The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-27
CRASHED INTO
THE REAR CARS
Montreal Express on the Boston &
Maine Road Wrecked.
LOCAL TRAIN DEMOLISHED
FIFTEEN KILLED OUTRIGHT AND
MANY INJURED.

II INCoLN, Mass, Nov. 26.-The most
disastrous railroad wreck in this
state for many years occurred at
S:15 o'clock tonight at Bakers Bridge
station, a mile and half west Of Lin
coin, on the main line of the Fitchburg
/ division of the Boston & Maine rail-
road. The regular Sunday night ex-
press which left Boston at 1880 o'clock
for Montreal, via the Rutland system,
crashed into the rear Of a local train
which started from Boston at 7:1o D. m.
for points on the main line and the
Marlboro branch.
Fifteen Killed Outright.
At least fifteen persons were killed
outright, burned 10 death or suffocated.
and thirty or more were seriously In
Jured. Many passengers sustained ni-
nor cuts, bruises and burns
The wreck was primarily due to thick
weather, which apparently Obscured
signals set by the forward train, which
at the time OF the disaster was standing
in front or Bakers Bridge station The
Montreal train, drawn by two lOcOmO-
tives, and consisting also Of nine cars.
crashed into the rear OF the Marlboro
branch local, demoiishing the two rear
cars.
Wreck Caught Fire.
All Of the passengers killed and serl-
ously injured were in these. The pas
sengers lived in Concord. West Acton.
Maynard. Hudson. Marlboro, and sew
eFal smaller towns i'm the Assabet val
ley. None of the passengers on the
Montreal train was seriously hurt, but
the engineer and fireman of the leading
locomotive were killed. The wreck
caught fire and some of the passengers
were tncinerated. Few persons live in
the vicinity of Bakers Bridge station
and no fire department was available.
so that the flames practically burned
themselves out. The uninjured passen-
gers and a number of train hands, as
sisted by villagers, went TO the aid or
the injured and many persons were
rescued.
Injured Taken to Boston.
The railroad station and a number or
dwelling houses were turned into tenn
porary hospitals, and many volunteer
nurses assisted in relieving the suffer
ing Of the injured. Later the most Sc
rlously 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 lis o'clock with
four cars filed with passengers
The second train which figured in the
collision D. known as the Sunday Might
Montreal Express, with ST. Hyacfnths.
Quebec, as its destination. Tonights
express consisted of two lOcOmtfyes
Two milk cars. two baggage cars. mail
car, three coaches and a Pullman sleep
er.
One Train Behind Time.
The Montreal train does not stop at
the small stations, and after passing
Waitham does not stop ordinarily until
1t reaches Concord. two miles west OF
Bakers Bridge station. Owing to the
heavy local traffic the Marlboro branch
train was behind time when it reached
Bakers Bridge. According to the state
ment 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 Ac-
cOrding 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 a curve a short
distance east of the depot was heard
Within a few seconds the headlight OF
through the mist, and before a hand
could be lifted TO warn the passengers
III the waiting train the two ponderous
engines, travelling at a speed of thirty
i've miles an hour, crashed into it. The
impact was terrific.
Rear Car TeIeseoped.
The leading locomotive telescoped tho
rear car of the Marlboro train and the
second engine forced this mass against
the third car Of the local and complete
~ wrecked il. In these two cars all but
two Of the fatalities occurred. and prac-
tlcally all Of the injuries. The collision
destroyed the forward locomotive OF
the Montreal train, but the engine fol-
lowing, although much damaged, did
not leave the rails. None of the cars
Of the express was thrown from the
track and the collision apparently had
little effect upon those in them.
Fire added to the horrors. flames al
most Immediately communicating to
the wPeclKage of the passenger coaches.
A number Of passengers who had been
pinned down by broken seats were in
einerated. Some Of them, however, had
evidently been killed instantly. The
second car Of the local train remained
on the rails and was not
greatly damaged.
Work of Rescue.
Passengers from both trains, railroad
and a number OF villagers
-ushed 10 the wrecked cars and assisted
many persons to escape. The flames
made IL difficult to reach some who