Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1905-12-01

tnjuries-inabiltty to See 8ional0 Dc.
cause Of Bad Weather Responsible
for the Disaster.
Lincoln, Mass. Nov. 27.-stxteen
persons lost their lives in the rearend
collision at Baker Bridge station On
the main line of the F1tchburg division
Of the Boston and Maine railroad dur
ing the night. Twenty-Five persons
were more or less Le.iously injured
and others sustainedtcuts and bruises.
Those who were witnesses of the
collision say the local train, which
consisted OF four cars, three of them
passenger coaches, had just pulled out
of Baker Bridge depot, small flag
station about a mile and a half west
Of Lincoln station. Just west of the
flag station is a highway bridge over
the railroad. The train had entered q
deep cut after passing under the
bridge and the rear car had just
cleared the structure when the heavy
Montreal express, consisting of nine
cars and two locomotives, crashed into
she rear. The impact was terrific and
probably majority of those killed met
death almost instantly. The forward
locomotive telescoped the rear car and
passed part of the way through the
coach Immediately ahead. The Soc
ond car of the local train was also
badly damaged, but the first car and
locomotive escaped.
The leading engine of the express
was practically destroyed In the COL
iision and the work was completed
when fire. which Immediately broke
out among the Wreckage. consumed all
the woodwork of the two rear cars,
which remained on the roadbed, and
lncinerated a number of the victims.
The fireman of the leading locomotive.
Charles E. Barnard, was burned to
ners managed to escape in some
strange manner.
The second locomotive of the ex-
press was badly damaged. The engi.
neer and fireman of this engine e.
capped injury aud no person in the
coaches OF the Montreal train was in
jured. All the cars remained on the
rails.
Helpless Victims Cremated.
Many of the passengers of this train
assisted in the work of rescue. The
glare OF the burning wreck lighted the
III fha ~
caping steam and the cracking of the
flames arose the shrieks and groans of
the victims and the excited Cries OF
The rescv;ers. Several passengers in
the rear car OF the local train were
caught in the ruins of the locomotive
and coach and the flames prevented
help from reaching them.
Calls for assistance and medical aid
were sent to Boston, Concord and other
places. The fire department of Lin
coin arrived within half an hour, but
the men were unable to make much
impression on the burning pile. They
succeeded, however, in saving Dor
tons of the third car.
When the accident occurred the To-
S@A VI 1AA VoS SAAu ~ AdFS O0Su y 10"
minutes late and, knowing that the ex-
press was close behind, it 10 claimed
that the rear brakeman, Donor Gau-
thier, who was killed, set out red
lights indicating danger. When the
express train was at Lincoln station,
about a mile and half east of the
scene of the wreck. the Montreal train
was running at it's usual rate of speed.
estimated at all the way from thirty
Eve to fifty miles an hour. It IL said
that a signal calling for caution was
set against the express at Lincoln sta
ton. The theory OF railroad men 10
that smoke from the engine of tho
local train as it passed under tho
Baker highway bridge obscured the
red lights in the rear. From the bridge
all the way back to Lincoln station
the track is straight. The night was
dark and at times during tho evening
mist hung over the tracks. What.
ever the reason the first engineer of
the Montreal train, whose duty it was
to scan the signals, failed to observe
any warnings.
SAILORS LAND AT MYTlLENE.