St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-12
until after 10. and was running at the
rate of about
Twenty Miles an Hour.

Erie freight, and was very heavy. We
were two hours late leaving Boston and
had the right of way. Everything was
all right until we got to West Cam
bridge: The signals were all right
beyond the station for us to have
the track. We were going about
twenty miles an hour. When l saw the
signals were all right l whistled, and
immediately after saw the rear end of
the passenger train. / was only short
distance away from it then. As soon as
l saw the signals on the rear of the
passenger train l reversed the engine,
but the momentum of the freight car
ried it into the passenger train. Fire
man Eugene Alexander and | stuck by
our engine. l saw no signal or fiagman
on the track whatever
Alexander belongs in Boston, and
escaped without injury. Just at the
point where the accident happened
there is a straight stretch of track
nearly mile long, and under ordinary
circumstances
The R ear Lights
on the passenger train could have been
seen, but the fog, which was very thick
at the time, made it impossible to see
the most brilliant light even quarter
of mile. G. f. Lawson, the engineer
of the passenger train, and one of the
best men on the Fitchbur& road, says:
1--WE left Boston promptly on time at
l0:15 p. m. We were delayed ut Charles
ton and made our usual stops. AT
West Cambridge station we were held
to wait for train from the Waltham
branch. The rear brakeman was sent
back according TO orders. am sure he
went back, because myself went back
couple of cars to make SURE. of it. 1t
was foggy, and l knew he could not
take too many precautions. The branch
train had come on the main track, and
we had just started ahead when | felt
the shock of the freight crashing into
US from the rear. l think we must
have been couple of lengths from the
West Cambridge station. The shock
forced us ahead some, and then we
stopped. L cannot account for the acci-
dent except that the night was so foggy
our brakeman until it was too late to
stop his train. 1t must have been that
the freight was under such headWay
that She could not stop in time"
The Passenger Cars.
other than the rear one, were not very
much injured, but the shock to their oc-
cupants was only a little less severe
than that sustained by those in the last
car. 1t is believed that had all the cars
on the freight been as solidly construct
ed as the two forward ones, the loco
motive of the freight would have been
forced through two or three of the pas
senger coaches at least, but as it was,
the crushed freight cars acted as sor
of cushion ana lessened the force. At
soon as the crash came there was at
once wild rush to get out of the
cars. Frantic men aud women rushed
about in purposeless way, shrieking
and groaning. Those who were in the
station and residents of the vicinity
gathered with surprising rapidity. All
along the track these people ran to and
fro, scarcely knowing what to do. But
soon another source of danger devel-
oped. Flames began to burst from the
wrecked freight cars. Two alarms on
the fire bells were hurriedly sounded,
and the whole fire department of Cam
out the flames. Members of the police
force also appeared, and order began to
be evolved out of chaos. The work of
Rescuing the Dead
and injured was begun. The windows
of the rear car had to be broken in, and
portion of the side cut through in or
turned into an emergency hospital. to
which those taken from the wreck were
taken and cared for. One by one the
dead bodies were brought in, and placed
upon the floor. Mangled by the crash
of the tlmbers, scalded by steam, and
blackened by fire they presented sick
ening appearance. The groans of the
injured, and the cries of those who were
searching for missing friends and rela-
tlves added to the horrors of the
scene. The faces of the dead
with cloths, which from time to time
were lifted in order that searchers
might have an opportunity of identify
ing them. Most of those on the pas
senger train were residents of places on
the line of the Watertown branch, and
nearly all of them were working people.
Examiner Swan arrived shortly after
the accident, and examined the con-
tents of the pockets of the deceased, in
order to discover some means of iden-
tification. While this sad scene was
being witnessed in the railroad station,
throng of persons, actuated chiefly by
curiosity. lowered around the wreck
outside. A fire was started on the side
of the road, which cast
A Weird Light
on the surroundings. The work Of at
tending to the wants Of the numerous
suffering was quickly commenced.
Vehicles of all descriptions were
pressed into service, and began hur-
riedly to transport the injured to the
Cambridge city hospital. The doctors
were greatly aided by the women of
the West Cambridge district, who
>braved the horrors of the terrible scene
in the depot to make bandages and
bring water stimulants to the injured
and dying. AS quickly as the injured
people could be tended to, the dead,
many of whom were burned or scalded
beyond all recognition, were taken to
Legg's undertaking establishment, there
to await the action of the medical eX-
aminer. There has been one heart
rending scene enacted. A young man,
accompanied by one of the railroad
squad, pushed his way into the under
looking for his father. A body was un-
covered, and the man gazed upon the
disfigured face as though stunned.
Gasping, "That's him." he burst into
tears. He proved to be the son of John
Hudson, who was early taken from the
wreck. The case is particularly sad
one, as the unfortunate man leaves
widow and family of eight children. 1t
will be a difficult matter to identify
some of the dead. Some are burned to
a crisp, others frightfully mangled, and
OiiO So Udulf CUT u llidt, uulcSS lueutlH-
cation can be made by the clothing, he,
for it was man, may finally rest in an
unmarked grave. The work of clearing
away the debris was pushed vigorously
all night by large wrecking gang. and
by II: 80 this forenoon both tracks had
been cleared sufficiently to allow over
iaue fro ~ht trains that had accum ulated1
at t.,a point TO pass. The ! ION ~
the track upon which the accident oc-
CURED was roped off, and large force
of police kept the crowd of sightseers
from interfering with the workmen.