Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-08-29
KILLED In A WRECK.
A Frightfui Disaster on the Old
Colony Railroad.
A Score Of Passengers Crushed
and Scalded to Death.

A terrible accident occurred a few days
ago on the Old Colony Railroad in Massa-
chusetts, by which seventeen passengers and
a fireman were instantly killed and the en-
gineer and fifty or more passengers were in
jured, some fatally. The train was the Vine
yard express, due in Boston at lilo p. II. from
Woods Holl and Martha's Vineyard, and
consisted of five or six parlor cars.
The accident happened just after the train
passed the Quincy station and nearly under
what is known as the Presidents Bridge, as
the homestead OF President John Quincy
Adams is near by. There is deep cut at
this point The locomotive jumped the rail
to the outward track. The baggage car,
smoking car and Pullman left the track, but
slid by, and, although considerably shaken
up, few of their passengers were hurt. The
fourth car however, did not slide, but struck
the locomotive and was badly smashed. In this
car were'about seventy passengers, and here
it was that most of the fatalities occurred.
They were due almost entirely to the escaping
steam from the locomotive. This fourth car
rode upon the engine and was so smashed
and broken by the shock that the scalding
steam from the locomotive found an easy en-
trance. Many of the passengers were held
down by the seats and others by the wreck
age, and were unable to extricate them
selves.
The engine set fire to the train. The pas
sengers were for the most part injured by
escaping steam, many being frightfully
scalded. The Quincy Fire Department was
called to the scene as quickly as possible, and
shortly afterward the fire was extinguished
The dead and injured were then taken out
the latter being taken into private houses
and to the Quincy Hospital.
A passenger who was in the second car of
the train says thathe thinks all the killed and
injured among the passengers were occu-
pants of the fourth car. He says he saw
a5SYhf load
they saw more.
All the surgeons in Quincy, Mass, were
summoned to the spot and the lawns on each
side of the railroad were covered with killed
and injured. Heroic efforts were made by
the train hands and passengers to rescue some
of the passengers and they succeeded in re-
moving twenty or more who were only
slightly injured. There were 391 passengers
in the train, 100 being from Brockton, Mass.
Fireman Ryan was caught between the
passenger car and engine and killed. En-
gineer Billick, who jumped from his engine,
but not until he had done all that was pos
sible to avoid the wreck, was injured about
the head and badly scalded. Conductor
Steadman and one Of the brakemen sus-
tanned severe bruises about the face and
hands.
Some of the passengers who had the pres
ence of mind to act broke the windows and
escaped with slight wounds, Where the en-
CINE and the car came into collision were
death, while some were badly mangled.
A reporter who was on the train says:
''The engine jumped the track on
the west side. plunging into the
steep bank adjoining the Adams estate.
The nine cars attached to the engine
plunged after it. The first three-a bag
gage Pullman and smoking car-went
past the engine but the fourth car, q pas
senger coach, collided with the engine and
was instantly filed with escaping steam. The
next five cars remained on the track, but the
occupants were badly shaken up. The i'll fated
passenger car was completely wrecked. It
contained seventy-five passengers, men,
women and children. The windows on the
east side were all closed, thereby pre-
venting the steam from escaping. The
scenes about the car were of the
widest description. Women and chill
dren were searching for their protectors,
while stout hearted men tainted as the
dren were being taken from the ruins. Some
of the occupants broke through the windows
and escaped with slight wounds. Where the
engine and the car collided several women
and children steamed to death, while some
were badly mangled."
There is very bad curve near the Presi-
dents Bridge, and to this, together with the
fact that the road was undergoing repairs, is
attributed the cause Of the accident.
The Old Colony Railroad ranks with the
best of New England corporations. It's
management has always been characterized
by skill and prudence There had been no
serious disaster on the lines of this corpora
ton since the collision at Wollaston in 1878,
when fifteen persons were killed and $50 were
more or less injured.