Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-11-28

pany, from those holding the highest
positions upon its official staff to the
humbieSt OF its employees is shocked be-
You'd expression 2t tie terrible aCCident
and its results at Bakers Bridge, on
our Fitchburg division. last evening.
While no complete and thorough inveS-
tigatiDn has Yet been possible, enough
has been asc.rtained to convince me
that this is another of those mex
! l;ca bic cases in which the mechanism
of the human mind sometimes fails a
the crucial moment.
The TWO trains involved in the acct
Gent have run as at present without
change i'll any particular for more than
g year. Each is scheduled upon the
working time table, while every man
employed on each of the trains had III
his possession and was familiar with.
President futile then described the
danger and warning signals system
employed between trains, and the rules
governing the same and said:
In the case of the two trains. last
evening. there is ample testimony from
many sources that by reason of the
lateness Of the Marlboro train after il
passed Hastings station. distance Of
four miles from the point at which the
rear end collision occurred. at least two
spacing block signals We're shown, and
probably three.
1.-THE flagman of the Marlboro train
whose duty it was to protect his train
| from just such rear end collision as
occurred, WAS instantly killed in the
collision, which seems to give full evil
dencC that he was upon the rear plat
form, or at the rear door OF his train
and attending to his duty and there is
ample outside and diSinterested testi
mony showing that he threw Of three
10-minute fuses, all OF which burned
clearly for 10 minutes, one a short dis
tance east of Lincoln, arothe" when
his train left Lincoln. and third just
before his train started to leave Bakers
RIDGE Y r /,
Every part Of the mechanical appli-
anccs for stopping the Montreal eX-
press train seems to have been in per-
feet order, and the train should have
! easily made a stop at any time within
a distance of 1900 or 1900 feet at the out
side, -
| .'All of the testimony as2Net secured
shows with positive che irness THAT the
! Montreal express passed by. ut least
| two and probably three spacing block
| signal lights. and three rel fuse torches
| without paying the slightest. attention
| to them and from other testimony in
| troduccd at the more complete investi-
| cation that is now going on and that
| will undoubtedly he made by the rail-
| road commissioners, 1 can only form
| the opinion that there was, in this case,
| some suspensions Of mechanical brain
| action iii failing to note this numerous
| danger and cautionary signals which
was the sole cause of the accident"
| From information received here durirc
the day mainly ir the shape cf intni-
rirs from friends, it appears that the tol
| los Of Mrs. Hannah Dc;lInond OF Nav
nard, ard of Z. L. Wilder Of Ctrnbr t1Cc,
may be amcng the unidentified dad.
| An inspection of the track on the cas-
| erly side Of the bridge. tins forenoon, r.
vcaIcd evidence that signal fuses had
been recently employed. a reporter
found one at point on the track oyer
which no train had passed since the one
which caused the wreck. list night. An
| official of the roGd. who is here in con
! nection with the Investigation, was In
| formed of the find, and sud: ''1here is
! evidence that the tram r.n over two o
three signals OF This rt."