The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-09
DASHED TO DESTRUCTION.
APPALLING RAILROAD DISASTER IN
MASSACHUSETTS,.

MASSACHUSETTS.
A Passenger Train Goes Over an Embank-
ment Nearly 100 Feet High and Into
River Passengers Burned, Crushed and
Drowned-The Killed and injured.
SPRINGFIELD, Masa, April "A terrible
disaster occurred on the Fitchburg railroad
Wednesday night, midway between Bard
wells Ferry and West Deerfield station, the
east-bound pas 'enger train due at Greenfield
at $50 O'Clock p m going over an embank-
ment eighty or 100 feet high. The train
was the eastern express, and consisted of
baggage car, smoking car, sleeping car,
mai.car, and two ordinary pa ,senger-cars
The train was in charge of Conductor
Forster, with Herbert littleiohn as en-
gineec.
While running along the edge of the
bluff the track suddenly gave way
and the whole train OF six ears
tumbl,d down a cliff eighty feet
high, into tine Deerfield river, AMI the
waters, swollen by the recent rains, poured
ihte thc Nula i"cc tutS bntiiicuidNCiT
caught fire Then came the struggle to es-
cape Some were chokei by water and
persisted, others were crushed under the
wheels and knocked about by the fall until
they we're dead Added TO the groans of
those wounded by the tumbiing about of
the cars We're the cries of those held fast in
the wreck and being slowly burned to
death The tender broke away from the
engine, and for an instant the escaping
steam beclouded the atmosphere,
but this soon foated away, and
the horrors o. the scene became
more apparent as the flames rolled
higher The few men who es aped serious
injury hurried about to help those whom
they could reach, and one Of them brought
the news here, where a spe ial train for the
accommodation of arty of rescuers was
hurriedly made up ami sent out
The engine tipped over, bat did not leave
tie embarrassment One Troy & Boston day
coach plowed into the lose rocks, and was
blocked hat way down the bank The
baggage and mail cars, tw1 sleeping cars,
and one day coach plunged into The river
No help was at hand. Every man looked
to himself Groans, shrieks. a frightful
dtitl lliuistliiil util dH WIS
over
Thirty men and few women are reported
to have escaped, many OF them bruised and
bleeding. About twelve went to Shelburne
Falls, the others TO Greenfield Probably
no more escaped How many are still under
the wreck and in the river no one knows
Engineer Littlejohn. OF North Adams,
an Firemen Charles Richardson and Fred
erick Stgeeter, all in the engine, escaped
without serious injury. Conductor John
Foster pull ed himself from the wreck, cut
about the head and nearly senseles& He
was taken to Shelburne Falls Two little
children of II. littlejohn, Of 'Shelburue
Falls were taken Out of the flames, one dea |
and the other dying
Two dead bodies horribly maugled Were
gotten out at 10 p IN. One was identified
by papers on it that of G. A Temple, of
Wakefield a commercial traveller The
other was that of Charles H. Durham of
Boston. One of these had the head crushed
in and the legs badly burned, and the other
was probably drowned Two other bodies
have Just been dug out unidentified The
partial remains of a brakeman We're the
latest found by the workmen Wedns day
night OF the women on board only few
have been seen There are the wilkes
rumors of how many were on the train.
The scene of the disaster WAS ten miles
east of BardwelI's Perry. The track tv lists
about one of the precipitous mountains. on
the north side rises "A perpendicular ledge OF
nifty feet, sloping off 20 lofty hills On the
south side of the track there is an eighty
foot embankment, covered with rage
lodges to the very bottom, wlere the swol-
| len Deerfeld river, turbid from the foo is
| rushes furiously down the rapids
LATER-The list of the killed, so far as
| they have been recovered and identified, is
| as follows: c. A. Temple, Wakefield, a com
mercia traveller; Charles H. Durham, Bos
| ton, a child of H. LittIeiohn, Shell barn
| Falls: child of Deputy Sheriff Bryant, of
Greenfield; a brakeman named shyer.
| Three or four other bodies have been taken
| out but are not identified. The injured
are: Merritt Seeley, superintendent of Ma
tional Express company, Borton, fatally hurt
internally: Engineer Littiejohn, of North
| Adams, badly scalded and now dying
| Henry C. Couillard, Cincinnati, viii die: d.
Cranlali, postal clerk, wounded about the
| head and arm fractured; c. P Bell, Nashua
| n H. cut on head and leg; barely escaped
Drowning. Conductor Foster is reported
safe and but slightly Injured; d. c Wells,
| Aniover, shoulder and head cut: Nichola,
| Dorgan. Greenfield, ankle broken aud seri-
ously in jured internally; j. f Priest Lit
| Teton, \. H., face and head cut A X
| Warner, chairman Greenfield council, badly
wounded Deputy Sberits Bryant and hi
| wife, of Greenfield. and A NJ Waterhouse
are missing. Two children of H e. Little
ton have died from their injuries Half s
dozen other passengers are more or less hurt