Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-06-08
THREE RAILWAY WRECKS,
4 CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS
AND FATALITIES.

a Number of Persons Killed and a
Long List of Wounded-Over
Forty Injured in Georgia, But
No One killed-One Wreck Takes
Fire.
Three railroad accidents. attended by
fatalities and by serious accidents to nearly
fifty persons, occurred at Marshfeld. Wis.
Sharon Heights, Mass. and HoIts's Station Ga.
An accident resulting in the loss of six
lives and the injury of from fifteen to twenty
persons, mora or less seriously, occurred at
Narshieid, at 5. u a. m. Train No. 4 On the
Wisconsin Central Railway ran through an
open switch and was completely wrecked.
The cars afterHari took fire and were
consumed. Four persons were taken
from the wreck dead, and four others were
missing, supposed to have been caught in
the mass of broken timber and consumed.
Among the dead are the engineer fireman
and brakeman. Medical all was promptly
summoned, and all the injured were cared
for. Tho injuries Of several of tie wreck
victims were so serious that it was thought
they could not survive. The forward cars
took fire soon alter the wreck occurred.
Conductor Gavin succeeded in uncoupling
the sleeper on the rear of the train and coach
No. At, which had not left the track, and
with assistance moved them out Of danger.
some mail, everything else was destroyed.
The accident, apparently, was the result OF
train WrcciIing. Examination discloses the
fact that a nut had been removed from the
switch, causing it to get loose and throw
the train from the track. The fo,-
James Hubbard, engineer, OF Stevens
Point George Gearhart. firemen, Of Stevens
Point Judson BigeIow, brakeman, of Stevens
Point; ar. Russell, a civil engineer in the
employ OF the company 0. ". Besley, news
agent, Stevens Point; Mrs. Wegner. After
leaving the track the train plowed along over
the ties for distance Of ten rods, and then
toppled and rolled over, the engine
and tender going into the ditch and the ears
pilng on top of each other. From out Of
this tangled mass men and women who were
lucky enough not to he pinned down crawled,
many making wonderful escapes. The bod
les Of Russell and Bige'ow, who were caught
in the tIm5ers, were burned TO a crisp.
Between II ani 1 O'Clock a. m. two freight
trains camC together at Sharon Heights,
Mass, on the Providence division of the Old
Colony Railroad, wrecking the engine and
three loaded ears, killing three and in niur-
ing two persons, one badly. The collision
was between the local freight for Provi-
dence. which left Boston at sos p M,
and a Cherry" train. running as special
the sixteen cars from Harlem River for Bos-
ton. The local train reached Sharon Heights
at about II. 40 and was switching. Some ofthe
cars were on the south-bound track when the
berry train came along at a good rate Of
spead and ran into them. 1t is thought that
the fiagman did not go back far enough with
his signals. Patrick Rourke, of Boston,
was the conductor of the special and
escaped serious injury. Matthew Chapman,
of ROxbury, Mass, the engineer of the spe-
cia'. was thrown through the cab window,
but escaped with few bruises. Edward E.
Goodwin, of Roxbury, the fireman, was in
stantly killed, as was also the head
brakeman. E. J. Mcleod. of Boston,
who was riding in the engine; a young
man, who from papers in his clothing
WAS probably Frederick Lawrence, about
eighteen years old. and Christopher
Murray, Of PawtucIet, were riding on bun
ters between the tender and the first car.
Lawrence was crushe4 to death and Murray
was badly injured 1t required about seven
hours to clear away the wreck
Th9 rear coach of a train on the Columbia
extension Of the Central Railroad, with pas
sengers to take part in the decoration of
Fe ieral graves in Andersonville, left tho
track on a grade Just after Holtss Station,
Ga, was passed, at o'clock a. m. The ex-
cursionists were mostly colored parsons. but
the coach was reserved for whites. Tho
train was on an embankment, mo ,ln5 at the
rate of twenty miles an hour. when the acci-
dent occurred. The last coach turned over
three times, and nearly every one in it was
more or less hurt. A spreading rail caused
the accident. AS soon as the wounded could
be put on board the coaches that did not
leave the track, the train proceeded to
Albany. The union station was turned into
Il hospital, and it was found that forty per-
sons were hurt. Two OF them fatalIy-John
Smith, of Button, and Amy Jones, Of Edi-
son.