The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-02-01
saw DEATH COMING.
Three We're Killed as They Tried
to Save Themselves.
SLEIGHING PARTY STRUCK BY A
TRAIN IN FALL RIVER.

A Second of Time Would Have Prevented
the Accident-The Locomotive just
Grazed the Sleigh, Which Was Filled
With High School PupiIs-Rhe Boys
Who We're Killed Jumped in Front of
the Train in Panic Stricken Effort to
Escape
Fall River, Mass, January 31.-A
shocking triple fatality occurred at 4. As
this afternoon on the Brownell street
grade crossing of the New York, New
Haven and Hartford railroad. A sleigh
ing party Of twenty eight members of
the sophomore class of the B. M. G.
Durfee High school was returning from
two hours ride and were within half
mile of home. When the pole horses
reached the track, Conductor Russelps
Boston train hove in sight around the
bend. 1t was running twenty-five miles
an hour and was within a quarter of a
mile Of the Fall River station. Timothy
Connolly. the crossing tender saw the
train simultaneously with the driver.
The latter jerked his reins and succeeded
in getting within two feet of being out
of danger. The sleigh was old fashioned,
end having lumber cart tail board.
Everett B. Durfee. teacher in the
school, was in charge of the party. He
was sitting On a camp stool at the end.
On either side of him were Brooks
Borden, aged 16 years, son OF Col. spencer
Borden; and Ray Thornton, aged II
years, son of Charles D. Thornton. Orson
r.
ESQ.,, was sitting in the lap OF Henry
Hawkins When the party saw the train,
the mem bers became terror stricken.
Borden and Thornton jumped over the
tail board and were struck by the loco
motive.
Swift was preparing to jump when he
was struck.
Borden was hurled forty feet. His
skull and body were crushed in and he
was killed instantly. Ray Thornton was
dragged along in the wheels for one
hundred yards. His head and right
hand were severed from the body. swift
was hurled twenty feet. He was breath
ing, but unconscious, when picked up.
He was taken home in an am mbulance
and died shortly after he arrived there.
Mr.. Durfee jumped with Clark Chase,
,Jr.. when they saw the train and escaped
with slight bruises, the train passing be-
tween them and the sleigh. Immediate
ly after the accident, the terror stricken
pupils jumped from the conveyance. The
young ladies became frantic. The scene
of the accident is only BLOCK from the
Northern police station and assistance
was rendered as quickly as possible. The
police learned that no blame was at
tached to John Fitzpatrick, the driver,
nor to Mr.. Durfee. Timorthy Connolly,
a middle aged man, the crossing tender,
was on. the lookout for the train when it
hove in sight. The arrangement by
which he is notified of an approaching
train had not worked we'll during the
day. He remained outside to see we'll up
the track. When he saw the train, the
horses were on the track and he could
not put down the gates without lmperll-
ling everyone in the sleigh. Had another
second intervened there would have been
nothing more than narrow escape. The
only injury done the sleigh was the
smashing of piece of the end about
foot square. The horses were going at d
moderate gait and did not attempt to
run. The members of the party who
were uninjured were so terribly shocked
that they would not again get into
conveyance. After all the:excitement was
over they walked to their homes. The
accident created a profound sensation in
the city. The three boys were universal
favorites in the school and connected
with the best families in the city. Brooks
as the owner of finely bred and trained
carrier pigeons. After the medical ex-
aminer viewed the remains they were re-
moved to the homes of the boys parents.
T wo large sleighing parties had been
arranged for this evening, but both were
postponed.
Timothy Connolly, the crossing tender,
gave the following statement to Police
Captain Doherty tonight: When the
special pay train came along this morn
ing, the bell in the cossing tenders
house, connected to the tracks about
half mile above. the scene of the acci-
dent, did not ring as usual. On all other
trains during the day, it did ring, except
on the train that struck the sleigh. He
did not hear the engine whistle, but
would not say it was not blown as usual.
The horses attached to the sleigh were
| walking.very slowly when the train hove
in sight. He ran to the gates but did not
put them down because he was certain
| the horses ana sleigh would be caught
] on the tracks between them.
| Immediately after the engine struck,
| Connolly tainted. Later he was taken
home and is completely prostrated. He
bears an exceptionally good character, is
/ temperate and has family. At the
| time the engine struck the party, four
| employees of the road were in the crossing
| tenders house, where they arrived on
hand car three or four minutes before.
They did not hear the whistle OF the
engine or the gong in the house. Young
Borden's thigh and one rib were broken.
Swift's frontal bone was crushed in. Two
of the party are under physician's care
suffering from the shock. Eighteen
years ago at the same crossing five mem
bers of family named Graham were
killed.