Los Angeles herald., 1905-11-27

number Of train hands. assisted by viii
layers, went to the aid of the injured
and many persons were rescued.
Many Volunteer as Nurses
Tho railroad station and a number
of dwelling houses were turned into
temporary hospitals and many volun-
teer nurses assisted In relieving the
suffering of the injured. Later the
most seriously hurt were taken to
Boston on a special train.
The train upon which practically all
the casualties occurred left the North
station in Boston at 7:15 o'clock with
-four cars filed with passengers.
The second train which figured in the
collision Is known as the Sunday night
Montreal Express. The Montreal train
does not stop at the small stations and
after passing Waltham does not stop
ordinarily until 1t reaches Concord, two
miles west of Bakers Bridge station.
Owing to the heavy local traffic the
Marlborough branch train was behind
time when it reached Bakers Bridge
station. According to the statement of
persons who were at the depot there,
a brakeman was sent to place a fuse
or red fire torch some distance in the
rear The night was unusually dark,
partly owing to a dense mist. According
to those at the station at the time
the torch had not been set more than a
minute before the roar of a heavy train
around curve short distance east
of the depot was heard. Within few
seconds the headlight of an onrushing
locomotive showed through the mist
and before hand could be lifted to
warn the passengers in the waiting
train the two ponderous engines, travel
ing at a speed of thrty-five miles an
hour, crashed into it. The impact was
terrific.
The leading locomotive telescoped the
rear car of the Marlborough train and
the second engine forced this mass
against the third car of the local and
completely wrecked it. In these two
cars all but two of the fatalities oc-
CURED and practically all of the in
jures. The collision destroyed the for
ward locomotive of the Montreal train,
but the engine following, although much
damaged, did not leave the rails. None
of the cars of the express was thrown
from the track and the collision appar-
emily had little effect upon those in
them.
Fire Increases Horrors
Fire added to the horrors, flames al
most Immediately communicating to
the wreckage of the passenger coaches.
A number of passengers who had been
pinned down by broken seats were i'm
cinerated. Some of them, however, had
evidently been killed instantly. The
second car of the local train remained
standing on the rails and was not
greatly damaged.
| Passengers from both trains, railroad
employees and a number of villagers
rushed to the wrecked cars and assisted
many persons to escape. The flames
made 1t difficult to reach some who
were alive but who were unable to free
themselves from the mass. For the
time 1t was necessary to lay injured
persons side by side with the bodies of
the dead until every effort possible had
been made to rescue other victims.
Thirteen of the dead were sent to
Boston on the special train, together
with fourteen of the most seriously in
jured of whom it was feared that three
would die within a short time. The
majority OF those injured were women.
The officials of the Boston &s Maine
railroad will make an exhaustive in
quiry into the cause of the collision.
1t is probable that the district court
will also hold an investigation.