The Portland daily press., 1870-06-11
weight Of the engine. which dropped through

weight Of the engine. which dropped through,
the cow catcher just hanging on the opposite
side, and the tender sinking to the bottom.
The baggage car plunged forward into the
ahvss. r11ning over the tender, and its con-
tents of merchandise and humanity were vio-
lently hurled into groaning heap at the for
ward end which had been partially broken
open by the shock. All the persons in it We're
more or less battered, but the story of this
nights sorrow would have been far less
mOurnful and narrowing if it had not been
for another agency of destruction, which SIM
ultaneously burst forth as if to make death
more sure of his victims. The shock to the
engine broke open steam pipe which dis
charged its hot flood full upon the heap of
stunned and bewildered men fortunately
no women were on the train) lying in the bag
gage car. Mr.. Washington informs us that
he saved bis own life by the good fortune of
being able to wrap his coat about his head.
One or two above him extricated themselves,
crawling over him, and then he was able TO
get out. Although having severe bruises on
his leg, he was able to go to work with others.
in getting out such as were unable to help
themselves. They worked from the rear end
of the car, throwing out the baggage and
taking out the wounded, who were laid down
on the ground beside the track.
Mr.. James S. Hardy, the engineer of the
relief engine, is supposed to have been in
stantly killed. lie was lying on the tender
and underneath the baggage car. He was
dead when discovered and therefore no effort
was made to extricaie him until the half
alive sufferers in the car had been taken care
OF. His legs were frightfully crushed, and he
had also been scalded in most horrible man
ner.
The body of Mr. Thomas Il. Abbott of Low
ell was next to the last taken out, as he was
near the bottom. He lay in such a position
that the hot steam came directly upon his I'M
protected head, and as no mortal wounds
were discovered upon him, it is the opinion
that his brain was cooked by the fierce heat.
When lifted up he was gasping and died in
two or three minutes after he was laid down
on the embankment. The circumstances of
the death of Mr.. M. M. Croker of Rut-
land, Mr.. Washington cannot tell. He I'M
derstOod that he was riding on the en-
CINE with the engineer, and was dead when
taken from the ruins. A Mr.Talt of Fitzwil-
liam, N. H., was injured in the head and made
| temporarily insane.
The engineer, who was burned and scalded
| by the earlier accident, received some addi-
tional severe scalds by the second one. He
| appears to be q man of excellent fortitnde,
however, for despite his sufferings he walked
back to Summit station to give intelliEeneS
and summon aiA,-WI,c.. ln ~--irU III He lounu
oil ChSlhc JUST dOOuI SLdrLlIlS IOr C0e scene OF
| the early accident to recover some valuabes
left behind by the passengers. This was i'm
mediately sent on to take the wounded to
Summit station, but as there was no car at
tached, it could only take at each trip one
erson if he was obliged to lie down, and two
| or three if they were able to sit.
No doctors went to the wreck, but three or
four at Summit station attended to the wound
ed as they were brought in. The bette. con,
ditioned among the survivors bathed the more
unfortunate while they were waiting and ad-
ministered what stimulants happened to be
at hand. In one private citizens house at
Summit Station seven of the wounded were
received and cared for. Two were taken to
| another house, and perhaps others found SIM
liar attention, while five or six had their
wounds dressed at the station house. Fifteen
or sixteen of those in the baggage car were
scalded more or less severely, some of them so
badly that when their clothing was removed
| portions of the skin peeled off with it, and
even the finger nails dropped from hands
| shrunken and contorted.
Mr.. Washington says it was common ru-
NOR at the station that the district road in
spector had, previous to the accident, report
ed the culvert unsafe to the authorities there
| and had himself gone on toward Holly Station
to warn train expected from that direction