Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-10
Fatal Accidents,

ANOTHER TERRIBLE RAILROAD DISASTER.
NEW YORK, July S.-Ihe :05 train from
Newark and the 85 train from New York, on
the New York and Newark railroad, met on an
open switch at Brill station. The engines were
demolished, the first and second cars of each
train telescOped, and both trains thrown from
the track. The cars caught fire from the loco
motives and two of them were entirely con.
sumed. -Four persons were killed and nine
wounded. The names of the killed are Frank
Kern, engineer, Scalded and both legs broken !;
John Lynch, tiremen, instantly killed; Daniel
White, brakeman, was caught between the tel
escoping cars and instantly killed; George Hill
engineer, killed. The wounded are Stephen A
Dickerson of Newark, internally; Carl Scheler,
slightly, and his son, aged six years, had his
head fractured; Anderson of Newark, cut and
internally injured; Bank A. Firman, badly hurt !;
John Russell, brakeman, badly cut; Samuel
Taylor, fireman, badly scaded; H. Fuherans of
Newark, slight cut on the head; David Letter of
16 Ludlow street, New York, was cut on the leg !;
A. G. Van Fleet of Newark, arm cut Various
other persons were slightly bruised. Some of
the passengers worked hard to save the cars and
their contents from total destruction by fire.
Great indignation was expressed on all sides
at the culpable negligence displayed in leaving
the switch open, but the officials were unable to
say to whom the blame properly belonged The
suggestion that the switch may have been pur-
pOsely misplaced by some miscreant was not
credited. Information of the disaster was i'm
mediatey forwarded to Newark and this city,
and a special train was dispatched to the scene
to convey the passengers back to Newark and
finally to bring them to this city. The disaster
has been the cause of great excitement through
out this city to-day, the newspaper offices hay
ing been besieged with inquirers after friends
on the train. 1t is the general feeling that an
investigation Of the strictcst kind should be
made.
ACCOUNT FURNISHED BY AN EYE WITNESS.
New YORK, July 9.-The railroad accident
yesterday, near Newark, is thus described by a
man who was moving not forty feet from the
place where the collision occurred: The train
from Newark was drawn by the engine "Plain-
field" that from New York by the engine
aurora" was moving with my back turned,
when heard the Plainfeld whistle furiously,
and turning saw her train approaching the
switch at high speed, the Aurora being then
distant about one hundred yards
| suddenly saw pieces of wood fly out of the
tender of the Plainfed and then the enginei itself
began bouncing over the seepers. The motions
of the train were like three jumps, the whistle
screechng furiously all the while and the Jolt
ing on the sleepers making such noise that it
was heard at my fathers farmhouse, half a
mile off. l hardly had time to realize the dam
ger before the two came together with sound
like thunder, both boilers bursting simulta-
neously. The engines seemed to stand on their
hind wheels, and pillow into each other twenty
feet up in the air.
The smoke and steam rushing out almost OBJ
secured the view, but the Aurora could be seen
TO balance in the air aud then come rushing
into the ditch, the tender shooting over from
behind and falling on the top Of her with a
fearful smash, shaking the houses at half mile
distance Two of the cars attached to her tele-
scoped at once and caught fire. The Plainfeld
stood almost erect in the air, and her tender and
heavily loaded passenger cars came smashing
up against her, as if they would tear themselves
TO pieces. The sides, doors and roofs seemed
to be flying into million pieces.
Frank Herman, engineer, who was killed,
seems TO have enacted the heroic part. Just be-
fore he died he said to friend: 81 do not ex-
pect to live; did all could to stop the train,
and fell satisfied. felt sure that Could have
saved myself by jumping into the ditch, hut
hoped to save my engine and train, and hung
on"
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
1t appears that the train from this city was
almost entirely empty, while the train from
Newark was, as usual crowded with business
men on their way TO this city. Had both trains
been laden with passengers the loss of life must
have been fearful, as the two first cars of the
empty train teleseoped, and any person in either
of them at the time must have been killed or
terribly injured.
A great number Of the passengers received
painful bruises, many of them having been
thrown violently from their seats to the ground;
but as they scattered soon afterwards 1t Is next
to impossible TO obtain their names.
The cause Of the accident was misplaced