September 11 is a date forever associated with the attacks of 2001. But 96 years earlier, Hell’s Kitchen experienced another deadly September 11 — when an elevated train derailed above W53rd Street, killing 13 people and seriously injuring dozens more. With the 25th anniversary commemorations of 9/11 now behind us, Tom Hester looks back at a tragedy that has largely disappeared from neighborhood memory.
During the morning rush hour on September 11, 1905, part of a southbound five-car train on the long-gone Ninth Avenue Elevated derailed above W53rd Street and plunged to the street, killing 13 people and seriously injuring 48.
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Tom is a retired 42-year New Jersey daily newspaper journalist. He was part of the Newark Star-Ledger staff that earned a Pulitzer Prize in 2005. Tom has a family connection to Hell’s Kitchen and longtime interest in its history.