Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1853-08-15
Chr o lin spy.
MONDAY. AUGUST Is. 1858.
The Provid ence Railroad Accident.

We have but few additional particulars IN reia'
tion to the melancholy destruction Of human lille on
Friday, upon the Providence and Worcester Rail
Road.
To the list Of killed we have to add the names Of
Moses Bolton Stewart Winslow,and Ellerey Godth-
waite, Of WhilinsviIle, all oil whom died in the
course Of Friday night. This increases the whole
number of the killed to fifteen. The naue Of W. E.
Woodbridge in the list Of killed. published Satur-
dav, should have been WIN. E. Wood, and R. Rog-
ers, in the same list, should have been r. Bemis
Rogers
MIR. William Bates, of Northblidg Centre, who
was on board the train, in letter to the Traveller,
gives the following description Of the scene' as ii
passed under his observation;
81 was seated, with my wife, in about the middle
Of the second car. ] first alarmed Tor an instant
bv A terrible whistler then came crash upon crash,
with a violent conclusion; all before in the car
seemed TO be- thrown ia a confused mass together;
broken seats flying and the forward part of car
crushing in like an egg shell. ! had time merely
10 say 10 my wife, keep quiet, don't rise, the bot
tom ofthe car behind shot directly over my head
taking of my hat.
Then followed the most heart rendiug cries, ac-
companed by terrible struggle for life by the
Of men and women buried beneath the shattered tim
beers of the car bottom. My wife and myself were
for lew moments confined between the floor above
us and the broken Seats although wholly uninjured.
During those few moments terrible sense Of sufo-
cation oppression me. By the tearing away Of the
seat before us, enabled to extrcate Mrs. Bates
although dying me cluching my
hair, crying, 'Mr Bates save me, oh, save me!''
Soon Mrs Bates liberated and passed for.
ward, lost sight of her amid the ruins, but she
called TO me that she was safe, and requested me TO
allan tn tha vvoundad nd
soon after suffered herself TO be removed from the
window. Immediately broke the two win
dows near me, then caught hold Of whose
shoulders were crushed between the large timber
of the car bottom. He told me his feet were not
asst.
With desperate effort extrcated him, when
the floor settled in such way wond have crush.
ed him had lie remained half minute more. / then
broke down with my feet the seat which had
been sitting, to liberaIe the poor man, Mr. Thomss
Brown, OF WhitinsvIe, who had caught me by the
hair, and lady, Mrs Richmond Of Southbridge,
whose heads were bent over the back of the seat the
timber 90 confined by connection with other tim
bers, and by the oil cloth carpeng OF the car, that
they could not be removed until man near me and
had cut the carpet with our knives.
Before we could extrcate them they had both
ceased to speak, One seemed alive we put him
through the window to those without, but he
died. Mrs Richmond was entirely dead.
tnued to strive to relieve the wounded. One man
TO whom l could not get, called on me by name, be-
seechlng TO remove the timber that crushing
his leg. He was soon freed by others, his leg hor
rbly crushed.
Our cars hardly stopped at the depot passed
above the accident, and as passed, man appaI-
entity connected with the road, at The depot, remon
stra1ed with the conductor, against his proceeding;
and as the cars passed at a rapid rate, remarked,
sFhere will be a smash up in two minutes That
collision did take place in less than that time
The coroners jury, it is said, held their sessions
in priUate,and report Of its proceedings appears
in either the Providence Journal or Post, we pre-
sumo this Is the case. We question, however, the
propriety of such proceeding. This is a matter IN
which the public are deeply interested, and in adj
dition to the verdict Of the jury, the public have
right to know all of the testimony that is elected
from all the witnesses at the inquest. We all know
the powerful influences that may operate upon mems
minds at such time this, and the difficulties in
the way of coming at impartial verdict, but these
difficulties only increased by any secresy in the
proceedings before the Let all the facts be
stated pro and con, and let the public have them
and decide for ITSELF We understand that there is
quite struggle among parties interested TO fix all
the blame upon one or the other Of the two trains,
and thus entirely to exonerate the the other.
Whatever the jury may render, the public ought to
the evidence upon which they base their conclu-
sons and il will be business for the corpo.
ration fthey are not permitted TO see it.
But whatever may be the verdict of the jury in
regard to the immediate cause of the accident,
there can be no doubt there was gross culpability
at head quarters in permitting trains under any
circumstances, to be run close upon time, to
each other, upon single track. As the N. York
Times very properly remarks upon the recent ac-
cident upon the Camden and Amboy road, we
would say in regard to this
"But what sort of regulations must those be,
by which such momentous results are left to hang
upon the exact identity of different watches p
What kind of railroad management is that which
leaves the lives of hundreds of persons daily to
depend upon he accident of particle of dust
getting into the delicate machinery of time
piece?"
But as we have before said it is not the time
for comments, until the verdict of the Jury has
been rendered We trust that that verdict will
be made up without fear, favor, or prejudice Of
any kind. and that they may be able to publish a
statement Of facts in regard to this awful occur
renee, that if it does not relieve the manage
ment entirely from the odium of its present posi-.
tion, will at least, show that it was in the habit
of using ordinary precautions for the safety OF
those who entrusted their lives to its agents.
THE WEATHER has been oppressvely hoI
r. A.. l., 4. a., .oI II.