The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-08-28
persisted IN A WRECK.
Fifteen People Kil1e and Many Moro
Injured.
boston special.1


Injured.
Boston special.
The noon express from Woods Ho11 over
the Old Colony Railroad was wrecked at
Quincy to-day and fifteen persons were kill
ed and between thirty and forty persons in
jured. The disaster took place at what is
known as the Presidents Bridge, just this
side of the Quincy station and near the old
John Quincy Adams estate. The train was
speeding along at the rate of fOrty-fve
miles an hour when it rounded the curve at
that point. 1t consisted of a single engine,
a baggage-car, drawing-room car, smoker,
and five ordinary coaches. The train was
heavily loaded, however, with business
men returning from their summer houses
along the south shore, eXcursiOnists, and a
number of Grand Army veterans who had
spent the Sunday at Martha's Vineyard.
Whether the speed of the train caused it to
jump the curve, whether it was spreading
rail or misplaced switch that did the work
is now not known, but no sooner did the en-
CINE reached the cut than it made wild
leap against the stone abutment So narrow
was the space that it could not speed on,
but such was its force that it turned COM
pletely about The cars behind were
thrown from the rails, but the baggage,
smoker, and Pullman continued their
course over the SleeperS. The fourth car,
however, swung away from the others and
crashed into the engine. This car was
crowded with seventy-1lve passengers and
not more than twenty escaped alive and
uninjured. The engine boiler was broken,
and the scalding steam was forced into the
ruined car, causing unutterable suffering
among the struggling mass of men and
women. The other cars were thrown to
their sides and badly punched.
The police and fire alarms were rung, and
a crowd rushed to the rescue. Surgeons
were summoned from Boston, and Superin
tendent Kendrick hurried with wrecking
train to the scene.
The work of rescue was q painful one.
The slOping lawn about the residence of
Charles A. Rowland was converted into
temporary hospital and the grass was red
with the blood of the dead and injured. Just
below lay the tangled wreck, with scores Of
men struggling desperately to release the
dead or dying persons that remained crushed
beneath the mass of iron and wood. The
sound of the busy axes, the groans of men
and women, and the anxious search of
friends made an impression that will never
be forgotten. By dint of hard chOpping the
reScuing party succeeded IN removing the
body of Fireman Ryan. This was complete
ly torn in twain. A man and women were
then taken out, the latter being dead. The
man spoke few unintelligible words on his
removal but died III few moments
The fourth car was the scene of the most
terrible suffering. Men and women there
were wedged into every conceivable shape
some with blackened faces and wrenched
necks, others with great pieces of the seats
transfixing them SO that the reScuerS were
obliged to cut away great masses of wood
work before they could be eXtricated. In
several instances dead people were found
sitting bolt upright as if daZed by the
shock. In this posture sat young woman
whose graceful arm was still twined about a
boy, but her eyes were CLASSY in death and
her face bore look of concentrated terror.
The shapely head of the boy was charred to
blacxness and the face twisted into most
repulsive expression.
There was a woman, apparently As years
old, whose shoes had been torn from her
feet and her hair from her head. Her face
wore an expression Of awe and her lips were
parted as if in prayer
Next, was a heavy, middle-aged man, ap-
parently a prosperous merchant, whose neck
had been broken by a backward wrench so
that the Adams apple protruded through the
skin. Near him lay an elderly military
man, calm and dignifed in appearance, as
though lying on his own couch. No bruises
of any sort were visible, while from his
pockets projected two visiting cards bearing
the names of ''MiSs Butler and ''MisS Cut
ler."
woman dressed in dark satin and wear
ing handsome diamond ring was next re-
moved. So the work was continued.
There were some wonderfully narrow es-
capes Prof. w. L. Hooper, of Tufts Col
lege, who was sitting in the fourth car, thus
relates his experience:
81 was sitting in the fourth car on the
right-hand side and next the aisle. think
had been doing a little. The first thing l
noticed out of the way was that the car be-
gan to sway, then to jolt up and down
pretty badly, and then all of a sudden it
seemed as if the seats were rising up and
bobbing about in crazy dance. Then we
came to stop just as the crazy dance
stopped. The steam from the locomotive,
which was right under our car began
to escape and fill the car. l did not
hear much shrieking, but there was sort
of general groan to be heard amid the
crashing and shivering of timbers and
glass. As soon as / began to realize what
had happened tried to break the window
and get out, but the blind was partially
pulled down so I couldn't. However,
smashed the widow of the seat in front OF
me with my foot aud crawled out
There are various theories as to the cause
of the accident. For several feet back
along the track there is a sort of furrow
about the engine broke and plowed into the
soil for some distance, finally derailing it.
The most impression, however, seems to be
that the engine was thrown from the track
by spreading rails and it is stated that
gang of workmen had been repairing that
portion of the track and may have left some
of the rails insufficiently spiked. There
was no switch near by on that track, SO that
the disaster could not have been caused by
a MISPLACED switch, as was first rumOred.