Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-09-28
half A DOZEN ARE
KILLED IN BAD WRECK
Smashup on a Massachusetts, Rail-
road Does Frightful
Damage.
TWENTY-FIVE PEOPLE INJURED
mispiacinK of n Switch Allows Freight to
Cress Path of q Passenger Train
Many Passenger Are scsldsd
by Bssan.
TWENTY-FIVE PEOPLE INJURED

Brockton, Mass, Sept. 20.-A switch
not properly set brought a passenger
express and heavy freight train to-
gether, with the resultant death OF six
passengers on the express train and in
Juries to twenty-five others yesterday
afternoon on the line of the New York.
New Haven and Hartford railroad at
Avon. The express left Boston at 1908
o'clock p. m, and 1t was running forty
miles an hour at the time of the acct
dent. OF the six persons who were
killed, but four have been identified.
They are:
EVERETT JOYCE. Of Brockton. a
shoe manufacturer.
GUSTAVUS HAY, JR., lawyer, OF
Boston.
MISS NJ. w. ToNKIN, of OIL City,
Pa, q student at Howard seminary,
Bridgewater.
w. NJ. j. CoUGHLIN, Lowell, real
estate dealer, of Boston.
Seriously injured:
Frank Kiemayer, legs broken; badly
bruised.
Orvis Randall, unconscious.
r. II. Rowland, head cut and side
bruised; internally injuries feared.
Miss Ellen w. Hall. horribly bruised
about head and chest.
Frank NJ. Hathaway, badly bruised.
j. s. Mann, head injured.
The two unidentified bodies are those
OF
The bodies were taken Immediately
TO a freight house nearby, where they
were viewed by the medical examiner,
OF the twenty-five injured those most
seriously hurt were taken to the Brock
ton hospital on q special train.
above the von station, between two
stretches Of thicket and by the side Of
a steep embankment. The express was
one minute behind time at Avon at 1877
o'clock.
A freight train Of thirty cars, laden
with granite, coal n gravel, had Just
been made up on a siding and was pro-
ceeding south In the same direction as
the express. Engineer Sheldon of the
freight train figured that he had four
minutes to spare to get on a sidetrack
further odwn.
One of train crew had set the switch
Of q "cross over" In such a manner
that when the freight engine struck 1t
it was turned onto the main track. En-
gineer Sheldon did not notice this
switch quickly enough to enable him to
stop his train, and before he realized
1t the express dashed past on the other
track.
The engine OF the express and the
baggage car succeeded In getting by
before the freight engine reached the
train. but the second car OF the train,
the smoker, was struck ~squarely In
the middle, turne5 over and thrown
down the steep enbankment, landing
on It's side In the mud. The third car,
a passenger coacS. was dragged over
by the force Of the compact and like
wise landed on It's 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 in
stantly thrown upon their sides many
passengers fell upon each other and
those underneath were forced through
the windows into the mud beneath.
The broken seats and the heavy pieces
of timber pinned them down. Many
were forced through the windows by
the sudden shock.
The cylinder On the right side of the
freight engine YVES torn off, and escAp-
Ing steam added to the horror. The
noise caused by he accident attracted
a crowd Immediately and 1t was only
a short time before hundreds were as
sisting in the work Of rescue.
All OF 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 en-
CINE.