Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-02-05
DEATH ON RAIL.
Maine Central Express Train
Hurled in Ditch.
Four Dead and Many Injured
Cause Not Definitely Known.

OEONO, Me-, Feb. 3-The worst rail-
road wreck which has ever occurred IN TINS
vicinity. and one of the most disastrous in
tn. history Of the Maine Central road. has
just taken place here. The accident nap
pened about p. m. The train known as
the 'Provincial Express. which reaches
Bangor ut 80 p. III. from Boston. and leaves
here AT 3. - for the east was almost COM
plrte.y wrecked ut II point known rs the
Basin Carve. an eighth of II mile below Oro-
no station. The ran,n OF the arc'ient II
said to have been the spr.adins OF the rats.
although there are other theories, one being
that II rail had broken. ON account OF the
frost and the high speed of the
train. The train which is officially known rs
"NO. 90. consisted ot locomotive, baggage,
mali. Pullman. smoker, ordinary passenger
coach and the private car OF General Man
ayer Evans of the Maine Central. tn" latter
being occupied by President Wilson Of the
road and his wife und son. The train was
in charge OF Conductor John Eupea. one Of
the best in tn. company employ. There
were only two passengers in the Pullman
car bat The smoker and the ordinary coach
were filled. Two were killed.two more died,
and % are wounded, three of the latter not
being expect 4 :, recover. This train does not
stop AZ Orono, except when Tagged and runs
through the town ut full speed. On this
occasion the speed was 80 miles an hour.
There WAS on board II party of University OF
Maine students. who had bought tickets for
Orono, suppOs.ng that the train stopped
there. and the conductor did not discover
their destination until Just as tha train
reached the curve above the Basin mills.
Some reports say that the conductor had sig
nailed to stop the train, and that the sudden
pressure OF the brakes was followed imme-
diately by the disaster, but others say that
the conductor was just reaching for tn" bell
cord to stop the train when the crash came.
Whatever the culse--spread rails, broken
rail or sudden down brakes on II urve-the
baggage ear. mail, Pullman, smoker and or
dinNri coach went tumbling over the steep
bank, and rolled over and over in the ditch.
The rear car, No. 500, which is General Man
ager Evans private car, did not 90 over,
and the forward truck, leaving the track,
ran along on the ties half its length. and
finally stopped Just on the edge of the EN-
bank ment. President Wilson and the other
occupants We're not injured. ana
immediatel, returned to Bangor.
The locomotive tender left Tie rails,
but the locomotive itself remained on,
and soon proceeded to the station at Orono.
The heavy steel coupling link between the
oil like II pipestem. The five derailed cars
slid az rolled u considerable distance into
the hollow ut the foot %! the embnnkment,
and such was the speed OF the train when
the accident occurred that one or two OF tho
ears went IA length ahead after rolling Oh the
sides. All five cars stopped on the sides and
the passengers were taken out with great
difficulty The accident was witnessed by u
dozen people who were watching tine ap-
proach OF the train, and help was soon at
hand Those who arrived first ut the scene
say that deathlike stiffness prevailed dur
ing several minutes, and was then broken
by the cries Of the wounded. The work OF
,t,l ,,,tth x,t.p hu Inn
trainmen, assisted by police officers from
Bangor and the vicinity, and the dead and
those seriously hurt We're taken to the Oroho
house and to the hal near BY, both OF which
were for hours the scenes ur misery ana
suffering. with crowds on the street in front.
The list OF lied and in ured us now COM
plc,cd. accounts for 40 of the pass myers
upon the Inflated train. or these four are
dead two more may die and "a have injuries
varying in nature from slight to critical.
This is tho list: The dead: Mrs. Jennie :.
Murray, So years old. Of st. Stephen, n. b..
Instantly killed. Mrs. Daniel V. Cunning
ham,f 60 years old. Troy. Me-. instantly XII lr,l.
Daniel V. Cunningham. about 40 years old.
Troy, Me, died ut 2 o'clock in the morning.
