The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-14
The Providence and Worcester Railroad Ca
tastropho.


tastr0pho.
OUR PROVIDENCE CORRESPONDENCE.
PROVIDENCE, August 12-3hP.M.
Scene of the Accident-The Road and its Management
The Amoun of Damage Done, dc.
have this moment returned from the scene of the
dreadful catastrophe which happened this mernag ON the
Providence and Worcester Railroad. Knowing that you
would like the fullest possible details Of such events
hasten to give you those collect between this and
eHP.M.
Owing the great excitement shall have to write as
get hold sf facts leaving you to Gull them should
you insert any In the HERALD.
The Providence and Worcester Railroad probably one
of the best built roads in the country and was finished
N the Of 1S47 and thia accident has bsen
wei managed any road in the Union and the people
heIeabouts have always said better.
The road lies alongside Of the Blackstone river in the
Blackstone valley, called There twenty stop
ping places villages the road, although the check
that encloed shows only eghtsen. This check Of
the through oDe and is enclosed TO show you the dsan
between tie stations At each station there tive
tracks for short distance, long enough to contain
large train Of cars. Between Pswtucket and Valley
Falls, there is q village named Central Falls,
aIda quarter oiHa mile north Of Central Falls, ths
Boston Providence Railroad ntsrsecs the Providence
and Worcester Railroad, and their then to
PrOvlOeDc6 frOvluepc0 worcester
forty rods from this intersection the collision happeaed
Where the collision occurred the straight track
though forty feet further south is curve where II
impossible for two trains to each other At the spot
Of the collision the track is laid embankment thirty
feet high and the west side of the curve is high
ledge of rocks.
The collision occurred between the regular train from
Providence and the regular excursion train from Wh
tipgsvis and Uxbridgs will hsre state, that during
the summer season the road runs what Ia called
curson train at half price, for the boats plying in Nara
gansett Bay thus giving the farmers and the factory
help in the different villages chance to breathe the
freshng bieezes which fit the waters of Nara
gansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The road has
time table for all the trains and will try and obtain
for you ere send this epistle.
The the collision is not satisfactorily ascertain
ed though it is weA known that both trains not up
to their time when the collision occurred.
Perry Card conductor the up train, and Ed ward
Green engineer Isaac H. Southwick the superntend.
snt of the road at Providence and Orray Taft the pres
dent, were in this train.
Frederick Putnam conductor the excursion
train, and - Gates, engineer.
The up train had engine tender, baggage.csr, and
two passenger The excursion train had engine
tender, and seven long passenger cars Both engines
tenders and three passenger ARE total wreck.
Such the force of the collision that both engines
completely demolished and not worth anything,
except for the materials they composed Of The
up train going at slow rate of speed, while the
excursion train going, some say, at speed of forty
miles an hour. You form idea of it when tell
you that tbs two engines tenders, and the three pas
epger cars as they after the collision did not take
up as much space the track passenger and
half Of another would. The engine Of the excursion
train, named "woonsockst" high in the air, nearly
perpendicular with her nsdes a ripped out by the
gine Of the uptain, named "Gen Taylor" II will be
impossible to separate without taking them all to pieces
The the up train very little injured,
while three Of those on the excursion train were com
pstely used up, and less Of the seven were
badly injured. The Filled and injured all on the
excu sion train except the superintendent who on
the up tran and escaped from it, The three cars thai
demolished not very full OF passengers; had
they been nearly every Of them would have been
killed. The excursion train had four hundred and seventy
five gersthe up train fifty The engineer OF the
excursion train leaped from it, and not injured,
while his fireman was scaded to death. So eager was
this engineer to where the blame of the collision
would rest that he immediately walked to Proyidencs
to compare his watch with the superintendents time,
and what the result is impossible for to learn
AL the employees Of the road quite to all ques
tions.
The engineer Of the up train stuck to his post and il
much injured it is feared he will not survive. viii
here remark that neither the engineer conductor
the train the regular empoYad the train
Mr. Hubbard the regular engineer sick or disabled, Sc
that he cannot his engine, and Mr. Garfield the
ductor is temporarily absent 1t is somewhat singular
that the conductor Of the up train at the time Of thu
collision r. Card) Is the regular conductor of the
curson train, and Mr. Putram doing his duty the
| excursion train, during Mr.. Garaelds absence.
You will observe that there is Whatever fo
collision this road. The stopping places neal
each other that three minutes run will bring them
station. What the rules Of the road know not but
will thy and get them for you. And, by the way, if
newspapers had the rules aud regulations of all the rail-
roads and steamboats, in the Union, what reference
they would be. especially in Of accidents
This collision has caused excite ment in Provi.
dence than any other event for long tme The peopls
seemed almost frantic. At Pawtucket Central and Vat
ley Falls, all business was stopped factories, &c.
6HP.M.
Ihave Just been to the depot and conversed with
Of the employees the road. They estimate the da
msges Of the collision this morning at 900. This
includes the locomotives and cars. God only knows
what the damages will be to the passengers. 1t Is said
if the Railroad corporation gets clear for $780, they
will be lucky
see BY the Boston paper OF which slip Is enclosed
that they mputs the accident to the excursion conduc
tor. Rest assured that such, on investigation, will
not be found to be the fact 1t is true he bshnd
tme but learn from good authority that they have
five minutes leeway to reach the junction from Valley
Falls Should such be the fact the controversy will os
which train was in the right time 1t is said there
variation Of two minutes Ia the engineers and conduc
tors watches. Should auch be the case, does not the
blame fall ursn the Superintendent, for allo wing it
Had not all railroad couductors right to receive time
pieces of the corporation through the superintendent
at the starting of every train; had they right to have
a superintendent of timer
Had the up train been half minute later the down
train much the sooner this collision would have been
averted A half minutes time What win it not do2
The Coioper's jury is in session. and as thsre
many telegraph correspondents win forward sou its
in hoot I boy ksd