, 1888-01-11

HAvERmLL, Jan. l0.-A frightful ac-
cident befell the Portland express train
which left Boston at | o'clock this after
noon, the scene of the disaster being near
Haverhill bridge, which spans the Merri-
mac river between bradford and Haver-
hill. The train consisted Of eight cars.
This train docs not stop at Bradford, and
was going at great speed. The George
town branch train was standing on the
track near the water tank house at the
Bradford end of the bridge waiting for
the express to pass over to Havcrhill. AS
the express rounded the curve two cars
left the rails and went crashing into the
water tank house, demolishing it.
In this house a number of section hands
were eating dinner. John O'Brlen, a
retired merchant of Bradford, was talking
to the section hands, and was killed,
together with VIM. Taylor, one of the
laborers. The car that crashed into the
tank house knocked the foundation cut,
letting the heavy tank down upon the car,
crushing through the top of the car and
doing fearful work within.
The next car behind tclescopcd the one
ahead of it, adding to the havoc.
The killed and wounded were mostly in
those two cars. The cars behind these
ran down alongside the Georgetown train,
barely escaping a collision with the engine
Of that train.
The people in the smoker had a fearful
experience, One of the wheels on the
forward truck broke and the car bumped
against the end OF the bridge, causing it
to cave. 1t ran upon the bridge for some
distance over the sleepers and then caved
the other way and leaned against the iron
work on the side of the bridge.
The passengers, of whom there were
about thirty in the car, found themselves
at the top of the car, while it seemed to
some of them that the car was .tumbling
off the bridge into the river below. The
passengers managed to crawl out, none of
them being very seriously injured. As
soon as they reached the ground, such as
were able rushed back to help those who
were imprisoned in the wrecked cars.
The entire force of physicians in the
were quickly at hand and the wounded
list of killed are as follows:
known; John O'Bricn of Bradford; G..
II. Goodwin, wife and child of Kennc-
bunk, Me-; VIM. Taylor, section hand;
~. IL w dlhNi vi llilllNOn. VIZ. SuiS.
Thurlow of Newton Junction, N. H.;
Joseph Shaw of Boston. The name OF
the man reported unknown is Joseph Shaw
of Boston.
The accident is supposed to have been
caused by Il switch rod breaking after the
engine and the three forward cars had
passed over the switch. The train was
running, according to the engineer story,
at about eighteen miles an hour and after
the smoking car had broken apart from
the rear portion of the train and bounded
forward on the bridge the air brake on the
car was applied and the car was thrown
on its side. 1t was probable that but for
this the brake car would have fallen into
the icebound Mefrimac 100 feet below.
There were about forty passengers in
the smoking car as near as can be learned,
but they all escaped without severe iniur-
les, although nearly all OF them were bad
ly shaken up and a number of them had
their clothing torn from their bodies. All
the cars were equipped with steam
heaters and no portion of the cars caught
fire. The two passenger cars are com
pletely wrecked.
The loss to the road upon rolling stock
will not reach over $40, 000. The inward
track was cleared at 6 o'clock and trains
bound for Boston were started as usual.
The first passenger car which ran into the
water tank and section house, was ground
almost to atoms, the heavy tank crashing
through the monitor and crushing it like
an eggshell. In this car there were six
killed and nearly all the passengers
received injuries mostly of a severe ma.
turp.