Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-04-19
COLLISION ON THE NEW ENGLAND.

Two Engines Wrs cke'I Near the Black
 Rock Cut-Engineer Mitchell Loses
 His Left Leg at the Ankle.
 A most destructive accident occurred on the New England road at the "Black Rock" crossing, mile west of New Bri- tain, at 2:55 yesterday afternoon, the Long leland express, No IA, which left this city at 2:25, coIliding with Con- ductor Jacobs train, bound for Bristol.
 The westbound passenger train No23 left New Britain at 2:50 and proceeded to the dispatch station at Black Rock to receive orders. The conductor ran his train off the double track which termi- mates at this point on to a single track and slowed up to receive orders. Mean time the Long Island express No IA, which was making it's first trip, rounded the curve and the two engines collided with tremendous force, both being thrown across the track and badly smashed. Engine No 62 of the Long Island express was broken in almost every part. The cab was smashed into splinters and the tender was also broken to pieces. The first truck of the Pull man car next to the engine was thrown of the track, but the rest of the car and those following remained on the rails, Engine No 59 of the local passenger was the most damaged, as were the cars of the same train. The front of this en- zine was stove in, the cab broken into hundreds of pieces and the tender and two passenger cars were derailed and piled up on each other. No one was killed, but Engineer Frank Mitchell of engine 52 had his left foot cut off at the ankle. He was taken to the station, where he was attended by Dr E. B. Lyon, the corporation surgeon. assisted by Dr Curtis of Hartford, who was a passenger on the Long Island express. 1t was found necessary to amputate the leg.
 Mitchell was sent to his home in East Hartford, where he has a wife and three children. He is 36 years old and a na- tive of Plymouth, this state. Engineer Ravens and Fireman Ravens of engine No 59, seeing that collision was inevi- table, jumped from the cab just in time to save themselves. Engineer Ravens escaped with only a slight scalp wound: and the tiremen of both engines were unhurt. There were but few passengers on either trains, but considerable ex- citement prevailed for some time. The passenger car next to engine No 59 was empty. Had 1t contained passengers they must have been killed, for the car was badly smashed.
 Passengers on all trains, east and west, had to walk quite a distance to be transferred. Traffic on the road was in- tt rrupted all night. General Superin- tendent Barton of the New England road was in the wreck, being on the Long Island express, and at once took charge of clearing away the wreck.
 MT Barton said the wreck was caused by No 8 running from the double track to the single track beyond the bridge be fore receiving orders. The engines are worth from $S,O00 to 5000 each, but were not damaged beyond repair and he thought S2,000 would put them in re- pair. The entire loss will probably not exceed $5 1000.
 The Long Island express was five late and was running fast in | order to make up time. There is short curve just beyond the bridge. The tracks were not badly torn up.