Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-11-27
SIXTEEN ARE DEAD.
(Ccntinued from Page One.)

Que.
This train leaves Boston at 7.45
o'clock, Sundays Only. Tonight's eX-
press consisted of two locomotives, two
| milk cars, two baggage cars, mail
| car three coaches and a Pullman sleep
er.
| The Montreal train does not stop at
| the small stations and after passing
Waltham,. does not stop ordinarily un-
| TIL it reaches Concord. two miles west
| of Bakers Bridge station. Owing to the
heavy local traffic. the Marlboro branch
| train was behind time when 1t reached
| Bakers Bridge station. According to
the statement of persons who We're at
| the depot there, 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 which came up
| the Sudbury river, a small stream not
| far from the railroad. According to
| those at the station. the torch had not
| been set more than a minute before the
| roar of a heavy train around curve
| a short distance east of the depot was
| heard. Those on the station platform
| were HELPLESS for within few sec
| locomotive penetrated the mist and be-
! fore 4 hand could be lifted to warn the
passengers on the stationary train, the
| two giant locomotives travelling at an
| estimated speed of 35 miles an hour,
| crashed into the standing coaches. Inc
crash was so terrific that it was heard
| by persons living mile distant, ana
where a trainload of people had stood
a n in6nCprJh-
able scene of death and ruin. Following
| the crash the shrieks of the injured ana
| the shouts of those who fastened 10
| the rescue We're heard above the hiss Oh
| escaping steam which scalded some Oh
| the passengers. even before flames COM
municated from the ruins OF the engine
| to the remains of the wrecked cars.
The leading locomotive telescoped
| the rear car of the Marlboro tram.
and the second engine forced the de-
moliShcd mass against the thlrd car
of the local and completely wrecked
| it. In these two cars all but two OF
| the fatalities occurred and practically
all of the injuries. The collision de-
| Stroyed the forward locomotive OF the
Montreal train and the engine follow
ing it was considerably damaged, but
| did not leave the rails. None of the
cars of the cxpress was thrown from
! the track and the collision apparently
had little effect upon those in them.
| The passengers stated afterwards that
the shock was comparatively slight.
especially in view of the rate of speed
at which the train was proceeding.
| Within two minutes following the
crash, the scene of ruin was trans
| formed to one of horror. From the
| fire box of the battered engine, the
engineer and fireman of which already
| lay dead in the tangled mass, flames
| communicated to the wreckaSc of the
| passenger coaches and a number Of
the unfortunate passengers who had
been pinned down by broken seats and
fragments of the woodwork perished.
Some of the passengers had evidently
been killed instantly, but just how
many escaped death from the flames
in this way could not be told. tonight.
| TIE second car of the local train re-
mained standing on the irons and was
not greatly dlmaged The engine OF
| this train escaped the wreck.
| Passengers from both trains. the
| train hands and a number of villagers
| ruSncd Ic lhe wrecked CtitS anu dSSiSt-
| Cd many persons to escape, but the
| flames made 1t difficult to reach some
who were alive. but evidently had been
unable to cXtricate themselves from
| the mass. For the time it was neces-
sary to lay injured persons side by side
with several bodies of the dead. until
every effort possible had been made to
rescue other victims.
The flames added to the wreck of de-
| struction which resulted from the col
| lisicn. ana little was left of the leading
express locomotive and the two rear
cars Of the local
After some delay messages We're
| sent to Boston. Watham and Concord
| for doctors, nurses. surgical appliances
and Wrecking trains. One by one the
bodies We're marked, but it was late
before complete irdentificat tions could
| be made. Several of the bodies We're
badly disfigured. Thirteen of the dead
We're sent to Boston on the train
which carried the most seriously in
jured to Boston. Fourteen of the in
jurcd went on the train and of the
number it was feared that three would
| die within u short time. The bodies
will be kept in Boston Morgue until
they are claimed by relatives.
The ma jority Of those injured were
women. During the evening a large
rumber of inquiries We're received by
the railroad officials from friends for
persons who We're supposed to have
| been on the Marlboro branch train.
Large crowds visited the scene of the
wreck and il was apparent that
number of those at the station were
| looking for friends or relatives. In
many cases it developed that several
persons reported to have been killed
| or injured, had escaped without
| scratch.
The officials of the Boston & Maine
| Railroad will make an exhaustive in
Guiry into the cause of the collision.
Whether the proper signals were set
at q safe distance, or whether they
oould be seen in time by the engineer
| Of the Montreal train cannot he told
| at this time. 1t is probable that the
district court will also hold an investi-
CATION of its own, and 1t is expected