The evening times., 1900-03-02
TEE PLAIBVILLB wreck
Death List Of the Railway Casualty
May Reach Twenty.
Five Killed and Fifteen Reported
MissinE-A Passenger Train PIunE-
the New York. New Haven,
and Hartford Fatally Crushed.

NEW HAVEN. Conn, March 2.-It is
now feared that the list Of dead in the
Plainville wreck on the New York. New
Haven. and Hartford Railroad last night
may reach twenty. At least fifteen persons
are missing this morning and from the rag
ing waters surrounding the scene OF the
casualty cnly one explanation can be made
they were drowned whe nthe cars slid
iato the torrent
The list OF dead is as follows:
stephen Searles, engine driver. sixty
two years old, OF l72 Howard Avenue, New
Haven.
Edward Barrows, baggagemaster. thirty
six years old, Of l5 Court Street. New
Haven.
William Korpe, fireman, thirty years old.
Two unidentified men, passengers.
Nine Of the injured are now in the Hart
ford Hospital. comparatively well It Is
said. except Charles Neal. the conductor.
He has completely collapsed and il is fear
ed he will lose his mind Il he recoyers
from his severe internal injuries.
The Pennington local left New Haven
last night with a passenger car. COmbina-
tion baggage and smoker and an express
car. Shortly after : O'Clock, when it was
approaching Plainville, ii passed a spot
where the Pennington River and an ordi-
naTily small brook known at Eight Acre
Creek, unite. The brook had been chang
ed 10 a wide river by the heavy rain Of
the day. and the back water Of the TWO
streams had washed hole sixty feet long
under the railroad track. The embanknent
there is thirty feet high. The engine and
baggage car got across the weakened spot
hut ffsrr nat inn FHfFF -
through and dragged with IL the rest OF the
train. All piled together In the water
smashing the ears 10 kindling wood
Villagers az the station Of Plainvi le-
watching the approach Of the train. were
startled at seeing its lights suddenly dis
appear They ran TO the rescue Ste
phen Searles, the oldest engineer on the
New Haven Road. Was found pinned IN
der his engine. dead His fireman, Nil-
liam Korpe. was horribly crushed between
two cars. UuJ insisted that otaer persons
be rescued. as his case was hopeless He
died soon after. Edward Burrows, the
bsgEagemaster, was found with a frac-
tured skull il is Supposed he jumped and
struck on his head. one OF the Unidenu-
fed passengers was pulled out Of Tire
debris with his clothing torn from his
body. He was terribly maugled. Charles
Neal. the conductor. although seriously
injured iusislD upon giving what assist
ance he could to the passengers OF his
train He said that be could give i,t e
idea Of the number Ct passengers, as he
had not counted W his tickets when The
smash came
He said there we're hfry IN the passenger
car, and. If his estimate is correct. there
are fifteen yet 10 be accounted for. The
sWirliDg waters may have carried some
away Sefore their cries could be heard.
but these who were first on the ground
do not believe that this is true. Dennis
Finch. OF SOuthington. one Of the oldest
messengers in the Mail Service, IS among
the missing, not having been seen since
the accident occurred II is probable that
his body will be found In a ditch, pinned
under the passenger coach Several Of
those injured were able TO assist them
selves from the wreck. and so TO the aid
OF others who were less fortunate. They
succeeded in eXtricatiug at least siN who
would otherwise certainly have Ueen
drowned By the time the villagers arri cd
on the scene.