connections because of the surname tracing. I don't have the answer at this point, but what we do know is that Mathew Maher was her cousin and he, like so many other family members, worked on the railroad.