The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-19
WRECK ON THE RAIL
SIX PASSENGERS KILLED ON NEW
YORK, NEW HAVEN & HART
FORD ROAD.
TWENTY-FIVE ARE INJURED
Switch Improperly Set Sends Heavy
Freight Train Into the Side
of q Fast-Flying Ex-
press.

| RROCKTON, Mass, Sept 1S.-A switch
not properly set brought a passenger ex-
press and heavy freight train together,
| with the resultant deaths of six passen-
| gers on the express train and injuries to
twenty-five Others, this afternoon on the
mair line of the New York, New Haven
| & Hartford railroad at Avon The ex-
press left Boston at los p. M, and it
was running forty miles an hour at the
! time of the accident. Of the six per-
sons who were killed but four have been
identified, and these are:
Everett Joyce, of Brockton, of Joyce
| & Fletcher shoe manufacturers.
Gustavus Hay Jr., lawyer of Boston.
Miss M. w. Tonkin, of Oil City, Pa, a
student at Howard seminary, aBridgewa-
William J. Coughlin, Lowell. real es-
tate dealer, of Boston.
The two unidentified bodies are those
OF women, one elderly and very large in
figure.
The other unidentified victim was ap-
par entity twenty-eight years of age, with
light hair, evidently Swede
Tho bodies were taken Immediately to
a, freight house near by. OF the twenty
five injured those most seriously hurt
were taken to the Brockton hospital on
special train.
The accident occurred about 1000 feet
above the Avon station, between two
stretches of thicket and by the side of
a steep embankment. The express Was
one minute behind time at Avon at 81.
- A freight train of thirty cars laden
with granite, coal and gravel had just
been made up on siding and was pro-
in dirootinr1 q
the express. Engineer Sheldon, of the
freight train, figured that he had four
minutes to spare to get on a side track
further down.
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
One Of his trains crew had set the
sN itch of "crossover' in such a man
ner that when the freight engine struck
it it was turned onto the main track.
Engineer Sheldon did not notice this
switch quickly enough to enable him to
stop his train, and before he realized it
the express dashed past on the other
track.
The engine of the express and the bag
gage car succeeded in getting by before
the freight. engine reached the train, but
the. second ear of the train, the smoker,
was struck squarely in the middle and
steep embankment, landing on it's side
in some soft mud. The third car of the
train, "a passenger coach, was dragged
over by the force of the compact and
likewise landed on its side in the ditch.
The last car on the train stayed on the
track.
The collision came with such sudden
ness that the passengers in the three
cars were thrown with great force from
their seats AS the cars were instantly
thrown upon their Sides many passen-
gers fell upon each other, and those un-
derneath were forced through the win
dows Into the. mud Beneath. The broken
seats and the heavy pieces of timber
pinned them down. Many were forced
through the window by the sudden shock
The cylinder on the right side of the
freight engine was torn off, and escaping
steam added to the horror The noise
caused by, the accident attracted a. crowd
Immediately, and it was only a short
/ time before hundreds were assisting in
the work of rescue.
All those who were killed outright
seemed to be in the third car, while most
of those who were injured were in the
| car which was struck by the engine.
| Miss Tonkin was eighteen years of age
! the daughter of John Tonkin, of Oil City,
Pa, a prominent citizen of that place.