The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-11
NINE KILLED ON THE RAIL
BREAKING TRUCKS DOOM A TRAIN
IN MASSACHUSETTS.


A Water Tank House Demolished by
the Cars Leaving the Track and
Two Men in it Perish-The Tank
Crushes Through the Roof of Car.
HAVERHILL, MASS, Jan. 10.-The Port
land express, which left Boston for Portland
at o'clock this afternoon, met with a seri-
Gus accident at Bradford this afternoon
while crossing the Haverhill bridge over the
Merrimac river The train consisted of a
locomotive and eight cars. 1t had passed
on to the bridge from the Bradford side in
safety, when suddenly the forward trucks
of the smoker broke The smoker was
hurled upon its side and two
coaches were thrown Off the track
and completely wrecked, being piled
up against the Bradford car house. The
train was on time and running at its ordi-
nary speed. A fire alarm was sounded i'm
mediately and the department responded
cars did not take fire. Physicians were
summoned and the wounded and dying
were rapidly cared for The work of clear
ing the wreck was Immediately pushed for
ward with energy and at $3.50 O'clock six
bodies had been taken from the wreck,
Several of them were disfigured beyond
recognition.
KILLED IN A PUMP HOUSE.
Two of the dead men and one of the most
seriously wounded We're railroad section
men who were in small pump house by
the side of the road which was destroyed
by the cars crashing into it, Nine bodies
have been taken out of the wreck. Fifty
two passengers were wounded. some of
them badly. A number of them have
been taken to the city hospital. The
accident happened between Bradford sta
tion and the bridge, and was caused by the
rails spreading near a frog on a curve
where turn is made TO run on the bridge.
The smoking car ran onto the bridge and
turned over. One coach smashed into the
water tank house and the other through a
sleeper.
ANOTHER TRAIN CLOSE BY.
This train does not stop at Bradford. The
Georgetown 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 Haverhill. As the
express rounded the curve two cars left the
rails and went crashing into and demolsh-
ing the water tank house. In
this house number of sec
tion hands were eating dinner
j. O'Brien, a retired merchant of Brad
ford, was talking with the station hands,
and was killed, together with Taylor, one
of the labOrers. A car crashed into the
tank house. knocked the foundation out,
letting the heavy tank down upon the car,
crushing through the top of tie car and
doing fearful work within. The next car
behind telescoped the car ahead of it, adding
to the havoc The killed and wounded were
mostly in those two cars. The cars behind
these two ran down alongside the George
town train, barely escaping collision with
the engine of that train
A FEARFUL EXPERIENCE.
The people in the smoker had fearful
experience. One of the wheels on the front
truck broke, and the car bumped against
the end of the bridge, causing it TO careen,
and the car ran upon the bridge for some
distance upon the sleepers, then careened
the other way, and leaned against the iron
work of the side of the bridge. The passen-
gers, of whom there were about thirty, found
themselves at the top of the car
while it seemed to those who had sufficient
presence of mind to think that the car was
tumbling off the bridge to the river below
The passengers managed to crawl out none
being very seriously injured Such as were
able rushed back and helped those who
were imprisoned in the wrecked cars. The
entire force Of physicians in the city was
summoned by telephone and was quickly at
soon as released.
THE KILLED.
Following is a corrected list of the killed ::
Clarence Hazlewood, residence unknown.
John O'Brien, of Bradford.
c. P. Goodwin wife and child, of Kenne-
bunk, Me-
William Taylor, section hand
A. L. Walker, of Harrison, Me-
Charles Thurlow, of Newton Junction,
Nh.
Josephus Shaw, of Boston
Fourteen people are too seriously hurt to
be moved from Haverhill Some
of them will undoubtedly die. A
majority of the wounded were able to
proceed to their homes. The accident is
supposed 10 have been occasioned by the
switch rod breaking after the engine and
three forward cars had passed over the
switch. The wheels, aXleS and journals
were found to be sound after the accident.
The switch and its connections were so
to ascertain the exact truth. The train was
one of the finest equipped on the road. 1t
was running, according to the engineers
story at about eighteen miles an hour.
SAVED BY THE BRAKE.
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 automatically applied,
and the car was thrown on its side. IL is
probable that but for this brake the car
would have fallen into the ice-bound Mer-
rimac river, 100 feet below.
The hard pine stringers of the bridge
were badly splintered, but the bridge, which
is of iron, withstood the severe strain and
was in no way injured. There were about
forty passengers in the smoking car, as near
as can be learned, but they all escaped with
out severe injuries, although nearly all of
them were badly shaken up and number
had their clothing torn from their bodies.
All the cars Were equipped with the Baker
steam heater and no portion of the cars
caught fire.