Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-04-08
DEATH ON THE RAIL.
Horrible Accident at the
East.
SCORE OF LIVES LOST.
A Train Pitches Over a Two Hun
dred Foot OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
rowing Details.

| uItu TOOt
rowing Details.
Especial 10 The Herald bp associated Press. /
GREENFIELD, Mass, April IA terri
BILE disaster occurred on the Fitchbnrg
Railway tonight midway between Bard
wells Ferry and West Deerfeld station,
the east bound passenger train due at
Greenfield at 6i05 going over an en-
bankment 200 feet high. Six bodies
have already been taken out of the
ruins, and it is not known how many
others were killed. The train was an
eastern express. There were express,
baggage, smoking and mail cars and two
ordinary passenger cars. The train was
under charge Of conductor Forster. with
Herbert Littlejohn engineer. The point
where the accident occurred is the most
dangerous on the road. The train runs
on the edge Of the embankment for two
hundred feet with the Deerfield river
running below. The bank is steep and
covered with huge boulders and masses OF
rock. When the train reached this point
the track commenced to settle under 1t
| for a distances covering its entire length.
The coaches broke from their trucks and
went over the precipice. The engine
broke from the tender. tearing up the
track for twenty feet. Below rolled the
Deerfield river, on the very edge Of
which the cars were thrown. As soon
as they struck they caught fire from the
stoves. The sleeping car was an entire
wreck. 1t was occupied by several pas
sengers not one Of whom at this hour is
known to have escaped injury. One
whose name is unknown is impris-
o.. the wreck Of the sleeper. where
he is being burned alive. One little
girl was picked up dead.
As soon as the news reached Green
| field special train was made up and
sent to the scene of disaster, having on
board several physicians, section men
and few citizens. On arriving at the
scene of the wreck horrible sight was
witnessed. Darkness had settled over
| the spot. but far down on the river bank
could be seen the smouldering embers of
the holocaust. 1t was impossible TO tell
who was hurt and who was killed.
Stout hearted trackmen were lowered
cautiously down the treacherous height,
and the work of rescue began. Merritt
Peeley, Superintendent Of the National
Express Company, Boston, was found on
the track and taken to the relief car.
He had wound four inches
long and half an inch wide over
the left temple. His left thigh
was brok en-. also the left leg at the knee,
besides which he sustained Internal in
| iuries, from which he will die. d. Gran
dali, postal clerk, was plunged into the
river and got ashore with difficulty. He
was wounded about the head and his
arm was fractured. The Fitchburg coach
was the only one that escaped the con-
fiagration. Deputy Sheriff Bryant. Of
Greenfield, who was in this car, rescued
| two children from the flames, but one
was dead and the other dying. Their
parents were on board, but cannot be
| found. Some Of the injured and dead
were taken TO Shellburn Falls and some
Of the wounded to Greenfield. g.
p. Bell, Of Nashua N. H., was
cut slightly on the head and leg, but not
seriously hurt. Ho was thrown head
| foremost into the river and went to the
bottom, barely escaping drowning. Con
| ductor Forster is reported safe and but
sljphtIy injured. ID. G. Welles, Of An
| dover. had his shoulder hurt and his
head cut. The car in which he was
riding was broken in two and stood on
| end within a few feet OF the river bank.
| Nicholas Dorran. of Greenfield, had his
| left arm and ankle broken and was seri-
ously injured internally. A little girl
who was passenger on the train died
| in his arms from the injuries she re-
ceived. j. X. Priest, of Littletown,
New Hampshire, had his face and head
cut. Engineer Littlejohn, of North
Adams, was badly scalded, it Is
believed fatally. A. X. Warner.
Chairman OF the Greenfield Board of Sc
leetmen, was badly hurt, but his inju-
ries are not fatal. Great excitement pre-
walls all along the road between here
and North Adams.
| Being interviewed by wire tonight at
Shellburne Falls, Conductor Forster said:
II am unable to state how many were on
the train. Only three men have thus
far been found to have escaped injury,
and they set the minimum OF passengers
all the way from 25 to 100. No doubt q
half dozen were killed outright while
/ falling and as many more were fatally
| Injured The west bound express was
DELAYED at Greenfield and West Deer
field two hours, while the relief train
with surgeons and their assistants were
sent out on its time. The locomotive is
a complete wreck but remains on the
track, while it's tender ia down the bank.
The following persons we're taken to
Shellburne Falls more or less wounded:
III. G. Littlejohn, engineer. with
wife and child, both Of whom have
since died; A. ID. Cornell, Allen Lewis,
lib. B. Stowe, A. C. Harvey of Boston,
badly hurt; j. P. Fowler, A. R.Warren,
of Greenfield; H. Couillard, Charlemont;
liz. w. Dunnells, Waltham; Miss Darby
and NAV Gowing. A Miss Cornell is
badly hurt, as is also mail agent Putney.
A. M. Waterhouse is missing.
1t was reported in Shellburne Falls that
eighteen persons were killed outright,
but this could not be verified. Fears
are entertained that the morning will
increase the list OF deaths and casualties.
A portion of the mail is reported to be
lost In the river. At ii o'clock tonight
men were still working at the wreck.
1t is learned that the Injured at She'll
burne Falls number nineteen.
The train at the time Of the accident
was running at the rate of about twenty
miles an hour. Frank Lark, OF Boston,
statesmen for New York firm. jumped
from the train and is believed to be the
only person who saw the cars go down
the embankment. He says there were
three passengers in the drawing room
} car.
. LATER-Engineer Littlejohn is dying.
Henry c. Couillard will die before
morning. Three more dead bodies have
been found at the wreck.
THE Latest.
At midnight it was reported that four
more dead bodies were removed from
the wreck, and 1t was believed that
Others had been swept down the river.
OF the four bodies one was recognized
as that of Brakeman Shyer. II is i'm.
possible to give complete list Of the
killed and wounded tonight.
i Interview with Mr.. Turner.
| PHILADELPHIA, April THE Record
tomorrow will print an interview with
Secretary Turner Of the Knights of La
ber, whop stopped here to-day on his
way to Scranton to confer with Mr..
Powderly. He said: "When we arrived
in st. Louis we found that the company
would in reality employ no Knights of