The Republican journal., 1872-10-24
Terrible Railroad Accident.

On Tuesday morning. about four o'clock. the
right express train from Bangor for Boston,
ran INTO the rear OF a freight tram standing on
the track at Seabrook, near Port -mouil. The
m>placlng of a switch turned the passenger
train upon the siding where the freight was
waiting Tor it Ia pass. The passenger engine
crashed through the freight ears, >hverins
them to pieces. The baggage car was driven
through the smoking ear. carrying everything
and everybody before it.
Nearly everybody on board the train was
either browsing or sound asleep when the crash
came. The shock was no sooner realized than
all were pitched from their seats. In the Smok-
ing ear, visited but Il few moments before hv
one gentleman, nearly every seat was occupied.
This car is now 4 ragged covering to the wreck
OF the baggage ear, which WIS eeScopcu within.
As the baggage car came through, several Were
pushed out upon the road-bed upon the heavier
parts OF their seats. for the sides of the car were
rent open in many places as large aS Il small
house door. and pieces of the flooring. with the
seats, were thereby tipped out. Bat the maiOri-
ty of the passengers in the smoking car Were
not so fortunate. As soon rs the momentum
ceased, those who We're in the uninjured Pull
man cars 1.-TWO cars) went to the rescue of those
whose screams told them that fellow BEN ~
were suffering torture. 1t was quite dark. not
then four o'clock, and it was by The aid OF lights
that the injured ones We're seen. Tie lamps in
The broken baggage and smoking ears and upon
the engine, and on the conductors ear of The
freight train, were all eXtingui>hed by the con-
cussion, so that the additional terror of Il CON
f1agratioh to such scene was not suffered The
scene of the wreck can tie best described bv the
remark OF one gentleman, who said "The two
sleeping cars are all right and they with the
partially injured passenger car directly in front
stand on the main track, while ior space of
fifty feet on the siding are pilou the wreck of
first an engine, two freight cais conc the con-
ductol's and the other An ale carr, Il tender.
baggage and mail. and smoking cars and part
OF the only passenger ear of the Eastern road"
This gives AN Idle Of the terrible mass of
broken. sand-covercd car work among which
were buried or imprisoned at least twenty -four
persons. al of whom We're undergoing pain.
With railroad iron they W no were alive and
sound of limb took to the work of separating
the heavy timbcrs from the main body of the
debris i'll order 20 eXtricae the in Gred. But
one death face was presented at the time and
il WAS that of Capt. Norton, who had come west
from his home in Maine hat night.
The fireman was not fortunate IN getting a
place to jump upon, and 50 stuck 10 the engine,
IL Is SAID, It's it tore through the two cars of the
freight tram
Capt. Norton was in the forward part of the
smoking car when the collision occurred, and
in the wreck was found his body. under tie
flooring OF the baggage car. He WAS shocking
~ broken in limb, and must have been immrd-
afciy killed. some twelve persons were ming
led in the ruins all about him, and these were
the more terribly injured, not one escaping
without some bone or bones broken. Not one
III the smoking car escaped, and some had very
narrow chances.
The following is Il list Of the killed and womb
eG T.
Capt. Robert Norton of Gardiner, Maine,
killed instantly. lie had on his person 81 900
i'll money, Il gold watch and some papers Of
value.
David L. Howard of Bangor, injured intern
ally, but il is thought not seriously.
George w. Trolt of Barre, Maine, not scli-
ously.
Capt. James NJ. Blais,iell of Brunswick, Me-
badly wounded, but not dangerously.
Ernest G. llolbrook of Boston. left foot bad
ly damned, but not otherwise hurt.
Thomas j. Sanborn. Rye, mail AGENT leg
badly crushed.
- Allen, Bangor. Me, express messenger,
badly injured about the stomach and bowels
Charles Estes, Elliot, Me-, brakeman, badly
cnt and bruised.
Thomas b. Cannon, baggage master. some
what bruised although not severely. The e>-
cape OF the latter was miraculous. He was sit
ting in the middle of the baggage ear when the
accident occurred, and was only conscious of
beng rapidly borne through II mass of ruins
until he found himself at the rear end of the
smoking car amid debris Of broken iron ana
Spllnters of wood.