The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-30


mile south of the Auburn station on the
Norwich & Worcester division of the
New York, New Haven & Hartford
railroad at $50 o'clock last evening nine
cars were hurled over the embank-
ment near Loves private crossing, the
caboose on the local smashed into
chips, and the engine on the extra Har-
lem River freight woven into tangled
mass.
.se local freight due in this city at
Clio 4. nj was switching near the Au-
burn depot. Two cars and caboose
were left south of the yard. The extra
freight had been ordered ahead at OK
ford, and was rushing on to Auburn
and wreck. Flagman c. L. Patnod
Of worcester of the local left the ca
boose which was attached to the two
box cars. and, flag in hand, rushed to
the rear.
The Harlem River extra puffed
around the curve at Stones crossing
at is miles an hour, when Engineer r.
A. Chapman of Norwich saw Patnod
waVing the danger flag. The order for
brakes was given, and the shril whis-
tiA bfought every train employee to his
sense Of duty.
Engineer Chapman reversed but it
was too late, and as he and Fireman
Albert Darling of this city leaped from
the cab, the believing iron monster
lurched. and the impetus from the
heavily loaded coal cars, forced the en-
CINE into the rear OF the caboose on the
local freight. The box cars in the CEN
ire of the Harlem River freight were
crushed and forced into the air, and as
the last force of the engine was spent,
& the cars tottered and crashed over the
20-foot embankment.
The Harlem River freight engine NO.
$50 Is one of the largest in commission
on the New Haven road, and as 1t
ploughed its way through the caboose
like q plough throwing aside drifts of
snow. the woodwork of the caboose was
hurled into the air. The giant batter
ing ram weakened and the boiler head
caved in, throwing a stream of live
Goals into the debris. The woodwork
cracked fiereely as it burned, and
famed by the breeze the flames crept
from pile to pile Of the splintered re-
mains, and was checked only by the
tangled mass of iron, the fragments of
a powerful engine.
a man was found seriously injured.
Brakeman John Riley of Norwich, who
was perched between two coal cars on
the forward part of the Harlem freight,
was found at the base of the embank
ment. He was stunned and a few
feet away was the iron frame work of
a box car truck. Engineer Chapman
was pulled out from the debris, and
was suffering from dislocated knee
cap.
Walter Phillips of Norwich, brake
man; Walter Thornton of Norwich,
fiagman, and Frank Newell of Wilt
mantle, conductor on the Harlem River
freight, had slight body bruises. All
Of them jumped when disaster was in
ovaeable. John Riley, brakeman on the
forward part Of the Harlem freight,
told this story of the affair, last night:
when the train had bumped over
Stones crossing, / perched myself on
the brake wheel Of the forward coal
car, and peered up the track. When we
rounded the curve | saw the f1agman
from the local rushing towards us.
Even then danger seemed miles away
Every man jumped to the brakes, but
they did not, cling sharply enough, for
less than hundred yards away the
caboose and two cars of the local
doomed up, barrier to us and prog
ress.
Our train was heavy one, made up
of Is cars most of them containing coal,
and the weight seemed to sink the
track beneath us. Our engineer kept up
the shrill whisting and q few seconds
Ii er the crash seemed imminent, and
every man jumped. We were speeding
along fairly well, even then, and as
Jumped gave one glance forward, and
ns landed half way down the embank-
ment and rolled to the bottom l saw
$50 rip into the caboose on the local. 1t
all happened so quickly and the col
lision was so fierce that none of US
3 realized what we had been through
until we gazed at the wreckage."
1t was Engineer Myron Peck's sec
ond day on that division Of the road,
although he is a veteran employee of
. the railroad. Conductor G. c. Bartlett
OF this city, while peering into the de-
N bris, dropped his watch. and 1t is
buried beneath tons of iron. The local
freight train crew. Thomas O'Neil,
< Northampton; Williem Harvey, Will
lam Manor Of Boston, brakemen, and
Charles l.. Patnod Of this city, flagman,
escaped without scratch.
Station Agent c. M. French was
Handing in the freight yard watching
Nc switching, when he heard the shrill
Whistle Of locomotive. He had bare
III time to comprehend that the extra
must be directly behind the local, when
tnere was terrific crash In the direc-
4 ton OF the curve, accompanied by the
hiss Of escaping steam. Accompanied
BY the trainmen, he hastened In the
dissection. NBnd on determining the con-