The Rev. Fr. Matthew II. McGrIth of South
Boston stationed at VIM, Me-. died at 6
O'Clock the following morning. Seriously
injured: Stanley Bean. Inssadnmkcag. Me-,
condition critical: Howard L.. Madhocks.
SkOwhpgan, Me-, may de. Others lnjnre,i
j. b. Buzzell. OidtOwn. Me-, scalp wounds
and bruises; i. A. MoutOn. bennington, Me-,
left hip injured, cuts and bruises; ID. f. Ath.
erton. student OF Bangor Me. Theological
seminary. bad cuts on head severe shock;
Isaac varney, IIallowell. Mo-, fracture left
clavcle. bruised about abdomen; Mrs. Isaac
yarney, IIulowell. Me-, bruises; Robert
Carson. ST. Martins. NIB. dislo"a,ion OF left
shoulder: j. r.. Leayitt, OldtOwn, Me-. lower
jaw fractured in four places: W. X. Thomp'
son. Pittsburg. Pa, Iaccratcd scalp. cuts,
severe shock; Frank L. Jennings, Vance
boro, Me-. right ankle broken, back injured,
cuts on head and face; j.. Mclean
st. John. NIB ribs fractured, spine bruised;
Mrs. Stanley Bean Pas-aiumkeag, Ne. badly
bruised severe shock John Cyr. Oidtown, Me-,
laceruted scalp: &. G. Whittier. Skowhegan,
Me-, head bruised; o. +. W. Hinckley. Old
town, Me. injury to legs; Mrs. John Treat,
Enfield, Me-, ribs broken, fingers crushed,
scalp wounds, injury to arms; Rufus Pierce,
Old own, Me-, severe cuts. shoulder
wrenched; DR.. p. II. Jones, Springfield,
Me-, Injuries to arm and shoulder, cuts on
Iead and face; Mrs. (Dr.) PHI Jones Spring
field, Me, scalp wounds, injuries to back and
hips; Els. Cruger, Boston, scalp wounds;J 1T.
Hinch, Danforth, Me, slight cuts; Mrs. Moses
P,Wadlsigh, Oldtown, Me-, cuts, severe shock;
the Rev. Thomas Jones. Orono, Me-, cuts on
head; j. :. Clark, Calais, cut and bruised;
- Dryer, student Of University OF Maine,
bruised; Wilbur Grant: Kinsman, Ne. in
Me-, severe shock; John Eupea, con-
ductor, bruises, cut wrist, severe shock
cut: Harry Rice, Bangor, Me-. baggage
master, cut and bruised; Miss Louise
Dudley, Bangor, Me-, bruised, severe shock;
Miss Ames, Oldtown, Me-, injuries to head
and neck; Julian H. Merrill, Portland. Me-,
injury to back; Miss Davis. Odtown,
Me-, cut and bruised; Harry John
son, Brewer, Me-, cuts and bruises;
The Rev. Fr. McGrath has been Stationed
at VIM for several years, and in that time
had become endeared to the people of his
parish and we'll known to the residents OF
the whole section between VIM and bangor.
it was not supposed ut first that his injuries
we're fatal. hut he steadily grew worse
and passed away later. His remains
were taken to Boston for interment
Daniel Cunningham. the old gentleman
who died about 9 o'clock in the morning
remained In merciful Ignorance of his
wife's death, although during temporary
period OF consciousness he wondered why
she did not come. Student Maddox was on
his way back to college from Washington
county. where he had been surveying the
route Of the proposed Washington County
railroad. He is working his way through
the university. II his party had taken
the Aroostook train i've minutes be-
hind, which makes regular stops at
ing bet ween life and death, with fractured
skull rendering his chances Of recovery very
small. MIR. pnd Mrs. Stanley Bean werS on
their Journey home to Pgssadumkeag from
Berlin Falls. N. H., where they had been Mt
work. Bean now lies with compound
fracture of the skull between him and re-
cOysrv, while Mrs. Bean Is suffering from
~ Ind tr,,iS and shock To