Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-08-05
TIE REPORT
OF R6Irold Cenni,sisatn Il
Kilt9y JaBclisn Accident.
EugIea RoasdJ Eansd n Calolass-
ness nd IeSisd
Of the Ruiss--Fisdisgs Il The \. port
IN Dsean.

essses Of the railroad accident ct Kittsfy
Jsrcsion, July Z, 1891, The Rsiispsd com.
m.ssioners Of Maine. make the following
report
An cypress train. No. "a. on fhe Eastern
division Of the Boston and MsiBs RsiIsesd
,hich leaves Portland for Boston. q II 81
Pm. while standing At the station q Kit.
ur1 Junction 90 July Z. 1891, At sbaut 2 IA
p n, vas run into BY train No. Sc, from
,silroad, which 'rsin. 10 on time. leaves
Conssy Jarcsion, o. Lis r. n. Thossh
N, collision vas quite seveYe, 10 person
sss killed, sod. a. re are informed, only
one vss = fif u'ly injured
Trsin g. % tbs day NJ the sccitent, VS.
made ao a. foilows: One locomotive, tso
m,,i snd b.gzsgs cars. two p4sior ears and
ave pss.sn.sr ears Ira c Huschsson VS.
conductor d George W. Dofman. Enei-
gssr This - jrry 10 tbs tran VS. subsssn-
tally q. fsllo.s; Pistfovm snd rear end
Of rear esr vac broken in, frame broken
srI The 4 orig. foot or move Inside Of
DOR po.,.. torn up; but none u the seats
In the 90, we're disturbed The platform
OF ore other car vas crushed In, ADD sew.
srL Of the dravbars were broken This
s.,ie fran the breakzge Of gisss In win
Aovs aad lamp chimneys was all the mafs-
fiai 6snsge done.
appears from the testimony received
At the hearing. train No g. was running on
its rsguIar time table time, and, though
perhaps two minutes late ct Conway juno
ton, y here no stop was made, was on time
ai Kittsry junction arriving there At BIB,
two minutes before the regular leaving
time, which 10 2 Is r. NJ.
The point where the accident occurred,
10 On q curve through . deep ledge cut i've
or siI hundred feet In length, with walls or
ledge on both sides Of the track 10 or more
feet In height above the railroad track.
These walls are spannsd BY . highway
bridge, which, with The walls sforesaid, pre-
vent sight Of the track on the curve for Z
distance Of not more than Eve hundred feet
The grade slightly dscends. for 4 quarter OF
. mile. toward the depot ct the junction,
where Train No. e. was standing. the rear
car Of which was within forty. I've feet, or
iberssbouts souiherly from the overhead
bridge above mentioned
Oh said day train No. G2. from the Noun
tain Division, was forty FIVE minutes lsts q
Conway Junction. This train consisted OF
locomotive and seven cars. two Of which
we're Pullman parlor cars, which were
taken In charge ut that junction by Samuel
o. I.unt ~ conductor and Clark +. Roundy
~ engineer. Conductor Lunt testified tbs,
he had orders from the train despatchef
while At Conway Junction to allow train
No. - to pass before starting; that train,
No. 60, passed there a. three minutes before
two o'clock; that he registered at just two
clock and then gave q signal TO the enai'
nesr to start; that the train did start some
time within three And four minutes after
train No. 81 had passed that station. These
statements are corYoberated by the test.
mony Of Engineer Roundy. who festiie'
that he saw train No. "a pass the junction
that he started about three minutes After
va'd
He also states that he saw . signal dis
played ct Eliot, 3 station on the way where
no stop vas msde), blue flag indicatio Z
that train had passed within five minutes
that he then slowed up at the grade and
had his engine under control. and ran
cautiously that he saw no signal at But
lsrs crossing; was not looking there; tha
he usually looked at the signal and large.
down there (meaning the electric signaD
that - he approached the curve, near where
the accident occurred. he was not ruDnina
faster than eight or ten miles an hour thai
he dsst saw the rear Of train No. "a, when
At Q distance Of only about three car,
IepTth that at that time he was not run
ming faster than sI miles an hour
that the semaphore or electric signals, near
Buffers crossing, were set so ~ to Indicate
that the track was clear that he did not
think he was runnif on Gfs time, though
he had not looked st his watch after leavion
Conway Junction.
From the testimony Of Austin c. Hay den
station agent at Eliot. and that Of j. r
Moore, a.gmau At Butler . crossing, 1t ap'
psara that at each place q blue flag wei
displayed Immediately after train No. "a
passed. Mr.. Hayden also testifies thai
vhen train No. G2 passed the station al
Eliot II was running at the rate Of twenty
mites an hour Mr.. Moore says No. 81
was running pretty fast when it passed
the crossing. a good deal faster than GA
which vas running slow" Mr.. Hayden
also states that train No. g passed the
station ct Eliot at three minutes past two.
and that train 10 passed there at seven
minutes past two. Mr.. Moore says that "a
OF passed there at 2 IS and one-hslf.
The distance as given in the time table
Of the Boston & Maine. from Conway
Junction to Kittery Junction, is 81 miles
and from Conway junction to Eliot
n,,les.
From the foregoing statement or facts,
1t will be readily sesn that the accident was
the result Of little less than gross careless
neps, and though serious ia its nature. vs
are pleased to be able to record the fac
that IL did not resuit fatally TO mani
passengers and employees on No. 81
While the evidence shows some paliatiol
facts and circumstances which may in
degree tend to distribute blame which We
will hereinafter mention, we can ind from
the evidence no valid excuse for the con
duct Of the engineer Of train No. So on thA
occasion. Whether or not he was justified
in leaving Conway Junction. - directed 3,
the conductor. before the expiration Of fv'
minutes after train No. "a had passed, 10 mo-
very easy to determine; but having siattet
within three or four minutes aftefward. I
wss clearly his duty to run his train viii
extreme caution. such csution does mo-
sppear to have been exercised, nor ever
ordinary caution. As we have stated the
distance from Conway Junction to Kittery
Junction. 10 nine and seven tenshs miles
This distance. a. appears, vas covered D,
train So, in about fourteen minutes. rAts
Of speed but little short Of thirty-six miie'
per hour. Surely, few miles or even rod
could have been covered at the rate o.
speed described by Mr.. Rouudy in his test
mony.
By the law OF this State, IL Is made the
duty Of the board, whenever 9 seriou
accident occurs within the State to any pas
serser or freight irsin on any railroad
whether any person be fatally injured Of
Otherwise" if the board or chairman there
Of ''des m the public Interests require it, Il
Cause an investigation to be made AMI
that Immediately after the Investigation
he board shall make specisl report, stat
ing what il fnds to be the cause OF tn
aceiteut
: To state aostrsctiy the cause Of the &C
cidsnt, would not be . compliance with ths
provision Of law neither would it meet th'
demands Of the pubic. The object OF pro
vi,iog for such Investigations was not sim
ply to ASCERTAIN the manner in when euci
an ,cidest occurred, but {, also learn ma
led to oecontributed 10 the result, 90 tins
BY change Of rules or regulations, or o!
statue esaetmeats, il necessary. such &C
ciden,s may be prevented in the future
Travel by railroad. from necessity, mus
be attended with more or less danger
Comparative safety oniy can be expected
by those travelling; but one, naturally
would feel that while sitting in car in
train standing At . station he, for tn'
time. would be comparatively rafe. Tn
evidence shows that train No. 81 vas .
the .sation at Kittery Junction o.
scheduIe time. II vN riehnuli!
there. No other train could b
iish,fully there at that time. A. We hav'