The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-07-03
TRACKS BLOCKED.
Two Freight Cars Leave the Rails
Near OrmS Street.
Trains Held Up But the Distractions Were
Rapidly Removed.

The best way 10 appreciate the smooth
ness of great railroad system is TO witt
ness an illustration of what happens
when there is a hitch. That opportunity
was Afforded this forenoon by the derail-
ment of a couple of heavily loaded freight
cars at the Orms street switch tower on
the Sin terlocking cross-ov<rs" No one
was injured and the damage to the cars
and switching apparatus can be covered
by few dollars. but the accident cocld
not have happened ut q worae place for
the delay of trait c.
A train of 13 freight cars In charge OF
conductor Dunn and Engineer Hodgston
was being drawn from the west TO tho
east yard, and when on one Of the inside
tracks the interlocking cross over
was reached cars 6O, S27 and 90, 1856 left
the iron, one going off on one side and
the second on the other and each ie-
msined standing diagonally across the
tracks SO there was a complete barricaoe
to every lile coming into this city from
the north.
General Manager Greene, Train Des-
Butler with large gang of men and the
wrecking engine from the Charles street
yard were at the scene Of the mishap by
Q o'clock, ten minutes after the derail-
ment occurred. Work was commenced at
first on the south hound, or number
p track, and by twenty minutes of ten the
forward END OF car SO, 155 had been nauled
off far enough to clear passage. In the
mean time trains from both directions
had been stalled.
Then came the ingenuity In getting
the passengers to their destination with
the least possible delay by emergency
methods. All trains from the north were
held up at Horizons Grove and those
| coming out OF Providence which had been
| stalled between the depot and the Orms
street switch were allowed to go through
hthe hole" in the smash-up one at a time
on number track. Then the operation
was repeated in the other direction and
train dispatcher Whaley notified Horizons
Grove to let everything come.
This was kept up until nearly noon,
using one track for trains going both
north and south, and OF course there
was more or less delay for all passengers,
and freight business was stopped alto
| gether.
Shortly after II 80 O'Clock Mr.. Buffers
workmen cleared track No. i, and thac
did away with the necessity OF holding
up trains temporarily while others got
| through and by 3 o'clock this afternoon
| the middle tracks were opened TO travel
and the two freight cars were hauled
| into the west yard.
Manager Greene said that the accident
| might have been caused by the point OF
| a switch not being tight against the rail
| and the catching OF a wheel fiange in the
| opening. There was no one TO blame.
| Passengers did more or less kicking.
| On one train coming from Woonsocket
\ young man commenced TO worry as he
/ was to be witness in court and was
afraid of punishment for being late, but
| he was consoled by the information
| that Judge Wilbur was aboard the same
| train and taking things phiiosopb ideally.
| When q train from Boston stopped just
beyond the wreck, the hottest place i'm
/ Rhode Island. crowd OF Massac husetts
Democrats with dusty silk hats and wilt
| ed collars. en- route for Chicago, got
out and stopped damning George Fred
| Williams long enough to damn the rail-
| road company.