Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-29
incidents of.he RniIroaa sIangh.er.

| az went TO the Eastern railroad station on
Saturday evening in time to take the 7:15 ac-
| commodaton train for Beverly There was n
| large number of passengers waiting for the same
| train and n great deal of impotence was mani
tested because ii was so late. 1t was quarter
TO eight O'Clock when the train came IN which
was to go ont again. A grand rush was made
| for seats and they were filled so quick that we
| could not get seats together We were in the
first passenger car, the third from the rear near
| the door. | sat in the seat with a gentleman
| whom | supposed to be Il season ticllet-holder
| from the fact that the conductor merely nodded
to him when he took up the tickets. | held my
| little girl in my arms, and my wife sat in the
| scat directly behind me with another lady whom
| | did not know The aisles Of the cars were all
| crowded When we reached Someryie there
| was stop, and the whistle sounded. IL was
something unusual, and created a great deal of
| excitement in the car. The WINDOWS were all
| showed up, and the passengers looked out. The
| conductor, who was taking up tickets called
out PLEASE keep your seats there is no danger!
| The woman who was sitting with my wife APP
| peared good deal troubled, and said, There is
| something wrong about the train. know there
| is something going to happen just after we
| left Somerville the gentleman in the seat with
| me put his head out of the window, and said,
| The express train is behind us; | can see it,
The passengers all seemed to feel nervous, as if
| they had some premonition of what was coming.
| We made the regular stop at Revere, and had
| just got under way, moving very slowly, when
| the crash came. Although the window was
| open, did not hear the whistle.
| The shock threw down some who were
standing in the aisle, and also threw my child
| out OF my arms | always supposed that in coll
lision of the kind the blow came like a thunder
| clap, and was over; but here it was long,
| grinding crash, lasting, it seemed to me, fully
| five seconds. instantaneous with the first SEN
| sation the lights were extngushed, and inside
| the cars it was total darkness. Some one called
out, The danger is all over-don't be afraidP
The passengers were tramplino over one another
in their fright and excitement, and called out
the same words For moment it seemed as if
they would have some effect but the next in
slant man near the rear door shouted: The
car is on fire j! and the excitement was iercer
than ever. We all got out at last. My wife had
| tainted, and laid her on the grass, telling my
little girl to stand by her while | helped the
| others rescue the injured. All this time the air
was filled with the shrieks and groans of the
wounded and the excited cries of the unhurt
| passengers and those who happened 10 be in the
| vicinity. Men were running about in the great
| est excitement, and for few minutes there was
| no system of action. The engine had struck
| the rear car full in the center, entering about
| two-thirds of the way, carrying passengers and
| seats before il in crushed and bruised mass to
| the forward end of the car. The blow broke
| the cap of the engine, and the boiling steam
poured in full volume among them, scalding
those who were not already crushed to death.
Several gentlemen, residents of Revere, and
passengers, with more presence Of mind than
the rest began to tear off the sides of the to
release the sufferers. After several Intellectual
attempts, a strong rope was procured and the
sides pulled away. As fast as we could get at
the bodies we carried them INTO the depot and
laid them on the floor The wounded in both
cars were taken to the nearest houses and cared
for, excepting the most seriously injured, who
were placed in the Pullman car to be taken to
Boston. The only man saw injured on the express
train was the baggage master. he was at the
brake at the rear of the baggage car when the
| collision occurred, so he said, and was caught
| between the platforms Of the two cars front and
rear. He was sitting upon the platform of the
| baggage car, the other one tapping over and
| resting upon his thighs. One of his hands was
| terribly bruised. He was in that position over
| an hour and yet bore his pain with the greatest
| fortitude talking with the men around him con-
| stantly, A jaCkssoreW was finally procured and
| he was taken ont and put on board the Pullman
| car. One of the first men saw when got out
| of the car was young man, well dressed, hold
| ing up his hands, with his face apparently
scalded and bruised The blood was dripping
| from his fingers. | asked him if he was hurt.
