New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-11
CRUSHED BY A WATER TANK.
DISASTER ON THE BOSTON AND MAINE.

CRUSHED BY A WATER TANK.
DISASTER ON THE BOSTON AND MAINE.
NINE PERSONS KILLED AND THIRTEEN BADLY IN
JUREp AT THE BRIDGE OVER THE MERRl-
MAC RIVER AT HAvERHrLL-A BROKEN
swIrCH-RoD TIE CA UsE-THE CARS
DASH INTO THE TANK-HoUsE-A
CARLOAD OF PEOPLE IN
DEADLY PERIL.
HAvRRHILI, Mass, JAM 10.-A frghtful accI-
dent befel the Portland express train, which leu
Boston at 1 o'clock this afternoon the scere OF
the disaster being near the Haverhill bridge
which spans the Merrimac River between Brad
ford and Haverhill. The train consisted OF elgno
cars drawn by the engine Norris Engineer
Thomas French and in charge Of Conductor Wey-
mouth. This train does not stop at BRADFORD ana
was going at great speed. The Georgetown prahch
train was standing on the track near the wafer
tank house and the Bradford end Of the bridge
waiting for the express train to pass over 10
Iaverhill; As the express rounded the curve rye
two cars left the rails and went crashing into the
water-tank house. demolishing 1t. In TINS mousse
o number of section hands were eating dinner.
j. OBrien, retired merchant, OF Bradiora, n was
! talking with the section hands and was killed,
together with Mr. Tayler one OF the iaoOrers;;
| The car that crashed into the tank house knocked
the foundation out letting the heavy ta9k t uowr No
upon the car, crushing through the top OF the car
and doing fearful work within The next car be-
hind teiescopcd the ahead OF it, adding TO the
havoc. The killed and wounded were mostly III
those two cars The cars behind these two ran
/ down alongside the Georgetown tram, barely eS-
Gaping collision with the engine OF that tram.
STOPPING oN THE BRINK OF DESTRUCTION.
! The people in the smoker had fearful ex-
! perience One of the wheels on the forward
truck broke and the car bumped against the end
Of the bridge, causing it to carecn 1t ran upon
xl- Il, hn
then careened the other way and leaned against
the iron work of the side of the bridge: The
passengers, of whom there were about thlrty III
the car, found themselves at the top OF the car,
while it seemed to SINE of them that the car was
tumbling off the bridge TO the river below: Inc
/ p.ssensers managed u crawl out none OF them
being seriously injured. As soon as they reached
the ground, such as we're able rushed back to hclp
those who were imprisoned in the wrecked cars.
The entire force Of physicians in the city were
summoned Dy telephone, were quickly at hand,
| and the wounded were cared for as soon as re-
| leased The list of killed is as follows:
| HAzLEwoOD, CLARENCE, OF Boston Highlands.
| OBRIEN, JOHN, OF Bradford.
| SHAW, JOSEPHUS, OF Boston
| TAYLOR, WILLIAM, section hand OF Bradford
W5hI xbiMs. r. 3 B. Of Of SsIl.n, Sc .rGiiS1 Mass S
| COLE c. ", wife and chilli Of LawrSace. Mass
The following wounded at the City Hos
ptal:
GEORGE D. WENTWORTH, OF Dover, N. H., scalp
| W una, and shoulder Dlado broken
REBECCA M'KAY, cr SomcIvIlle, n. H. (has daughter
living in LOWELL. compound fr'.ture 4 one leg.
| FREDERICK M'KEON, OF Waycreyst, Someryllie
newsboy ; scalp wound and severe head contusions
NILES BOLIN, OF BrocktUn. head and ann injured
HUGO SLETrENGRFN, OF B,"cK,Vn, Lack ala leg In
jured
W. F. KIMBALI4 of Klmba Brothers, sudbury-st.' Bos-
ton. fracture OF l'G ,
JOHN >DDJ.N. OF Bradford, compound fracture oi 'he
right leg.
Mr. HART, OF Portland Me- bruised arm anu oau ''p
DENNIS SHANNON CT Bradford, feet and leg badly
crushed aI scalp wounds probably fatally 'nuf, a.
An unknown woman. apparently about hirtJ-hvc with
dark hair and wearing breastpin marked ]" IN
iured on the head and internally, probably fatally
Mrs JOHN p. FELT, OF warcham, Mass. 81. injuries not
serious.
Miss ETrA OWEN right leg and hand badly bruised
John kellogg, of Boston, on his way to Ports
mouth had several scalp wounds md put they were
large number of those slightly wounded con,
tinued to their destinations and their names could
not be learned. Conductor Weymouth escaped
uniniured Ernest Hatch, OF Eaverhlll, the IRE
man, got hurt by the corner OF the building
falling upon him. The people OF llayeril are
doing everything possible for the wounded.
CAUSED BY A BRoKvN swIrCHR"D
The accident is supposed to have been caused by
a switch rod breaking alter the engine and three
forward cars had passed the switch. "A
careful examination was made by General Manager
Furbcr assisted by several other well-lnown
railroad officials, TO II any Of the wheels on the
coaches were broken, but they were 1onnd TO % Dc
all right. The journals on the wrecked car were
also carefully examined. but were found to DC
perfect The switch and its connections were SC
badly broken that it is impossible at present 10
ascertain the exact truth ,
The train was one of the finest equipped on the
road and consisted Of one OF the companys largest
locomotives and several cars arranged IN the
following order. milk car, baggage car, smoker
and four new monitor-tos passenger cars with the
Wcsting ghouse automatic air brake. The tram
running, according to the engineers story, al
about eighteen miles an hour, and after the smok-
ing ear had broken apart from the rear portion
of the train and bounded forward on the bridge
the air brake on the car was automatically appllco
and the was thrown en- It's side. II is probablt
that hut for this brake the car would have fallen
, into the icebound Mcrrimac River 90 feet below
The hard pine stringers Of the bridge were badly
splintered. hut the bridge which is Of iron, with
stood the severe strain and was In no way seriously
damaged There were about forty passengers IT
the smoking near as can he learned, hui
they all escaped without severe injuries although
nearly all OF them were badly shaken up and q
number of them had their clothing torn from
, their bodies.
, All the cars were equipped with patent stean
heater and portion Of them caught fire The
two passenger cars are completely wrecked, bn'
the smoking car. although badly damaged can bt
repaired at q small expense. The loss to the roao
on rolling stock will not reach over $50, 900. Th'
inward track cleared at 8 o'clock and trains
bound for Boston were started as usual, although
9 throughout the afternoon passengers on through
trains transferred over the bridge by specia
A local train.
As is usually tho case In an accident of thi
kind there are several different stories IN circl
: lation regarding its cause. Thcro are rnmors tho
a broken wheel hange and also that n broken raj
5 caused the disaster. The tlace where the acciden
occurred is street crossing and for a long tim
). fears have been expressed that an accident would
some day occur at that point.
= WRECK ON THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
a A TRAIN RUNS OFF THE TRACK-MANY PASSENGER
q REPORTED KILLED OR INJURED.
lNxLLL.. L. IL H..