Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-11
A BROKEN FLANGE DID 1T.
A RAILWAY DISASTER SENDS NINE
VICTIMS TO ETERNITY.

About Fifty Wounded More or Less se-
vereiy-Two Cars Crash into Water
Tank House aud DemoiIsh 1.-THE List
OF Unfortunately in an Aims
House-Bsd Wreck In Dakota.
HAvERHILL, Mass, Jan. ia frightful
accident occurred to the Portland express
which left Boston at o'clock Tuesday after
noon. The scene OF the disaster was near
the Haverhiil bridge which spans the Mer-
rimac river between Haverhill and Brad
ford The train consisted Of eight cars and
an engine, in charge of Conductor Wey-
mouth and Engineer French. The train
does not stop at Bradford, and was going mt
great speed. 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 train to pass
over to Haverhill.
As the EXPRESS rounded the curve two cars
left the rails, and went crashing into and de-
molished the water-tank house. In this
house number of section hands were eating
dinner. Mr. j. O'Brien, a retired merchant
OF Bradford, was talking with the section
hands, and was killed, together with William
Taylor, one of the laborers. The car that
crashed into the tank house knocked the
foundations out, letting the heavy tank
down, crashing through the top of the car
and doing fearful work within. The next
car behind telescoped tile one ahead of it,
adding TO the havoc. The killed and wound
ed were mostly in these two cars. The cars
behind these two ran down alongside the
Georgetown train, barely escaping a collision
with the engine of that train.
The people in the SMOKER had frightful
experience One Of the wheels on the front
4 H.. H..
end of the bridge, causing it to careen, and
then ran upon the bridge for some dis
lance upon the sleepers, then careened the
other way and leaned against the iron work
of the side of the bridge The passengers,
of whom there were about thirty, found
themselves at the top Of the car, while it
seemed to those who had presence of mind
enough to think that the car was tumbling
Off the bride to the river below. The passen-
gers managed to crawl out, none being very
seriously injured. AS soon as they reached
solid ground such as were able rushed back
and helped those who were imprisoned in the
wrecked cars The entire force OF physi-
clans in the city We're summoned by tele-
phone and were quickly on hand, and the
wounded were cared for as soon as released.
The list of killed foots up nine, as follows:
/. b. Adams, Newton, Mass; c. N.
Cole, wife and child Lawrence Mass. jose
phus Shaw, of the firm of Shaw &c Thayer,
Boston; Clarence Lakewood Boston; A. s.
Walker, Harrison Me- VIM Taylor and
John OBrien, of Bradford, Mass.
The following is list of the wounded:
At city hospital-Geo. B. Wentworth, Dover,
N. H., scalp wounds, shoulder blade broken;
Rebecca Mckay, Somerville, N. B., leg
fractured; Feed McKeon, newsboy, Somer-
Vile, Mass, severe Commissions on head;
Niles Bolin, Brockton, head and arm in
jured; Hugo Stettingren, Brockton, back and
leg injured; w. f. Kimball. of Kimball Bros,
Boston, leg fractured; John Madden, of
Bradford, compound fracture of right leg;
Mr. Hart, of Portland, Me-, bruised arm and
scalp wounds; Dennis Shannon, of Bradford,
feet and leg badly crushed and alp wounds,
probably fatally injured; an unknown
woman, apparently IS years old, with dark
hair, breast pin marked ~, ;" injured on the
head and internally, probably fatally; Mrs.
John r. Felt, Of Waltham, Mass, not seri-
ously injured. Two other wounded are at
residences and large number of slightly
wounded continued their journey, aud their
names were not learned. In all about fifty
were wounded.
The accident Is supposed to have been oc-
casioned by a switch rod breaking after the
engine and three forward cars had passed
over the switch None of the wheels are
broken and the Journals are perlect. Inc
switch and its connections were so badly
broken that at present the exact truth can
not be ascertaned. The train was one of the
finest equipped on the road and carried tire
Westinghouse air automatic brake. |
After the train broke in two the brake |
OH the smoker was automatically |
applied, and but for this it is thought the |
car would have fallen upon the ice in the |
river 100 feet below. The bridge was a
strong one of iron and was not injured by |
the strain. The cars had the Baker steam |
heater, and therefore did not catch fire.
LATER The cause of the accident was
broken flange on the forward right-hand |
truck wheel of the smoking car. A careful
inspection by General Manager Furber re-
vealed the fact that a section of the fiange |
was missing. the break evidently resulting
from defective casting.