The Portland daily press., 1891-07-08
CRASHED INTO THE TRAIN AHEAD.
Locomotive Plunged Ten Feet Into a
Passenger Car.
ParIor Car Conductor Rice the Only
Person Seriously Hurt.
How TWO Boston and Malns Trains
Came Together.
Especial to the PRESS. !


PORTSMOUTH, N. H.. July THE White
Mountain express over the Northern divis-
ion of the Boston & Maine railroad came to
sudden stop this afternoon with the loco
motive telescoped ten feet into the rear car
OF the express train from Portland to Boston
over the Eastern division. The Boston ex-
press, which leaves Portland at noon,
reached Kittery Junction at 213, two min
utes ahead Of time. Here stop is required by
law before crossing the draw bridge over the
river and entering this city. The train had
just pulled up at the station, when one CT
the passengers in the rear car. looking back,
saw another train coming round the curve
and rapidly approaching. He shouted a
warning to the other persons in the car and
rush forward was made. 1t was fortunate
that the warning was given. for a moment
later there came crash and the engine of
the on-coming train plunged into the car for
a distance of ten feet. The force of the
shock was so great that in all the cars pas
sengers were thrown from their seats and
badly shaken up and bruised. 1t could not
be learned here, however, that any were Sc
ri0usly injured.
Conductor j. NJ. Rice, of the Pullman car
attached to the Boston express did not fare
so well. When the crash came, he was stand
ing on the platform of bis car. He was
thrown violently to the ground and received
a dislocation of the shoulder and severe
bruises. Mr.. Rice's home is in Charlestown,
Mass.
The cars of both trains were badly broken
around the platforms and both engines re-
ceived injuries which disabled them. The
car which was telescoped by the locomotive
OF the White Mountain express was so badly
smashed that when the wrecking crew
cleared the track. they t0ppled it over into
the ditch. Immediately after the accident
rellet train was sent across the bridge from
this city and brought in the passengers of
the two trains. A new train was made up
here and proceeded to Boston. The wreck
Ing train hauled the broken cars in and they
are now in the yard here. The track was
cleared at about 8 O'clock. In the mean
time, the train from Boston to Portland had
arrived in this city and was at once sent
around by tha way of the Dover branch and
the Western Division.
The cause of the accident seems to have
been disregard of signals by the engineer
OF the White Mountain train. This train
came down the Northern Division and ran
onto the Eastern division track at Conway
junction. 1t was about 45 minutes late and
so was following instead of preceding the
express from Portland. When the first train
passed Buffers crossing, which is about
half mile east of Kittery junction, blue
flag was put out, according to the statement
Flagman Moore. This flag means that a
train has passed within five minutes and
that trains following must proceed with
caution. 1t is stated that when the White
Mountain train passed this flag, it was going
at high rate Of speed. AT any rate when
this train approached Kittery Junction, it
came around the curve at too great speed
to be stopped before striking the Boston ex-
press which had then been standing at the
station just about minute. If, as stated,
the first train was two minutes ahead of
time at the junction and the White Mountain
express was only one minute behind it, it is
evident that the second train was running
on the time of the first. The train from
Portland was a very long one and would, of
course. extend some distance back from the
know-nothing at the end of the bridge.