Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-25
WATERVILLE.
ACCIDENT
At the Alden Street Crossing
of the Maine Central.
Team With Man and Two Womer
Run Down by Cars.
The Women Seriously and the Man
Painfully Injured.

The Alden street crossing just above
the Maine Central station was chiefly
responsible for an accident, Friday
morning, from which three people mar
rowly escaped with their lives. AS it
was, two We're seriously injured and
the third painfully but not seriously.
Mrs. Arthur Beadie of Winslow, suffer-
ed a compound, comminuted fracture
of the left leg, many scalp wounds and
bruises. Mrs. Lydia Wood, aged about
60. of Boston. the guest of Mrs. Beadie,
suffered a bad fracture of the nose and
other injuries that with the shock may
result in conclusion of the brain. Cole
Austin, the driver of the team, received
some small cuts and bruises and a bad
shaking up, but escaped the most for
tunately of the three.
Mrs. Beadie and Mrs. Wood had beer
visiting at the home of Peter Micue out
into the city with Mr.. Austin, the driv-
err of the stage from Larone to this city
He had one horse and a good substan-
tial wagon with two seats and canopy
top that he uses as stage. He haC
two other passengers, but had left then
at their stopping places before the ac-
cident, so that he and the two ladies
were in the wagon at the time Mrs
Wood was sitting on the front seat witt
him and Mrs. Beadie in the sat behind
He had been over back of the station
to leave passenger and was planninf
to cross the tracks at the Alden stree
crossing, leave his mail and then carr,
the ladies to their home in Winslow.
1t was just little after s o'clocl
when he reached the crossing This l.
about as blind as any in the city an(
is not protected in any way either b,
gates or a f1agman. There are usual,
cars standing on either side of the
street on the side of the tracks ant
these with the buildings often make
impossible to see any distance up O,
down the track. The street Otter
makes but narrow passage way acros
the tracks and teams must das'
through, taking their chances, if
cannot be seen that the coast is cleal
The crossing was pretty we'll vale
in, Friday, when Mr.. Austin CAM
along, but he says that he heard n
sounds of a moving train and tina
everything seemed quiet and clear,
he started across with no suspicion O
danger
But when partially through and whe
the wagon was directly over one tract
and the horse just across, a string o
cars, pushed up the yard from tn,
freight house by a shifter, doomed u
directly upon them. The engine was
not moving very rapidly and the be,
was doubtless ringing, although Mr.
Austin he did not hear it. But all tn,
conditions were against both the train
men and the driver of the team on &C
count of the peculiar location of tn,
crossing, and before the horse could be
started ahead quickly enough and be
fore the cars could be stopped, the wag
on was struck fairly amidships l
was torn from the horse and pushed
and rolled ahead of the freight car un
til it had been reduced to kindling wood
Mr.. Austin was thrown into the al
and landed free and clear of the wreck
sustaining some bruises and a severe
shaking up, but practically uninjured
an escape that he will always remem-
Der very wildly.
But the ladies did not fare so we'll
Mrs. Beadie. who was on the rear seat
went under the wreckage and under the
car. Mrs. Wood was thrown a little
to one side and out from under the
heap, but was rendered unconscious by
the fall 1t looked at first as if Mrs
Beadie had been broken and torn and
her life crushed out in the tangled mass
of the wagon and that Mrs. Wood had
been killed instantly.
The bystanders and trainmen rushed
in to rescue Mrs. Beadie and when she
had been taken out it was found that
she was alive, but that one leg had
been broken. The jagged ends of the
bone had been forced through the flesh
and had been badly splintered well
down to the ankle. The other
leg was badly bruised, but none
of the bones fractured. There
were many severe scalp wounds on her
head and about her forehead. These
We're not long, but extended to the
bone. Her skull was not fractured,
however, and the scalp wounds proved
the least of her injuries, although Sc
rious enough in themselves.
Mrs. Wood had evidently struck on
her face, for her nose was badly frac-
tured. 1t was feared, Friday, that con-
cussion of the brain would result from
the blow and attending shock. 1t is
thought, however, that both women
will survive, although the fractured
leg of Mrs. Beadie may have to be am
putated. The bone is so badly shat
tered that there seems to be small
| chance of saving it.
| AS soon as the ladies could be res
cued from the smashup they were TAX
en- to the baggage room and Drs. c. w
Abbott, M. S. Goodrich and E. w. Boy
er were summoned. They were giver
such treatment as was possible ano
such as would allow them to be moved
and then conveyed to the home OF Mrs
| Beadie in Winslow, where more thor
ough examination and treatment coulc
be given.
| So far as can be learned it seems thai
no specific blame can be attached te
any one. Generally, the railroad anc
| the city can be blamed for allowing
the crossing to go SO long unguarded
But Alden street is small, street
that is not used a great deal, and al
though there have been some narrow
escapes, there have been no accidents
of any account. The Hose team hat
/ a close shave there n few months ago