The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-05
ACCIDENT ON CONSOLIDATED
I HEAD-ON COLLISION AT SOUTH
 NORWiLK.

Passenger Train No. 50, West Bound,
 Leaving New Haven Ut 3 p. m., and
 Each Other-Brakeman Isaac Davis Killed and Others Injured-Ntid Ru-
 mOrs nt First That Many Were Killed
 and Injured-Dr. Crowe's Mother on
 Passenger Train-Her Knee Hurt. South Norwalk, Conn.,, Aug. "A
 head-on-collislon between passenger
 Haven at 3 D. m., and due at South Norwalk at 4:07, and switching
 freight train, occurred at 4 o'clock this
 afternoon on the edge of the four track
 bridge of the N. Y., N. H. and H. R. R.
 Co, on Washington street. One man
 was killed and several of the train
 hands and passengers were injured: The dead-Isaac Davis freight brakeman.
 The injured are: Daniel Olds, passenger engineer, badly cut and scalded. Henry Cramer, passenger fireman leg in- jured.
 John Nickerson, freight engineer, cut over
 the eye and bruised.
 Lewis Wyncoop, fireman of freight train, ! cut in head and ribs fractured. Thomas Goodwin, passenger brakeman, left arm and leg badly bruised.
 Mrs J. W. Grove, bruised about the limbs.
 George A. Risner bruised
 John Dooley, freight brakeman, cut over eye.
 William Langley, passenger brakeman, in Juries to back and limbs
 Unknown passenger, believed to be member of Colonel George B. Sanford's fam fly, New York, artery cut over eye. Several other passengers were severely ShaKen up and more or less bruised.
 That the loss of life was not greater is considered miraculous, as the scene ! of the accident is a dangerous point
 The passenger train was entering the
 city at it's usual speed and apparently
 on time, and had just rounded a curve before reaching the Washington street bridge. Coming in an opposite direc-
 tion was a switching engine, to which was attached three cars, known as the
 pier freight, from the South Norwalk
 and Danbury division, and before the
 trains could be stopped the two loco-
 motives had crashed together with
 great violence. Both engineers stuck
 to their posts, however, and thus pre-
 vented greater casualties. The inn pact of the colliding engines was so
 great that the passenger engine was
 driven nearly three feet into the freight engine and the tender of the former went nearly half way through a bag
 gage car. Both locomotives were com- pletely wrecked, the passenger engine beyond repair.
 As the news of the accident spread there was the widest excitement. Ru-
 mors of all kinds flew thick and fast. and it was announced that the loss of 1 life was appalling. The physicians of | the city were hastily summoned, but their services were not greatly in de- ! mand. As soon as possible the round- ing up of the passengers and freight 1 hands was begun and the wreck was
 searched Engineer Olds was among the first to be extricated from the wreck ! by two men, and he was taken to
 neighboring drug store, where it was | found that while his condition was se- rious, it is believed that the injuries will not prove fatal. Davis, who was 1 on top of the second freight car, was thrown forward against the brake | wheel with such violence that he was | found dead on the top of the car. A woman, who refused to give her name, | who was sitting with companion at | the end of one of the cars, was thrown | forward and her head was forced through the end window. An artery near the eye was cut and it bled so | profusely that it was at one time feared | that it could not be stopped. After re- l ceiving immediate attention the women | were taken to the Mahackemo hotel. where they registered as members of | Colonel Sanfords family, New York. It is believed that the women were re- | turning from Colonel Sanford's summer | home in Litchfield to New York. | The physicians made a nasty exami- nation of the several passengers who i complained of being injured, and when | it was learned that only one life was lost there was a great feeling of relief. | The accident occurred at point where | the tracks of the Danbury division cross the main tracks and over which all switching from South Norwalk to the freight ydIuS c dudl IcI Ol d illiS distant is done. Where the blame rests will undoubtedly be ascertained by a coroner's investigation, though both en- gineers claim that the signal was set to proceed. It is evident that some body disregarded the signal, which, it | is said was set against the passenger train and remained so for hours after | the wreck. A wrecker from New Ha- ven was on the scene and at work clear | ing away the debris in less than an hour, and there was but little delay to | the main line traffic The Danbury di- vision will be blocked, however, for many hours.
 l All the parties involved in the acci- dent are reticent and little can be learn ed from them. Engineer OIds stated soon after he was extricated from the | wreck that he did not see the signal | until he struck the freight engine. Con- ] inuing he said, Tt is no use saying who is to blame. I could do nothing after I
 realized that there was to be a collision 1 as there was no opportunity" MT. Olds is one of the oldest engineers on the
 road and always considered one of the most reliable When the trains came together the coupling between the first and second cars of the freight train parted and the two rear cars rebound