| He said, q don't know; | feel all on fire. |
| looked and saw that his clothes had been nearly
| stripped from his back, and he was somewhat,
| but not seriously burned. He was very anxious
| TO know if his face was dis6gured | told him
no. when all at once he threw up his hands,
and with yell, ran up the track as fast as he
| could, and saw no more of him. A moment
| after saw woman lying upon the grass, her
right arm fearfully crushed between the elbow
| and shoulder, and her face badly scaldod. She
must have been suffering intense pain. | asked
| her what | could do for her. She replied,
There are others hurt great deal worse than
| am, Go and attend 10 them. | can bear it,
She was taken TO y house near by aud laid upon
the floor, with bundle of bloody clothes for a
pillow She would not let the doctor attend to
her injuries until she knew that the Others had
been seen to. There were several others badly
hurt in the same house. After the train had
been thoroughly cleared, got my wife and little
girl place to stay and got on Lynn horse car.
| went to Lynn and spread the news, and a train
was sent up.
Among the victims of the sad accident at Re
we're on Saturday evening last, the community
will hear with deep regret was Rev. Ezra Stiles
Gannett, pastor of the Arlington street church,
Boston, and for many years the colleague of
Rev. VIM. Ellery Claiming. DR.. GannetU was
born in Cambridge, Mass, May 4, 1901, and en-
tered Harvard college from Phillips academy in
1916 graduating in 1920. He passed through
course of theological studies mt the divinity
school, Cambridge, and June 80, 1924, he was or
dained as colleague pastor of the Church of
Christ in Federal street. Boston, on which occa-
sion Rev. DR.. Claiming, pastor of the church,
delivered the sermon. His great will and zeal
overcoming the infrmities OF a weak body,
made him one OF the most laborious of pastors.
He edited the Monthly Miscellany from 1874 to
1910, anu WAS doSOCldbc cullOI vi IllC OuIlSlldu
Examiner for many years. Toward the close of
| 1869 DR.. Gannett who was the oldest settled
clergyman in Boston, sent in his resignation,
but his people declined at once to part with their
beloved pastor, atfording him such relief and
granting him such leave ofabsence as he desired,
but his connection with his society has CON
| tinued, and is now broken by this sad and vio-
| lent death. Mr.. Gannett has been twice abroad
for his health, the death of his wife in 1916 hay
| ing been severe affiiction to him.
In relation to the lamented DIR. Gannett it is
said that the day preceding his death he re
turned from visit to the White mountains, and
| a gentleman who was with him in the cars, and
| who knew him intimately, says he never saw
| him in better spirits Or more cheerful. He rode
| by his side for long distance, and the doctor
| seemed to take great pleasure in pointing out
| the prominent features in the magnificent
scenery of the mountain region, and evidently
| enjoyed himself very much.
| As already stated in our dispatches, among the
| victims at Revere was Rev. Sumner X. Mason,
| d. D., thepastOr of the First Baptist church of
| Cambridge. He was widely known and highly
| respected, and was not only a leader in his de-
| nomination, but was distinguished for his ac-
| tive interest in educational matters in which
| field of labor his experience and judgment have
| been recognized and honOred by his fellow citi-
zens for years. He became connected with the
First Baptist church early in 1855, and being a
man of liberal education, and of strong and
| cultured mind, he soon took rank among the
abest preachers of the denomination, He was
about fifty-one years of age, and leaves a
| widow and six children.
The scene of excitement which pervaded the
| the city Of Lynn Sunday morning as the details
| of the Revere calamity spread more generally
over the town, has probably never had a parai-
lei there, and, nothing approaching it has been
| witnessed since the day which brought the news
of Lncoln's assassination. An immense crowd
was assembled in front Of and around the city
| hall all the forenoon and well into the latter
part of the day. About twelve O'Clock team
arrived bearing the dead bodies Of eight victims,
whose names are given elsewhere. They were
carried to the court room and then eusued
scene impossible to describe. Excited search
ers came to scan the stark and mutilated
bodies, while with white and falterng lips
the plaintively inquiring of the busy and hard
working officials for names which they dreaded
and feared to hear pronounced. At three o'clock
p. NJ. all the bodies had been removed, but the
crowd still fingered as if fascinated by a horri-
pc spell, while the darkened court room seemed
ike a tomb. Several flags throughout the city
are displayed at half mast and the feeling Of
melancholy and gloom is universal.
Some OF the escapes from instant death in the
Revere disaster were almost miraculous. One