The Portland daily press., 1882-01-03
WRECKED.
A TRAIN LEAPS The
TRACK.
Accident on the Boston &
Maine at Wells.
ONE PERSON KILLED
AND TWENTY BRUISED.
A Number of Portland
People Injured.
THE TRAIN DESTROYED AND
THE TRACK BLOCKADED.
The Full Account of the Sad Accident.
A Number of Portland
People Injured.
THE TRAIN DESTROYED AND
THE TRACK BLOCKADED.
The Full Account of the Sad Accident.


land at II 45, run through bridge over the
highway at Boothby's crossing, three miles
above here this afternoon at 1215 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 ascertained, about thirty miles
an hour, some say more, others less. The en-
gineers 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 succeeded in drag
ging the tender of the second engine and the
smoking and parlor across the chasm. The
bridge is an ordinary iron structure, about
thirty feet long, and is comparatively new
one, as the road has been built but short
time. Last week the Railroad Commissioners
were over the road and inspected the bridges,
this one among the number.
THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT.
The track crosses the highway at sharp
angle which accounts in part for the position
of the cars. The first engine went over all
right and the second one was half over when
the engineer felt the rear driving wheels settle
under him but fortunately the first engine
pulled the second over, for had the scalding
steam been added to the wreck the loss of life
and suffering must have been greatly in
creased 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 ever 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 of to-
ward the left falling about fifteen feet and
sliding along the wall of stone and was smash
ed into kindling wood.
The next car new passenger 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 being
badly broken and wrecked. The mail car the
last ON the train kept the track but telescoped
with the car in front smashing in the ends of
both cars and breaking the stove in that end
of the passenger Car and scattering its con-
tents. Almost instantly both cars were ablaze.
Being newly vanished the flames ran with
Lightning rapidity through these cars, and in
five minutes all four of the cars were in flames
The mail car one Of the first to catch fire burn
ed SO rapidly that the agent and his clerks had
just time to grab the registered letter book and
few packages of registered letters and rush
out of the car. Even then the fre singed the
hair of the agent. All the rest of the mail
was burned, there not being time to save anoth-
or thing.
The baggage car, although it had crossed
over the bridge, left the track and ran down
over the embankment, throwing the five men
in it together, with the baggage, promiscuous-
ly into the front end, bruising and iamming
them severely. The express agent and bag
gage masters were badly cut about the head
and bruised WITH the heavy trunks and par
GELS.
THE DISASTER TO DOWNS.
Mr.. Henry Downs, one of the Oldest en-
ployes of the road, was in this car and was
thrown into the end of the car and crushed
by an enormous sample trunk, which had to be
lifted off him before he could be re-
leased. He was found to be injured internally
and very severely, and internal hemorrhage
having set in there are but slight hopes of his
recovery. Being convinced that he should die
e made his will after being conveyed to
neighboring farmhouse. He was also injured
about the head, as the blood flowed from his
ears. The other persons who were injured
were Lewis P. Clark of Portland, express
messenger, and M. A. Atkins, Lewiston, cut
about the head and legs injured.
AS soon as the cars that went through the
bridge had stopped the passengers in them
scrambled out the quickest way possible, has
tened by the flames. Some broke through the
windows, one man crawled out of one window
and another man actually hurled his four year
old boy through the next, hitting the first on
the back of the neck and knocking both end
ever end. Some went through the windows
head first and some feet first, in many instances
being badly cut by the glass. Others clam
bered up the inclined floors or over the seats
and out of the doors, while in the smoking car
some actually crawled out through the bottom
of the car and were covered with splinters and
dirt, cut about the face and with bruised arms
and legs. After getting out some were SO
dazed they hardly knew what they were about
while others Immediately set about rescuing
the more unfortunate. lf
AN EFFICIENT AID.
Among the rescuers Herbert N Bancroft,
the parlor car conductor, deserves the greatest
one PERSONS saved several from horrible
DEATH One instance in particular exhibited
his GOODNESS, for a lady was caught in one end
of the car by her clothing and was SO pinned
in that escape seemed well nigh impossible,
but he whipped out his knife and, directed by
her who, by the way, was as cool as he, he
literally cut off about all of her clothes and
liberated her with the flames close upon her:
nor did his efforts rest here, for he rendered
signal service in rescuing others.
In the excitement of the moment even those
who were badly injured hardly realized it but
worked with a will to help others. However
as the excitement subsidized twinge here and
an ache there and stream of blood from cuts
on the head soon brought them to sense OF
their own condition. Fortunately the accident
occurred near some farm houses to which the
most severely wounded were conveyed, car
doors and cushions being transformed into
stretchers upon which the victims were
placed
Widow Boothbys was the nearest house
and to this the worst cases were Immediately
carried and the small house was soon filled
with sufferers.
A LIST OF THE INJURED.
The list of dead and injured as far as ascer-
tanned is as follows
An unknown man, black hair and nustache,
with face mashed almost to jelly, and terribly
crushed-by his appearance a laboring man
supposed to be a. o. Kidder of Haverhill, 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 were also
Some physicians prescriptions. He lived but
fifteen minutes, breathing with difficulty when
carried into the house.
Henry Downs, Berwick, mentioned above.
G. X. Tebbetts, Boston, badly sprained
ankle, broken nose, badly bruised about the
head.
James Kenney, at present working in Lowell
but native of Pittsfield right leg badly jam
med.
Leland Kenney, same place as above, IN
jured about the head and internally. The