The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-12-05

the Long Island express came rushing
along behind time, having passed the boat
train at Putnam according To- orders, IL
being much faster running train, aud
smashed into the wreck without min
ute's warning.
A brakeman Immediately started TO go
back 20 flag the boat train, but 1t came In
sight before he had gone 200 feet. The en-
gneer Immediately reversed his engine,
applied the air brakes and he and the fire
man jumped for their lives. This broke
the force of the last collision To some ex-
tent but the last sleeper on the Long
Island was telescoped for one-quarter OF
its length.
An eve witness who arrived on the scene
few minutes after the accident states
that il was the most awful wreck
he ever expected to see. Eight or ten
freight cars, with their contents, were
piled i'm inextricable confusion. Six of the
passenger and baggage cars were total
wrecks, and the escaping steam and hames
for the whole wreck was afire-was n
scene he will not forget for many long
day. There is very sharp curve Just
west of the scene of the accident which
easily explains the cause OF the collisions,
when the trains came Unexpectedly on TO
each other.
The Webster dispatch published in the
NEWS proved to be the exclusive true
story appearing last night IL stated that
four were killed, Engineer Henry Taber
and Fireman r. Fitzgerald, an unknown
passenger, and boy on the rear end Of
the Long Island train. Ii is marvel
that the death list was not twenty-five or
thirty instead of four.
East Thompson has no public telegraph
station, and getting. the news was ex-
tremely difficult. All three of the colli
sions occurred inside of fifteen minutes,
and some say inside five minutes. Some
of the passengers were slightly injured.
and all were badly shaken up. There
were eight cars on both passenger trains
and six were demolished.
WEBSTER, Dec. 5-The recent dispatches
in regard to the accident yesterday are
not as bad as was at first supposed. 1t is
thought now that only! two were killed,
III. W. Faber and Fireman Fitzgerald. A
NEWS man visited the scene of Vhe acci-
dent this morning and had an interview
with G. A. kennedy, the train master,
who had charge of the wreckers' train.
Mr. Kennedy said: 81 arrived on the
scene yesterday. A gang of $50 men,
which was increased to 500, began to clear
up the wreck. These wreckers came from
Norwood and Norwich, CT. In three
hours the west bound track was clear and
the east bound track was cleared three
hours later, and trains were running over
both tracks by $3.50 Il. Nj.
dent and who was to blame, he said: THE
conductor of the south-bound freight
should have tagged his train, which he
did not do, and Conductor Norman,
the conductor of the east bound train says,
that orders for east bound trains runnin <
on west bound tracks are run on full
control" He says he was returning
fifteen miles an hour which is
full control at the time of the
accident, but that the fog was so dense
that he did not see the freight train until
they were upon it. This was the only
cause of the accident. Mr.. Kennedy says
there were nine cars destroyed by fire. one
combination baggage and smoker. one
passenger coach, one express car, three
1 freight cars three flats Loss is esti-
mated about $4,000, which is fully In
sured in the blanket policy"
The trains began TO run over the scene
of the accident at $3.50 o'clock last night,
and have continued To do so ever since.
The scene of the wreck is a frightful one
30 "a person unused TO sucn sights
The engines No. 81 and la have their
vital portions in perfect order, although
their woodwork Is badly burned, and the
gingerbreadwork is somewhat twisted;
Mrs. Silas Joslin, an old lady living near
the scene of the accident says that she was
at breakfast at the time of the accident
aud that her husband rushed out Just in
time to see the Long Island Express
dash upon the wreck. lie heard Mr.. John
French an employe of the Putnam Rail
way Company snout 20 jump for their
lives, which they did. THIS making the
dead list much shorter
the Rev. Joseph jackson, who also lives
near the scene of the wreck, went TO the
scene and found man, who proved TO be
Mr.. Chandler, lying almost dead,
~ he thought on the side of the
track. He took him in his arms despite
his weight OF $50 pounds and carried him
recovered
Mr. k,nedy, in answer 10 the question
as to the number Of lives lost said that he
had searched the ruins thoroughly and
had found no sign which might lead him
TO think that more than two lives were
lost.