Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-22
REAR-END COLLISION
One Train Crashes into Another
and Six Dead Are Taken from
the Resulting Wreck.
TWENTY-sIx ARE SERIOUSLY HURT.

Somehow the Block Signals Did Not Work
and the Engineer of the Last Train Had
No Warning of Danger Until 1t Was Too
Late-Many of the Victims Are Children
List of the Casualties-FataI Hotel
Fire at Hot Springs. Ark.
Sharon, Mass, Aug. PA frightful
rear-end collision occurred inthe Sharon
station of the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroad at 1880 last night
when an express train which was run
ming as the second section of a long
train crashed into the first section,
composed of local cars. AS a result six
persons were killed and twenty-six Sc
riously injured. The injured were near
ly all removed to Boston, on a special
train which was met by arnbulances
and surgeons. The rear car of the local
train was completely demolished and
a portion OF the second car. while the
engine of the express train was Grip
Pied.
List of Dead and Wounded.
The dead are: Franklin M Waters, of
Somervilie. Mass; Mrs William ].
Fitzpatrick, Boston; her granddaugh-
ter. Mary Fitzpatrick, 10 years of age,
and her grandson Is years old; a wo-
man supposed to be Mrs. Watson. of
Westerly, r. l.; Mrs. c. II. Briscoe Re
we're.
The injured: James II. Fitzpatrick,
Boston; Mr.. and Mrs. ]. H. Whitcomb,
Boston; Mrs. James Ray and her aged
mother. Jamaica Plains; Mr.. Crockett,
Somerville. Mass. Mrs. Alice Braman,
South Boston: Mr.. and Mrs. Ericsson and
child; Daniel G. Cantor; d. c. McCann
and Fred Tudor, South Boston; ME-
and Mrs. ]. Ogden. Lowell; Mrs. Mag
gle OConnor and two children, Boston;
George Quinn, Providence: Miss Fitz-
patrick, 8 years old. Boston; Mr.. and
Mrs. John Gordon, Boston: c. w. Dad
man, Boston; Mrs. Ida NJ. Walker
WalthanI; ]. A. Philips. Boston; A. E.
Newmark, Pittsburg; Joseph NJ. Mann,
Providence; Mrs. Della VI Brennan,
South Boston; Marguerite NJ. Grim
shaw. Somerville.
One of the Trains Behind Time.
The two trains which were in-the col
lision Were usually combined into one
long train, but as the traffic was so
heavy it was divided, the first section
running as a local accommoda ton while
the second, which started ffom Mans
field fifteen minutes later than the first,
ran as an express. The local train was
thirteen minutes late. 1t left Mansfield
lost the thirteen minutes between Mans
field and Sharon. 1t was due in Canton
Junction. the next station beyond
Sharon, two minutes ahead of the ex-
press train. which should have passed
it there. Sharon is situated on a curve.
and both the outward and inward
tracks are protected by electric block
signals.
Warning Whistle Was Too Late.
There was no warning given by the
conductor Of the Mansfield local to show
the approaching train that the track
was not clear at the station. and it was
not until he was within 400 feet of the
station that the engineer of the express
noticed anything wrong. He immedi-
ately set ali brakes and whistled the
warning, but it was too late to stop the
express. 1t crashed into the rear car
splitting il asunder and completely de-
molishing it with the exception of tn,
roof. The escaping steam entered the
car and badly scalded n number of the
occupants. The roof Of the last car was
forced on top of the engine of the eX-
press and remained there as the only
portion of the car intact.