New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-10
WRECKED IN HOOSAC TUNNEL
TWO TRAINMEN KILLED AND TWO
BADLY INJURED.

------------
FREIGHT TRAINS CRASH TOGETHER NEAR The
CENTRAL sHAFT-A MISLEADING SIGNAL
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISASTER
North Adams Mass. Sept. "a railroad wreck
occurred a short distance from the central smart
IN Hoosac Tunnel Saturday night. By IL TWO
men lost their lives and two others were seii-
ouslv injured. A freight train had TO stop IN
the tunnel to repair a break on the engine 10y
sor,e hlunder a second freight train was permit
tod 70 follow into the tunnel before the first was
out NJ the wav and crashed into the stand,ns
,rain The two men killed were William lur-
peny. of Fort Edward. y. Y. and George MIN,
nick Of Fitcbburg both brakeren The in)ureu
were Robert Clapp. Of Rotterdam. y. T. en-
gineer. Charles Frazer of Rotterdam, hreHa"'
II r Bartlett. Of Ftchburg, fireman ine
tunne, was completely blocked by the "reoh'
and II was impossible to get trains throus"
all day to-day. 80 49,.
An extra freight train. No 245 w. Il. AMER
conductor left North Adams about oc'ocA
Saturday night and without unusual ~ ~.
dent until a point in the tunnei aprut Tho,a
east of the central shaft was rea'h''" 49,
rho spring-hanger Of the engine pioh' or
,ra,r vas stopped to make repairs. ana th' S'i i
gine was detached and lacked up pi. a'ea ~ ~
teen minutes work. the repairs no. o.,''e .,o,s
he engine
again In the mean time a second freish, tial'
~, 900 7 u Armstrong. conductor. mao co,'''
nm 10 the west portal Of the tunnel lnc a~
nal-lght on the telegraph operators = 'o"ei -,
ro5 h,, tho operator changed II TO whlle "hiVh
i,ion,n, ,hat tho track was clear the entire
length Of the tunnel. 1t Is rule that 'ne oi",a -,
tor shall not permit train 70 io'ioM w. o,her
70 the tunnel until he has heard rom '"e ~
end that the first train has passen "u'. r,rh,
ianoI indicated that the track was clear ir''sn'
No 300 went ahead. Just as II en'ereu INV ~ -
tai American Express Company u"i'i bIn1
ont This had left a dense trdli "' H',' -, the
which obscured everything. For this Iea9" ~
engineer Of train No 220 was unable L" see w
standing train he could nave "ohe IT,, na -,
air been clear when he reached the SUNNI. t
the grade at the central shaft. ana ms na'
,,5 into u nj full speed without any "hrn-
to- Tn tho caboose of train No. 2i' were wv
hrakemen II. f. Bartlett and 'coree .'I,, ',t
ho,h of Fitchburg. Bartlett was h"riei ,"
the side OF the shattered cab'oSe anu ,'''.
,h Iocornotlve He escaped. however WIN d"
few cuts on the right arm ana s"Ve'''I VI -,
on the body. Minnick was buried u'iler III WV
wrecked cabOoso. where MS IVA" ooo n'' 70 ,ar,
found The engineer OF train No |-o ,
C,,,nn of Rotterdam. " Y. was hurled Ihrouh''
one side of the locomotive cab ana ms hlS ~ .,,
charles Frazer. also ot Rotterdam wa H,'" W
tmred Frazer was pinned down under the eh,
zinc and his hands fairly c"oK''l III 'c'
hot Goals from the hrebox lie received nun.o l',r,
ous bad scalp wounds. his skuil was i'", -
and h2
II ,s expected that ne will recover h'"errl
william Turpeny. head brakeman on 'nh ~, ~
ooo was crossing from the tender to inc hF"'
froght car when the crash occurred ~ ""s
hurIe5 violently forward into the cab. ms h'ah
was split OPEN and he fell against the nr"ooN
dead -, ,,h ,b.
The tunnel was filed To the rool WI" ~
,,reck.d engine and cars. The Uainmeh "h"
u,ore unintured went 10 the aid of those VINO
zero hurt and removed them To- the cast portal
News of the disaster was sent 10 r'''"pu,e
and Williamstown by telegraph ana "'evS
ing train was started from the latter pla'e m l'n-
medately At North Adams severhl ao'ois ~.
taken aboard When the scene OF the accioen'
was reached n path cleared on the norm
s,de ~ the wreck and the wounded men "ere
hrought M from the portal on stretch"rs anu Pu
.hoard the wrccking train which then returhei
10 North Adams. where the injured were '"N'"
to the hospital -, ..,
4 NJ Croser is telegraph operator nv 'n' 80
mortal Of the tunnel and 4. W. Hoigkins NJ 'h's
and and between the two so far as can ne l"uhu
ou, tho responsibility rests Tho trainmen s'h'' ?
,ha, when the second freight train. NO 2Zo cam"
IN N the west portal the light was r"d, nut vas
,n,rediatelv changed 10 white. whether IN"
operator at the east portal supp0seh ula' '"r
first train had passed out. and 50 teeeraphen oi
whether Ho1gkins supposed that u hau P'r"E
~ time 10 pass out. and changed the sigma! on
HE own responsibility. Is question HodgkiAS
,ras arrested to-day but refuses 10 make any
| statement until ne shall appear at the inquest.
| A warrant has also been made out for the arrest