Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-08-28
PERIsHED IN A WRECK.
Fifteen People KiIIei and MANY Mor.
Injured.
Boston special

o H"'een People KiIiei and Many Mo
Injured.
Boston special1
> me noon express from Woods Hott NV
!: Ihe Old Colony Railroad whs ,vroot.o5 :
QuiRcy to-day and fifteen nersors ,sn,.,, ~,
. Gu ana between thirty and forty hcrsons q, q
Iureu' The disaster took place NJ wbot
; kpoWn as the Presidents BRIDGE tnst ~
9lue OF the quincy station and near tha nj
oohn quincy Adams estate. The train wa
sp~ueulhg Slong at the rate of forty-fv
th uiies an nour when IL rounded the curve n
mat point. II consisted of n single or',t,,a =
Daggage-car, adrawing-room car, smoker
heavily loaded, however, with buslnoss
men returning from their summer houeo
along the south shore, excursionists. md
NUMBER OF Grand Army veterans who haf
spent the Sunday Mt Mnrtha's Vineyard.
Whethcr the speed OF the ira In caused N Z,
jump tne curve whether IL was n spreadinc
ran or misplaced switch that did tho vorl
Is now not known, but no sooner aid the or
| glhe reached the cut than Il made n wild
| reap against the stone abutment Sonor,n
was tho space that IL could not sDeebm.
put such was Its force that it turned worn
pietely about, The cars behimppaoe,
| thrown from the rails, but thed thelr
smoker, and Pullman contInn,,rth CO..
course over the sleepers. The others and
however, swung away from tbhis car was
crashed into the engine. ,assongers and
crowded with sevehty-1ve.aped alivo and
NOT more than twenty 6oiler was broken,
uninJureu' I !J, Inc enginewas forced into the
ana the scalding steaHnuttcrnble SUFFERING
ruined car, causingng mass of mon and
among among the strugF cars were thrown Ia
thnir T"I,en. "a Inc otkdly punched,
The police and fire alarms were rung. and
crowd rushed to the rescue. Surgeons
train 10 the scene.
The work OF rescue was painful one.
The sloping lawn about the residence of
Charles A. Rowland was converted into
temporary hospital and the grass was rcd
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 chopplng the
rcscuing party succeeded In removing tho
body OF Fireman Ryan. This was complete
/ ly torn I'm twain. man and women were
| then taken ont, the latter being dead. The
| man spoke q few unintcllgible words on his
removal, but died in few moments,
| The fourth car was the scene OF the most
! terrible suffering. Men and women there
wore wedgcd into every conceivable shape
some with blackened faces and wfenched
necks, others with great pieces OF the seats
| transhxing them so that the rcscucrs 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 II daZed by the
| -houtx. "a tiIi, posture saO "A yUuiiS wOinor
whose graceful arm was still twined about q
boy, but her eyes were CLASSY In death ano
| her face bore look of concentrated terror
| The shapcly head of the boy was charrcd e
| bIocLness aud tho face twisted into n most
repulsive expression.
There was a woman, apparently 40 years
old whose shoes had been torn from hc
feet and her hair from her head. Her face
wore an expression OF awe ana her lips Wer'
parted as II in prayer.
Next. was a heavy, middle-aged man. up
parently a prosperous merchant, whose necl
had been broken by backward wrench 81
that the Adams apple protruded through tn
skin. Near him lay an elderly militar!
man, calm and digniied In appearance, a
though lying on his own couch. No bruiSe
OF any sort were visible, while from hi
pockets projected two visiting cards bearin
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, thu
relates his experiences
, 'sI was sitting in the fourth car on III
right-hand side and next the aisle. thin
! / lad been doing little The first thing
noticed out of the way was that the car b,
gan TO sway, then to jolt up and dow
{ pretty badly, and then all OF sudden
Z ! seemed as IL the seats were rising up an
5 bobbing about In n crazy dance. Then "
s | came to a stop just as the crazy dan'
q | stopped. The steam from the locOmotiv
n which was right under our car bega
q TO escape and fill the car. / did M
s hear much shrieking. but there was so
of a general groan TO be heard amid q
a crashing and shivering OF timbcrs ar
!. glass. AS soon as / began to realize VIII
had happened tried TO break the windo
Il and get out, but the blind was partial
N pulled down so l couldn't. However,
d smashed the widow OF the seat in front
; me with my foot and crawled out"
X There are various theories as TO the eau
N | of the accident. For several feet ba
a along the track there is sort Of furrt
,e which seems TO Indicate that somethi
l. about the engine broke and plowed into {
l. soil for some distance, finally derailing
n The most impression, however, seems to
Ia that the engine was thrown from the ira
p by Spreading rails, and 1t Is stated that
ID gang Of workmcn had been repairing n
~ Dortitn OF tho track and may have left sol
IN OF the rails insufiicicntly spiked. Tht
la was no switch near by on that track, so tl
rs the di saster could not have been caused
a misplaced switch, as was first fumored'