Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-12
ELEVEN DEAD.
Freight Crashed Into a
Passenger Train
At West Cambridge Junction,
Saturday Night,
Killing Eight and lnjuring 81, Of
Whom Three Have Died.
A Dense, Thick Fog Prevented the
Passenger Train from Running
And Freight Engineer Failed to See the
Signals to Stop.

/ Rosr"x. Sept. 1.-THE through freight
| express train. westbouni, on the Fitchhure
| railroad ran into passenger train standing
| ON the .,ltbounG track at West Cambridge
Junction, telescoping the rear car killing
eight persons outright, and injuring 81
others, three of whom have since died.
There was II dense fog and the engineer
of the passenger train was obliged TO run
close to the crossovers at the West Cam
bridge Junction to see il he had the right of
way from the signal tower. The train had
to wait for the eastbounh train to pass
before 1t could cross over to the Watertowr
branch.
.1rhe passenger train had just started up
Tien the freight crashed into It's rear car.
The engine of the freight entered the rear
ear like a wedge, splitting it into two parts,
each of which fell outward, while the roof
of the ear lodged on the top of the locomo-
tive.
The recon- from the COLI drove the
heavily loaded freight cars backwards. The
two cars next to the engine were not in
iured, but the 10 or I2 cars behind them
were smashed into kinling wood, Both
tracks were completely blocked for fully
100 yards.
As soon as the accident occurred various
police stations of Boston, SOmcrviiic and
Cambridge were teiephoned and surgeons
sent to the wreck. 4 wrecking train was
also started When the relief train reached
the wreck six bodies had been taken out
and with two bodies recovered later were
removed to the undcr;aker's rooms in Cam
bridge.
The rear brakeman of the passenger
train was sent back about 600 feet TO flag
the freight and states that he signalled the
freight and his signal was answered by two
whistles, the usual answer that the signals
were seen and noted.
The engineer of the freight SAYS he saw
no signal nor tlagman. He says the sig
nails at West Cambridge indicated that he
had the right of way. He whlstled and im-
mediately after saw the rear end of the pas
senger train. The freight was two hours
late and running 20 miles an hour.
He reversed the engine but The momen-
tum of the heavy train carried the engine
into the car. lie was badly shaken up but
his fireman was uninjured. There is
straight stretch of track a mile long where
the accident happened and under ordinary
circumstances the rear lights on the passen-
ger train could have been seen. the fog pre-
venting it last right.
The passenger ears, other than the rear
one, were not much injured. The shock
to the occupants was severe. The crushed
freight cars acted as a sort of cushion, and
lesscned the force of the shock. otherwise
the freight locomotive might have gone
through the other ears.
The wrecked freight cars soon began 10
burn and the Cambridge fire department
promptly responded and soon cxtingr'shed
the fire.
Most of those on the passenger
tra'n were residents of places
on the aterioWn hrahcH,
nearly all working people The injured
we're taken to the Cambridge city hospital.
l1Some of the dead were burned to a crisp.
while others were frightfully mangied, and
it will be difficult to identify them. BY
IL 50 \. NJ. the tracks were cleared. The
dead resided in Boston and nearby places.