The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-17
WRECKED NEAR THE DEPOT.
NEWSPAPER, TRAIN DEBAILED YES
TERDIY MORNING.

Engineer and Firemen But Slightly In
jured-Air Brakes Refused to Work.
Engine Turned Completely over and
Both Men Were Thrown From the Cab.
One of the worst wrecks of recent
years on the Consolidated railroad ir
this city took place early yesterday
morning, when the newspaper train
| from New York city was wrecked be-
| tween the signal tower and the west
end of the Union station. The train,
engine, was due in this city at 4:2O
O'Clock and was in charge of Conduc-
| tor Abram Hoagland. The engineer
was Matthew C. Higgins, residing at Ala
Congress avenue, and the fireman Will
| liam w. Chappell of 80 Lines street.
All of the cars were derailed except
| the rear car, In which was the conduc-
tor, and this was the only car which re-
mained upright and on the tracks.
There were also three brakemen on the
train, but they and the conductor es-
| capped injury. Engineer Higgins mad
his left kneecap broken and his left leg
below the knee broken. He was also
badly bruised about the body. He was
taken to his home in this city. Fireman
Chappell was stunned and badly bruis-
ed but no bones were broken and he
sustained no internal injuries. He was
taken to the hospital in the police am
bulance, where last night he was re-
ported as resting as comfortably as
could be expected There were no pas
sengers on the train.
The cause of the wreck is not definite
ly known, but 1t Is said that it was
caused by the air brakes refusing to
work. Engineer Higgins tried to apply
the air brakes when approaching the
station, but they refused to work and
he whstled for down brakes" for sew
eral hundred feet, but his train was
travelling at such a rapid rate that the
speed of the cars was slackened but
very little and the train dashed on to
the cross-over and frogs near the signal
tower and was derailed He also re-
versed his lever, but this did not pre-
vent the accident.
When the engine left the track 1t
dragged the three cars with 1T. 1t them
swerved around and crashed into the
forward car When the crash came
DOlH lut GtiS lilteI anu were
thrown from the cab. The engine rolled
over and over and was completely
wrecked. about the only part of 1t re-
mailing intact being the boiler. The
trucks were twisted out from under the
cars and completely ruined, while the
forward part of the front car was splin-
tered into kindling wood The engine
and tender were thrown completely
across the tracks after having dug
through the sand for a considerable dis
tance.
The tracks were torn up for a dis
tance Of about 300 feet. Immediately af-
ter the wreck gang of about 200 men
were sent to the scene and about noon
all vestige of the wreck had been clear
ed away The men were kept at work,
however, repairing the tracks until last
evening. During the early morning
traffic on the road was considerably de-
layed because of the accident. The
switches were completely wrecked and
the signal system blocked.
After the wreck new train was made |
up and dispatched from the depot with |
the Sunday papers to Hartford and |
Springfield. An investigation into the |
cause Of the wreck will be made either |
to-day or tomorrow.