The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1882-01-05
Fr,ghtful Accident on the Boston and Name
Railroad.

PORTLAND, Jan. 2. The through eX-
press train on the Boston and Maine rail-
road, due here at l2.45, ran through a
bridge over the highway at Boothby's
crossing, three miles above kennebunk,
this afternoon at 1915 O'clock. The
train was fifty minutes late, and owing
to the snow storm was attached to two
engines, and at the time of the accident
was running, as near as can be ascertain
ed, about thirty miles an hour. Some
say more, others less The engineers of
the train say they were running not over
twenty miles an hour However that
may be, they must have been running
with considerable speed to have succeed
ed IN dragging the tender of the second
engine and the smoking and parlor cars
across the chasm. The bridge is an or
binary iron structure, about thirty feet
long, and is comparatively new one, as
the road has been built but a short time.
Last week the railroad commissioners
were over the road and inspected the
bridges, this one among the number.
The track crosses the highway at a sharp
angle, which accounts in part for the po-
sition of the cars. The first engine went
over all right and the second one was
halt over when the engineer felt the rear
driving wheels settle under him, but for
tunately the first engine pulled the sec
ond over, for had the scalding steam been
ADDED to the wreck the loss of life and
suffering must have been greatly increas-
ed. Both engines together pulled the
baggage car over and also the drawing
room car, literally scraping the trucks
from under them as they scraped along
over the edge Of the abutment The end
of the smoking car, which was next to
the drawing room car, crashed into the
abutment and glanced off toward the left,
falling about fifteen feet and sliding along
the wall Of stone, and was smashed into
kindllng wood The next car, a new pas
senger car, went down into the chasm
and stood on end, followed by another
passenger car, also on end, with the up
per end resting on the brink, these cars
beng badly broken and wrecked. The
mail car, the last on the train, kept the
track but teescOped with the car in front,
smashing in the ends of both ears and
breaking the stove in that end of the pas
senger car and scattering its contents,
and almost instan ~ both cars were in a
blaze; being newly vanished, the flames
ran with lightning rapdity through these
ears, and in five minutes all four of the
cars were in flames.
The mail car one of the first to catch
tlre, burned SO rapidly that the agent and
his clerks had just time to grab the reg
lstered letter box and a few packages of
registered letters and rush out of the ear,
and even then the fire singed the hair of
the agent. All the rest of the mail was
burned, there not being time to save
another thing. The baggage car, al
though it had crossed over the bridge.
left the track and ran down over the
embankment, throwing the five men in
1t, together with the baggage, promis
cuously into the front end, bruising and
jamming them severely. The express
agents and the baggage master were
badly cut about the head and bruised
with the heavy trunks and parcels.
Henry Downs, one of the oldest employ
ees OF the road, was iii this car and WAS
thrown into the end of the car and was
crushed by an enormous sample trunk,
which had to be lifted oft him before he
could be released. He was found to be
injured internally and very severely, and
an internal hemorrhage having set in,
there are but slight hopes OF his recovery
Being convinced that he should die. he
made his will, after being conveyed to a
neighboring farm house. The other per
sons who were injured were Lewis p.
Clark, OF Portland, express manager, and
NJ. A. Atkins, Lewiston, cut about the
mead and legs. Fortunately the accident
occurred near some farm houses TO which
the most severely Injured were conveyed,
car doors and cushions being transformed
into stretchers upon which the victims
were placed Widow Boothby's was the
nearest house and to this the worst cases
were Immediately carried, and the small
house was soon filled with sufferers. The
list OF dead and injured, so far as ascer-
tanned, is as follows: An unknown man
black hair and mustache with face smash
ed almost to jelly and terribly crushed
From his appearance a laborng man. sup
posed to be A. O. kidder of Haverhll, as
there was a note in his pocket payable to
the order Of such person. He also had
an open faced silver watch and in his
pocket some physicians prescriptions.
he llYed but fifteen minutes, breathing
with difficulty when carried into the
house. Henry Downs, Berwick, mention
ed above. c. X. Tibbets, Boston, badly
spraned ankle, broken nose and badly
bruised about the head. James kenney,
at present working in Lowell, but a ma
tive OF Pittstield, rightleg badly jammed.
Leland kenney, same place as above. in
Jured about the head and internally. The
case of these brothers is unusually sad as
they were on their way to Pittsfield, to
visit their mother who was diving. Oliver
Vim, York, arm broken. L. ID. Parrish,
Salem, injured about the head VIM. G..
Mills, Portland, face and head bruised.
l. 5. Gennett, Weld, bruised about the
head. D. l.. Keep, Wilton, hip bruised.
}. II. Smalley, Boston, injured about the
head and internally. Annie NJ Haskell,
Portland, wrist hurt. John Sutherland,
Plctou, n. s., back injured VIM. Hesel-
tine, Lowell, rib broken. Gray Hesel-
tine, young son OF the above, badly hurt
about the head, and face mashed almost
to Jelly. Mrs. Henry G. Timmons and
daughter, Portland, both bruised. W. 81.
Purdy, Old Orchard, eye, head and leg
injured. Lewis p. Clark, Portland, cut
on the head. NJ. A Atkins, Lewiston.
cut on the head and leg. E. Weymouth,
conductor OF the train, terribly cut about
WY HNoot oF4hS IL IlI dUUul SlA lllcucS
long on the scalp and another five inches
long, extending from under the eve over
the ear, opening the cheek wide, delirous
and badly hurt E. Smith, Great Falls,
road-master, injured about the head and
leg and bruised. Mrs George A. Clark,
No. 3 Deering Place, Portland, injured
about the head. W. A. Hill, Rockland,
cut on the head and wrist. T. Cafferv,
Ballarsville, cut on the right hand. S. A.
Roberts, Lawrence, slightly injured in
ternally. H. S. French, Brockton leg
damned. George W. Lane, Leeds, head
badly injured. John jackson, Norway,
arm bruised severely.
Soon after the accident one of the en-
gineers ran down to the Kennebunk
station with the news, and the doctors in
the Immediate vicinity being collected to-
gether with nurses, brought them to the
scene of the accident where they were
soon busted attempting to alleviate the
sutferings of the victims.
THE WOUNDED DOING WELL.