Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-13
AN OPEN SwITCH

Causes Fatal Accident on the North.
 amptOn Road at WeStf1eld-Was the
 Switch Opened on Purpose to Derail
 The Train 4-The Engineer Killed.
 About seven o'clock yesterday morning an excursion train of four cars and carrying about four hundred people left Holyoke, Mass, bound for this city, the passengers in tending to spend the day here and at Savin Rock. The train was in the hands of Engin- Ger George Baldwin, aged twenty-five years, of Westfeld, single man. The train wss coming into Westfe1d at the rate of about twenty-five miles an hour when suddenly the engine struck an open switch and leaping g from the track dashed into a train of fiat cars which stood on the switch, thus bring ing the engine to dead stop firmly wedged into the rear flat car. The other cars did not leave the track, but as soon as they came to stop the panic-stricken passengers, who knew that some accident had happened and whose shouts had been painful to hear, got out of the cars as quickly as possible, which as if by miracle had not been dragged from the track or overturned. The engineer, when he saw the engine leave the track, had quickly reversed his engine and then leaped from the cab, hoping to reach the ground in safety.
 This leap, however, proved to be fatal one
 as instead of landing on the ground he struck a pile of coal, and was hurled back under the wheels of the engine, which passed over his
 body. When he was picked up few mo- ments later life was extinct, the body hav- ing beenscut squarely in two and otherwise badly mangled. The body was removed to an undertaker's establishment in Westfeld, where the remains will be pre-
 pared for burial. The fireman stuck by the engine and escaped uninjured with the exception of few slight bruises. A search among the passengers revealed the fact that James Burwell of Holyoke, was the only passenger seriously injured. He was badly cut about the head. He was knocked down by the shock, and in falling struck his head against one of the iron arms of the car seats. His wounds were dressed and he was sent to his home in Holyoke. Five of the other passengers were more or less cut about the face and hands, but besides the general shaking up none of the others were at all in- jured. Word was received in this city of the accident about 8 o'clock, and shortly before g o'clock a wrecking train left this city for the scene of the acci- dent. but met the excursion train near Southington on it's way to this city and so returned with it, the excursion train having procured another engine, the other one be- ing badly wrecked. The cause of the acei dent was an open switch which had been thrown open accidentally or on purpose. The lock to the switch is said to have been broken, and the railroad officials are investigating the case. Many of the passengers returned home after the accident, only about 200 coming to this city, not feeling in very happy mood for picnic The party arrived in this city about noon and proceeded to the corner of Church and Chapel streets where they expected to find cars to take them to Savin Rock, but the two church cars were all that were there, no special cars having been engaged. About one hundred of them crowded into the two cars and went to the shore, and the other walked about the city, viewed the State House, college buildings and East Rock Park. The excursionists left for home at 6:15.
 George Baldwin, the engineer, was just starting on his vacation, only having charge of the engine to Westfeld where he intended to take the excursion train to this city and from here proceed to New York.