Evening journal., 1892-09-12
NINE KILLED IN A WRECK.
a Deadly Collision in a Fog on
the Fitchburg Railroad.
FIFTY PAgsENGERs BApIY MJURED

one Of the Coaches Teiesooped and the
Inmates Crushed as In "a vise-The En-
gineer Says He saw no Signals Dis
played TO Warn nlm OF Danger.
BOSTON, Sept. l2-The horror Of the
great Quincy accident was recalled when
through freight express train westbound
on the FtchDurg railroad, ran into a pms
srnger train standing on the outbound
track at West Cambridge junction, tole-
scoping the rear chr, killing six persons
outright aud iujuring nearly forty others,
three Of whom have since died. The car
which they occupied was completely
wrecked by tho freight locomotive, which
plowed nearly half way through the solid
timbors.
The engine was almost hidden by tho
roof and sides Of the telesooped car, and
was stained with the blood OF the unfor-
tunate passengers.
Death came upon them with awful sud-
denness. There was no chance 10 escape,
aud when the roscuors entered the car
they found a dense mass Of humanity,
crushed and packed into the forward end
of the car. II was an awful sight.
A pair Of legs hung from the front Of the
engine aud the rest of the poor mans body
was ground to mincemeat beneath the
wheels. Pressed close 30 the hot sides of
the engine were other victims, who, thus
imprisoned, slowly roaetod TO DEATH Their
shrieks for help drowned the groans Of
lrsN a
Fortunately the steamppes were not
broken so this horror was not added TO the
calamity
Had this occurred tho list Of the dead
must have been quadrupled for in front and
an around the engine human bodies woro
wedgcd In so tightly that mono could have
escaped the deadly vapor They were also
spared the awful effects Of FIRE Only those
who were pressed against the locomotive
were burned or scalded. The others woro
injured by the terrible pressure when the
engine filed tho interior Of tho passenger
car
In Donse Fog.
So far as can be learned the passenger
train was two or thrco minutes late, and
waited on the main line for the inward pas.
senger train to leave the branch. The
freight train should have passed an houi
and half before, aud Conductor Woodfall
supposed it had gone. But he ordered his
rear brakeman to take q red light and 10 TO
the rear as usual when the inward train
left the branch
Tho engineer of the outward train wills.
tied for the brakeman to come in and DO
obeyed While he was on his way back TO
the train the Erie freight came Along at O
thiriy.two mile gait. A dense fog hid every
thing within ton feet OF the ground, and
Engineer Goodwin, Of the freight train, did
not see the brakeman or the passenger train
until no was close upon them. Ho did not
see the switch light at West Cambridge
station, and that was set for him to 10
ahend. There was fierce blast from the
engine when the call for brakes was sig.
nailed
Freight Brakeman Raymond was crushed
while he was responding TO the cnll fol
brakes. Fire broke out among tho freight
cars but was quickly extinguished. The
injured passengers were an removed In an
hour
As soon az the accident occurred word
was sent by telephone TO the various police
stations in Boston, somerville and Cam
bridge asking for surgeons. Among those
who quickly responded were Drs Mccarthy
and Dwyer, of Cambridge.
Tho train dispatchers Office in Boston was
notified at once Superintendent Adams
was quickly on hand and gave instructions
20 have an tho medical assistance available
sent by special train. Or. W. A. Dunn and
Dr. Collins, both of the North End, went
out on a special train, but owing to the fact
that man was forced to run On foot in adj
vance TO do hng duty the train was slow IN
reaching it's destinations
On arrival six Of the bodies had been re-
moved from the debris and were laid out IN
the West Cambridge passenger station.
No Signals or Flagman.
Engineer Goodwin, of the freight train, is
in Cambridge hospital suffering from bad
shaking up, but is not seriously injured.
DE says:
81 was running this trip last night as a
matter Of accommodation for a man who
wanted 60 be of. u was the Erie freight
aud was very heavy We We're two hours
late leaving Boston and had the right Of
way. Everything was all right until we
got to West Cambridge. The signals were
an right beyond the station for us TO have
the track
''NNe were going about twenty miles an
hour When ] saw Che signals were all
right I whistlcd, and Immediately after
was only a short distance from IL then.
''As soon as / saw the signals on the rear
Of tho passenger train / reversed the en-
/ CINE, but the momentum Of the freight car
ried 10 into the passenger train. Fireman
/ Eugene Alexander and ! stuck by our en-
| CINE. ! saw 20 signal or hagman on the
/ track whatever"
The passenger cars, other than tho rear
one, were not very much injured, but the
shock TO the occupants was only little less
severe than that sustained by those in the
last car.
Il Is believed that had al the cars on the
freight been as eoldly constructed as the
two forward ones the locomotive would
have run through two or three passenger
coaches at least, but as it was the crushed
freight cars acted as q sort OF cushion and
lessened the force OF the shock.
AS soon as the crash came there was az
once a wild rush to get cut of the cars.
Frantic men ana women rushed about in a
purposeless way, shrieking and groaning.
Those who were in thestation and residents
Of tho vicinity gathered with surprising
rapidity. AN along the track these people
ran to and fro, scarcely knowing what TO do.
Most of those on the passenger train were