Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-01-21
TRAIN WRECKED.
CONTINUED from page IL


priscned passengers was the quick and
effective relief offered by the students
of the New Hampshire State College OF
Agriculture, the buildings of which in
stitution are located not more than 100
yards distant from the point where the
| wreck occurred. AS many as $50 male
students responded. while seven female
members of the college acted as nurses
in the caring for and assistance of the
| wounded.
The express with about 10 passengers
on board left S. John at 6 O'Clock
Thursday night having come through
from Sydney, c. B., and Halifax. Time
was lost coming through eastern Maine
and the train was about two hours
late just before it reached Durham.
Intending to make up as much time
as possible the engineer of the train
was driving the locomotive at a high
rate Of speed going as fast as 80 miles
an hour. At 7.J5 just IN the rear of the
machine shop of the State College one
of the rails of the westbOund tracks
had given away. Over this break the
engine, baggage and one Pullman car
passed, or rather Jumped in safety but
the wrench broke off the &C upling with
rails and topp!ed over on its into the
stone culvert to the right of the track.
The effect of the shock upon the re-
naming three cars was more severe.
The next car in order was a day coach
and this received such an impetus that
it was hurled from the rails and clear
ed space of 80 feet the front striking
the top Of a stone wall and the rear
catching in the top branches on an ap-
pie tree which was carried down by the
crash. 1t was in this car that most of
those who We're seriously injured We're
sitting. The second day coach was
forced transversely across both tracks,
its sides breaking open and it top fall
ing in.
The smoker. tie last car on the train.
like the first day coach was hurled
through the air. resting finally in
stone culvert about % feet from its
point of departure from the rails. Ali
| the cars which left the tracks Were
separated from one another by the
shock. So badly were they splintered
and wrecked that the escape from
death Of any was a miracle.
First attention was given by people
nearby. but the engineer after notify
| ing the men at work in the machine
shop. returned to the scene and took
| ont many of the passengers from their
| dangerous positions. Within few mo-
ments, all had been rescued.
| The work of rescue was organized by
| Prof. A. f. Nesbitt of the State Col
| lege, department of electrical engineer
| ing. Practically the entire student body
| responded, many of them in sleighs,
with which TO remove injured to places
| of treatment. With this large force the
ears were soon syStama tically broken
into and the passengers removed and
they We're hurriedly lriYan to the col
lege buildings. many of them to the
rooms of the students.
Among the first to Oe taken out were
Miss Belle Donald, who was in one of
the day coaches, AMI the Porter of the
| wrecked Pullman, AMI they We're re-
moved to the Office Of DIR. A. r. Grant. |
Nine other persons whose names were
given as among the more seriously in |
jured We're transferred to the Zeta |
Epsilon Zeta fraternity house on the |
college grounds. the room being trans |
formed into temporary hospital. Here |
the seven girl students assisted the |
town doctors in the capacity of nurses. |
Other passengers who had minor in
juries were treated at other college |
buildings.
Meantime a wrecking train had ar
rived from Dover having on board a |
number of physicians and nurses All |
the physicians soon procc eGed to work |
The tracks We're then cleared being |
filled with wreckage for some distance |
The students of the college repaired the
disabled telegraph wires and commune |
cation was possible. Shortly before 10 |
o'clock a special train was made up |
and the passengers who had not been |
but slightly cut resumed the journey to
Boston.
Through traffic was rot greatly de-
layed as trains run over a branch line |
to Portsmouth on the eastern division.
A more thorough examination of Miss |
Donald by the physicians brought out |
the fact that the Woman'S skull was !
fractured and that the brain was hurt |
1t was also found that Mr.. Hail was |
more seriously injured than was at
first thought. During the forenoon he
was transferred from the fraternity |
house to the Office of DR.. Grant. This |
was so great tax on the injured mans |
strength that he lost consciousness sew |
eral times.
1t appeared later that there was one |
eyewitness to the accident. Augustus |
Stevens. who was employed in the col
lege machine shop. Mr.. Stevens heard |
the first noise caused by the wreck and |
looked through a window to see the |
cars piling up in the culvert. He join
ed the engineer. With the conductor. |
one of their first duties was to prevent |
the breaking out of fire from the stove |
in the wrecked Pullman.