The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-09-02
A DISASTROUS WRECK,
Four Palace Cars Go Through a
Bridge at Chester, Mass.
THIRTEEN KILLED, MANY HURT.

NAo AshSihcs winch was the Largest
tho Road, Drops First and tho Cars
We're Piled Upon 1t, One Above An
other.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, Sept. 1.-The Chi
cago limited express for Boston broke
through frail iron bridge on the Boston
and Albany railroad, one and a half miles
east OF Chester yesterday afternoon. and
four Wagner cars were crushed. killing mr.
least thirteen persons and fatally iniurinp
several others, while Mt least q score ara
badly hurt.
The list of identified dead are as follows:
D. r. Dewitt Portland, Me-, president of
the Union Mutual Life Insurance com.
pany; L. X. Kelly, of Boston; Miss Susie
Coteing, of Boston; Mrs c. b. Isham. of
Philadeldhia; Miss Emma Delerty. of
Columbus, o.; H. C. Ives, of Chicago;
Frank Sedgwick, of Palmer; Express Mes
senger John McMasters, of Springfield;
brakeman j. HI. Murray, of Greenbusb, :,
n. y; Baggagemaster George w. Morse,
of Boston, Wagner Car Conductor J. c.
Stackpole, of Hartford, Conn; Il. c. Hitch
cock, of Bellows Falls, VT.
The wreck is the worst ever known on
the railroad. The bridge was being
strengthened for the big locomotives. and
the workingmen who were putting on the
plates were at dinner when the crash
came The locomotive passed over. the
structure, but was smashed, the water
tank being thrown long distance. The
buffet, two sleepers and dining car were
smashed to pieces when the struck the
stream twenty feet below, but the day
coaches and smoker in the rear did not
leave the truck. 1t is believed that there
are two more bodies in the ruins
q hria lie Of tb.
terrible, and scores of people looked on
completely unnerved. The heroes of the
hour were DIR. George L. Wood, of Collins
vile, who went to the train to meet his
wlfe, and the colored porter and walters
In the dining car, who. although bruised
and cut, did splendid work. The village
people soon recovered from the shock and
were hard at work. The hospital was a
group of apple trees in an adjoining
orchard, where scores were taken. Ok
teams arrived with loads of straw, cush-
ions, bedding and food.
Mrs. John Howard, of Boston, whose
stage name is Hattie Blanchard, was one
of the five saved in the sleeper next in
worst wrecked. She left Albany, where
the John l.. Sullivan company had ap-
peared the night before
The injured are being cared for by the
people of Chester. The train was running
Mt an ordinary rate of speed as it, left AL
bany on time, and nothing of danger was
feared until the moment the bridge sank
under the weight of the locomotive. The
river bed is some ten or twelve feet below
the bridge The engine went through
first, and four palace cars were piled upon
1t, one above another.
Superintendent Cone, of Chester, who
has charge of the Mountain division of the
road, took charge of the wreck, and with
the assistance of the extra engines and sec
ton hands here did much toward clearing
away the wreck before the arrival of the
wreckers from Springfield The physi-
clans of Huntington arrived on the scene
and did much to relieve the sufFerings of
the injured. The scene of the ,ident is
but a short distance below Chester, and is
just below the steep grade going up the
mountain.
The buffet car and two sleepers arc
total wrock. The bridge was IL two span
lattice structure, 22l feet long, and was
built in 1874
The ill fated train was one of the fastest
expresses on the road, stopping only at
Pittsfield from Albany to Springfield 1t
carries the largest engine and best cars of
any train running west of Springfield