The Portland daily press., 1890-08-18
SHEER GOOD LUCK
Saved Many Lives on the Boston and
Maine Saturday.

EVERETT, August 16.-Sheer luck prevent
ed most frightful railroad accident, at this
place, at about 1l.15 a. m. today. AS the
train that leaves Rockport at 10 a. m. over
the Boston & Maine railroad was passing
this station, while going at the rate of 30
miles an hour, 1t struck dump cart loaded
with clay, and knocked 1.-THE driver fully 20
feet in the air, smashing the cart to atoms,
but, strange to say, the man only received a
few slight bruises and the horse escaped
without a scratch. The vehicle was struck
with such force that the switch on the in
ward track was broken, and the engine
jumped the rails upon the outward track,
taking the whole train of eight loaded pas
senger cars with it without derailing one of
them. As the baggage and Smoking cars
passed over the switch at a most frightful
speed most OF them careened fearfully, and
everyone In them expected they were going
over, but, fortunately they righted. This
train usually passes an eastern bound train
near this locality, but, luckily. it was not
not there today, and, consequently, what
would probably have been one of the most
frightful accidents in the history of the east
ern division Of the Boston & Maine railroad
was ayerted.
The details of the occurrence are best told
In the language of one of the passengers, Mr.
George ii. King, notary public of Kansas
City: II took the train at Lynn. where IL
only regular stopping place until Boston was
reached.It was on time. 11.02 am, and after
starting everything went we'll until leaving
houses of Everett behind and Just before
reaching those Of Someryille. We had
reached a point near brickyard be-
tween the two places, when suddenly the
train gave heave and jolt, and then began
to tremble and sway rapidly from side to
side. While. this fearful vibrating of the
train was going ON the conductor rushed into
the coach wnere sat and signalled for the
air brakes. By this time all the passengers
were thoroughly frightened and each man
and woman in the long train, for it was the
regular eastern express, and a big train heav-
lily freighted with human beings. expected
every moment to see the cars ground to pieces
No one .could realize what had happened
and the few moments of suspense were ter
rlble. These were made worse from the fact
that olny two or three minutes before a rap
ihly rushing train, probably another ex-
press, had sped by our train, and somehow
everybody seemed to associate the train that
went roaring by with our train and the
smash up. Suddenly we came to standstill,
and with praper of thanks most of us got
We, had struck a man driving tip
cart. The man was thrown into the
air and received injuries to his head, the
horse was uninjured, but the cart was
smashed into kindling wood. The remarka-
BILE thing connected with the collision was
that at the time we struck the cart our en-
gine wheels cut into a short and unused
alongside Of us. In less time than 1t would
take to think of 1t, our whole train had
jumped to the other track over the switch.
The engineer of the train was c0mplimented
by the passengers when they alighted and
saw the train standing on the wrong track"