Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-09-19
SIX KILLED
And 25 Injured injured in Train
Wreck at Avon, Mass.
Improperly Set Switch Sends Freight
Crashing Into Express.
Cars Thrown Over Bank and Passengers Buried
Beneath the Ruins.

q
passengers on the express train ana
injuries to 25 others. this afternoon.
on the main lire Of the New York.
New Haven & Hartford Railroad at
Avon. The express left Boston at Los
+. NJ. and it was running 20 miles an
hour at the time of the accident.
OF the six persons who were kille i
but four have been identified. They
are:
Everett +. Joyce Of Brockton, OF
Joyce & Fletcher. shoe manufacturers
Gustavus Hay, Jr.. lawyer. of Bos-
ton.
Miss NJ W. Tonkin of Oil City.
Pa, a student at Howard Seminary,
Bridgewater. Mass.
VIM. j. Coughlin, Lowell a real es-
tate dealer.
The two unidentified bodies which
We're found were those of women. one
an elderly lady very large. apparently
60 years of age. dressed in black, hair
gray; the other apparently % years of
age. with light hair, evidently Swede.
She wore a pink waist and brown skirt
and on her fingers We're three rings.
The bodies We're taken Immediately
to n freight house near by where they
were viewed by the medical examiner.
OF the p injured those most serious
ly hurt We're taken to the Brockton
hospital on a special train. These We're:
George NJ. Millett. Brockton. left ella :
vice fractured
Charles G. McGregor. Middleboro.
fracture of the left leg, collar bon
broken. two ribs broken.
Miss Annie y. Kelner. Middleboro,
three ribs broken.
Frank J. Cassion. Springfield, left
arm broken. two ribs broken.
Frank kermayef. Bridgewatcr left
knee fractured. three rihs broken. lung
penetrated.
Charles w. Kelley, Providence. four
ribs broken, internally injured.
Snere Noehe. all ribs of right sid.
broken.
j Albert Chcssman, Waltham. four
rihs broken. left arm broken. lung pen
etrated.
T.. Il. Mann. an alderman of New
York city. right arm broken.
A. r. Jackson. Wortc ester, i. I'll ! Is
fractured.
Miss Ethel Jacobs. Provincetown.
right arm brnlcn. injured internally.
Miss Helena Baldwin. Middleb,ro,
lctt arm fractured serious shock: in Il
,ulndtCSe state.
Arthur T. Davis, Chicago, spine in
jared; serious
capt Seth n. rakcr Of West Dennis,
Mass.
There We're Il number of prominent
Erockton people on the train, most OF
whom We're injured but were able t.
20 TO ;neir homes.
The accident occurred about 1000 feet
above tie Avon station between two
stretches of thicket and by the side of
i steep embankment.
The les express. in charge of
Conductor \. w. Cushman and
Engineer Lewis Tyrrell. was due
II Brockton at 1.i3 and was
one minute behind time at
Avon. at l.31. A freight train of 30 cars
laden with granite. coal and gravel.
had lust been made up on 4 siding and
was proceeding south in the same di-
rection as the express. Engineer Shei-
don of the freight train figured that
ne had four minutes TO spare 70 get on
a sidetrack He went full speed ahead
on. of his trains crew had set the
switch in such a manner that when
the freight engine struck 1t It was
turned onto the main track instead OF
continuing across it. Engineer Shell
don did not notice this switch quickly
enough to enable him to stop his ira u
and before he realized it the express
dashed past
The engine of the express and the
baggage car got by before the freight
engine reached the train. but the sec
ond car was struck squarely in the
middle and turned over, being thrown
DOWN the steep embankment. landing
IN it's side in some soft. thick mud.
The third car on the train passeh-
ger coach. was dragged over by tie
force OF the compact ana likewise
landed on it's side in the ditch. The
last car on the tram Stayeu on tHe
track. The trucks of the third car
were torn from the bottom and re-
,1ained several feet away from where
it landed.
The cars were well filled. AS the cars
were instantly thrown upon their s.des.
many Messengers fell upon each other
and those underneath were forced
through the windows into the mud be-
reath. The broken seats and the many
pieces of timber pinned them down.
Many were forced entirely through
the windows and fell to the ground
They were unable to extricate them
selves before the great cars rolled over
on top of them.
The cylinder on the right side of the
freight engine was torn off and escap-
ing steam added to the horror. Terri
BILE shrieks mingled with the sound ol
the escaping steam. 1t was only a
short time before hundreds were as
sisting in the work of rescue.
Conductor Cushman was found un-
der a car and badly hurt. He said he
knew nothing of the accident. he was
knocked unconscious.
Miss NJ. Winifred Tonkin was lS
wears of age. the daughter of John
Tonkin of Oil City. Pa. a prominent
oil magnate connected with the stan
dard Oil Co.
The scene at the Brockton station
an