Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-08-22
lSUFF0CATED IN STEAM,

that ever occurred in The vicinity
Of Boston, and one that rivals the
fan Gus Wollaston disaster Of DC.
tober ,, 1878, occurred shortly
after one o'clock this afternoon on
the same road-the Old Colony
and very near the same locality.
In the WOllastOn disaster fifteen
were killed and nearly one hun
dred and fifty injured. Today
fifteen persons were killed, twelve
instantly, twenty.three we're ger.
lously injured, three fatally, and
several more sustained slight in.
juries.
The train wrecked today was
the Woods IIOll express, which
left Woods Holl at 1850 A. VI.
and was due in Boston at l:lO
p. VI. 1t consisted OF locomOdYe
I'D, manned by Engineer BabcOsk
and Fireman John Ryan. a bag.
gage car, "A smoker the Pullman
car Puritan aud tOHr ordinary
coac Is hra,ily loaded. The tram
hal passed Quincy Station at -:
81 p. NJ, running abOnt ten miles
an hour, jHst beyond Presidents
bridge. about an eighth OF a mile
toward Boston, the engine left the
track from "A cause at present IN.
determined and plunged INTO an
embankment twelve feet high and
was buried upon one side. Che
tender, baggage cal, smoker and
Pullman passed by the engine and
were stretched along for distance
of 100 teet beside the track The
foremost passenger coach, 10. 23G,
lett the rails. and its foremost
truck swerVed to the lett and
plunged dlagonally through the
car floor. The car then tell upon
/ its left side upon the engine. The
lower forward portion was torn TO
/ pieces, and Of the passengers 10
! the car, some fifty i'm number, many
were thrown into the rear corner.
from which eleven dead bodies
were afterwards taken out. The
escaping steam and somke from
| the engine instantly filling the
car. so that those within could see
nothing either within or without.
Only three persons on the train
ahead of car 23G were injured
/ These were the fireman. who was
instantly killed and buried under
the engine; the engineer, who
Jumped and was only slightly hurt,
and the pullman car conductor.
/ b. + Benson, who had the side OF
his face cut and bis right ear near
/ " cut OF Jy being thrown out %.
/ window of bis ear. Tie three rear
/ passenger coaches dub NOT leave
the track, and the occupants re-
/ ceived mo- worse ajry tban a
slight SHAKING up.
Car 23G was the principal scene
of death and agony aud the eX.
periences of the un.lckt occupants
we're probably never exceeded IN
/ horror and suffering In any rall.
road wreck o. recent years.
William Feunell, a house builder,
of Boston, was a passenger 10 the
fourth car OF the train. He said
"Thirty seconds after thecir struck
/ | would have given Sl.Ou) tor
drluk OF any kind. from whisky to
water. thought | should slilo.
cate. The death dea.iag steam
ente,ed the car Do dense clouds
from the locomotive boxer. IL OH.
ed every crey.ce and nook, and
almost su.fOclted those whom it
did not burn to death. II caused
all the deaths. in my opmon.-
Serious would have been tue wOTst
TO report but for tuOse dea-hly
. fumes. Men and women wese
gaspmg about NE as they tried to
shrek and shout. aud as they De
came weaker and weaker as the
steam filled their lungs, | could
see them push their hands or feet
through the broken windows try
inc in vain to get a breath OF fresh
air. Ii seemed as though eight or
ten died right there before me-
There were 10 or % passengers IN
the car. and all seemed wounded,
more or less. - al least seriously.
saw them CRYING for help, and l
did what | could. l saw the flesh
burned from men and women as
the steam enveloped them, and
heard them groaning IN their death
STRUGGLES as the sclldIng fumes
be anne hotter aud densar.
The SIGHTS saw and the sounds J.
heard VIII never fade from my
memory. Finally, | reached the
hole i'm the bottom OF the car in
some way and crawlei out. All
about WAS wreck and ruin. The
passengers Gom other cars had
then hardly gathered themselves
together and were not to be seen,
lbnt over ON a .euce bordering the
railr. al track were ten or twenty
men-lt seemed 10 me lOO-watch-
INC the ruin and p0NerleSs from
/ fright and establishment l scream
ed. shouted and Sg0re 10 them, 0uU
they woald not move, and the
more cursed tn e more
helpless they became. Th e Sc
mem hate to call them that
I saw HE rise from my perllous po-
sinon. saw me tear at the boards
of the car bottom with all my
miont.s.w me pail helpless women
from the interior OF tue steaming
car. saw me caught beneath a fall
inc bar of iron aud unable to eX-
extucate myself to aid others, and
they refused to ald me. | do not
know whether they were fools or
EDWARDS. bat they received a sound
and thorough cuIsng from me. l
oot ont o tue car as best [ could