Connecticut western news., 1878-10-16
THE OLD COLONY DISASTER.
THRILLING INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THE DISASTER TO THE EXCURSION TRAIN ON THE OLD COLONY RAILROAD.

THE DISASTER TO THE EXCURSION TRAIN |
 ON THE OLD COLONY RAILROAD.
 A long railway train on the Old Col ony road, carrying back to Boston hun dreds of people who had been spectators of the Silver Lake regatta, was thrown from the track when near the end of it's trip, and instantly score or more of human beings were dashed into eternity, while twice as many were wounded and otherwise injured more or less seriously. One of the victims, Patrick Reagan, seems to have been most remorselessly pursued by fate, having just lost a race at the regatta, and then lost his life in the terrible crash of doomed cars.
 The first object which met the eye was Q corpse-the dead body of man whose face was mangled beyond all chance of recognition. A small group stood around it, stricken dumb with awe and sympa- thy. No loving hands were there to compose the distorted limbs in the agony of death; no loving words were uttered to cheer the departing spirit on it's journey to the unknown land. Prob ably the little family which was be- reaved waited at the depot in Boston, racked with apprehension and fear. Further along were three more dead bodies, laid out side by side. They had been identified and some friends had kindly cared for the remains.
 Horo oCI 4ba,o AT, .AroAoL CTS lay some half dozen or more wounded men grooming with pain and writhing in the most intense suffering. The physicians ministered to these, giv- ing brandy, applying chloroform and other restoratives. As 1 stood there one ot the poor fellows died in the most violent manner. A cloth was thrown over his face, and there he lay awaiting identification. Passing still further along toward the wrecked cars the same sad pictures continually met the eye. There was no change in the scene, ex- cept the change of identity. About a score of men had organized themselves into @ gang of workmen and began searching for more bodies. One man was taken out with both legs broken and horribly bruised, but he was alive after remaining in the wreck some forty minutes. The bodies of Charles H. Morgan and Mir. Hazey, of the Boston Express, were next taken out, both ter ribly mutilated.
 On the other side of the track the body of Patrick Reagan, the defeated oarsman of the days regatta, had been found. The wife of Faulkner, his partner in the sculling business, had also been killed, and both bodies were removed to an ad- joining house, and soon after taken tc the city in carriage. A train of cars had just arrived from Boston bearing g large crowd of anxious people, police. made to identify the bodies stretched out on the grass, and men and women hur. ried hither and thither in search ot friends and relatives. Men who had seen each other on the train, or at the race, on meeting again embraced each other and narrated their miraculous escapes. I met pr. Kenear, of Bowdoir street, Boston, who imped about trying to do all the good he could while suffer ing from bad wound in the leg.
 In every great emergency hero ap pears. The present was not an ex- ception. Dan Murphy, as soon as ht escaped from the train, instead of stand ing around surveying the scene O disaster and death, took off his coat ant went to work to alleviate the sufering' of those who had been badly injured
 He ran to the first house and procured
 a pail and a pitcher, and filling then
 with good spring water he applied it tc
 the feverish lips of the poor fellows wht
 were grooming with pain. He nex
 started to procure brandy and succeeded
 in obtaining some. With this he wen around and infused strength into thos,
 whose systems had been shattered b. the terrible shock to which they hat been subjected. His example stimulated
 others to similar exertions, and som good hospital work was done. Mean while work proceeded at the wreck. A the word came from the inside tha another body had been discovered tn crowd rushed in to learn who the un f fortunate victim was. It was the bod , of Mrs. Blakie, the boat builders wife , when first taken out it was not identified , but as soon as 1t became known who sh was 8 murmur ran through the crowd , She and Mrs. Faulkner were the onl , women killed.
 The scene as the bodies were re t cognized as they were taken from tn cars in Boston beggars description. Tn l loud, long, pitiful walls that went u l were heartrenderng in the extreme . One woman lost her husband. Ther 8 she stood with two little children owe l the mangled remains of him who wa s her all in this world. The bystander : stepped back and stood looking on wit f feelings of the deepest sympathy an pity.
 DesOlatiOn in Minnesota.