Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-09-12
LIVES CRUSHED OUT
In an Awful Wreck on
the FitChburg Road.
NINE DEATHS RESULTED.
Many Others Are Seriously Injured
and Some May Die.


Boeror, Sept n-Nine dead, twenty
SIX injured. two dying. That is the story
OF q railway horror at the West Cambridge
depot Of the fitchburg railroad Saturday
night.
An accommodation passenger train left
Boston at 1913 p. IN. An express train
followed On the same rails at thirty miles
an hour. The passenger train waited a
few minutes at West Cambridge to cross
On incoming accommodation
The nisht was Thick with fog Tho
standing train should have been protected
By slenA lanterns displayed 80 yards IN
its rsas. Il IA stated that Brakeman Noon
was sent back to flag she freight There
was only one man who could have seen his
danger signal That man, Dryer Good
win, In the engine of the frsight--says he
saw none. He thought the rails clear. and
thundersd on at thirty miles an hour.
His engine plunged into and almost
through the rear passenger coach Of the
standing train. Death or injury fell upon
tho passengers
In . Rain of ylyins Debris,
scalding steam and nre from the engines
dead and terribly maugled when, after
long end heroic offorts. the rescuers
reached them. One woman and three men
died from their injuries after removal to
the Cambridge hospital.
Several are now at deaths door. The
extent Of the injuries In some other cases
cannot yet be told by the surgeons
The scene was one of almost unparal-
leled horror. Words fail when eye-wit-
nesses would describe what they saw In
and around the telesooped car.
The scene In the morgue-depot was
marked by display OF heroism only to
be appreciated BY those who labored there
and felt its sublimity.
The greater number Of the victims lived
In Wathan spd Watertown- The dead
have al bssu identified Many who were
reported missing have been found alive
Retta Feyier, % years old. had beep liv-
ing at waltham; home at North wald-
boYo, Me-
StAndish p. Sullivan, pawnbrokeP. Bos-
ton, residence at East Wstertown.
John Fl. Barnes, Newton.
John Hudson, % years old, Watertown.
Leo Raymond, Winchendon, brakeman
on the freight train.
BENJAMIN Tuck, Watertown, died ~ Ne
Cambridge city hospital.
James Lane. East Watertown
H p. Merrifeld, blacksmith, dted q
biz homo Wstertown, a ESQ p. n. yss-
terday
Margarss Adaux, . ysa. old, wa-
than. died a tAe csmhfidOe hospitA -
go p. N.
STORY of the Disassss.
Down the rails from Boston shundered
She express freight. The night was thick,
the train exceptionally heavy. II was
making thirty miles an hour. The man
OF the throttle, Engineer Goodwin, was noe
billed to stop at West Cambridge Unless
he was unexpectedly signalled he intended
TO flash by at full speed. And on the rails
at West Cambridge the passenger train
was at q standstill-on Goodwin's rails.
Itwas lO:lB when the local accommoda-
tjon train lefs the gftchburg depot for
Watham, II was detained for a short
time a Chaslestovn. but reached West
Cambridge at 1923. on time. The incom-
ing train which was 10 be passed here had
not arrived It was necessary 10 wait for
Il. The fog was thick-so thick that IL
was
Impossible TO See Fifty Feet.
The brakeman Of the rear car was sent
back to protect the train. His duty was 20
20 far enough back TO signal any train
coming from Boston, and 80 render tele-
scoping impossible
The stop at West Cambridge was less
than ~ minute% probably four. II IL,
therefore, question whether or not the
brakeman had time 10 60 back far enough
10 mako his signal effective. retrece his
steps and still catch his own train before
Il pulled out.
Meantime express freight No. oo7, with
thirty heavily laden cars, was laundering
along from Boston a. thirty miles an hour
The rear car Of the standing train was
near the station. Il was only there that
there was any light, and even there IL was
impossible TO see except at close quarters,
10 thick was the fog
Just as the passenger train began 10
pull out the fast freight
Crashed Into It's Rear Coach.
Signals or no 81 gnsls there had been no
dimunitiou OF speed. Engineer Goodwin,
Who livo = I'll ot N says he saw no
dgnals end believed he ha q clear rails bo-
tore him. BE sew nothing until within
ten yards a the train ahead. Then he
saw IL Goodwin new what that meant at
thirty miles N hour and with thirty cars
behind him.
Like lightning he reversed his engine
and cried out 70 the fireman. but his voice
was drowned by the terrific roar Of solid
wood and iron rent asunder In an instant.
0oodwin's engine, under full head OF
steam and driven by the weight of the
thirty loaded trucks behind =. had liter
ally buried itself In the seas passenger
coach q shs passengse train. The solid
platform q the a. va den By thirty
tou vsdgA ~ sidss vese torn from thsir
SITTING. ed Nhs roof bssn "a and raised
me snosh wss Yervsdc.
Behind the v1id engine the freight carr
piled one upon she other and the engine With
fhghtful momentum pioughed through
two-thiris OF che ntire length Of the pas
senger coach. crushing seats. flying timber
and passengsrs In confused MAS before
IL.
Some passengers were crushed between
che iron wedge md tbe walls OF the car;
otheys. drvsn bSfove the storm Of flying
wood and iron. Icy msneisd in the ruin.
Cries 20 swful thse thoss who heard them
wrune their handb ip honor md despair.
issued ffom The wrscA
scaldinG ssesm entered she osr, literally
cooking - hesrsd - shsg struggled
bslpiSony1 I'D sgpqy. len sud women.
frxhtic With paAA and fsar. bess upon ths