Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-13

"We were going UP grade and had
just rounded a curve. All of sud-
den there was terrific crash and the
train stopped short We were going
pretty fast. l should say about 10
miles an hour. Everybody was thrown
heller SHELTER in the car in which | sat.
I'VE knew some accident had hap
pened. Everybody made a wild dash
for the car door to see what was the
matter. 1t was a sorry sight that met
our eyes. The bridge was a total
wreck and piled i'm the brook, some 20
feet below, were the engine and two
cars.
Il don't see how the fireman and ell
gineer ever escaped death.
"In fact it was close call for
everybody. If the three wrecked cars
had not stopped the passenger coaches
from dashing over the embankment, it
would have been.
we had no idea but what the fire.
man and engineer were in the wreck.
Our first fear was that they were in
the cabooSe of the engine. and as the
engine was under water. it looked like
sure death for anyone imprisoned
there. We rushed down to see what
could be done aud then discovered that
the fireman and engineer had jumped
clear of the wreck into the brook and
we saw them swimming ashore. We
rushed down to give them help and
they were soon on dry land. apparently
but little the worse for their terrible
experience"
Said Engineer Plummcr:
That's the closest call | ever had
and | don't care to repeat the expert
ence. OF course it all happened so
quickly that | hardly had time to
think We were a little behind hand
and were trying to make up time.
About 20 yards from Head Tide bridge
there is a sharp curve.
we had on full steam. | WAS at the
throttle. The engine was putting and
grooming up the curve. running at from
ten to II miles an hour. We had Just
got round the curve when the engine
left the iron. We were too near the
bridge 10 prevent the accident.
"As the engine struck the bridge ii
seemed to knock it into kindling wood.
There was an awful crash then we
realized that we were tllmbling into
the DTbok. Inc t1refldn anu ! knew
our only chance was to jump. We
struck the water sufficiently away from
| the wreck train to clear every bit of
debris. Both Of us could swim and
we struck out for the shore. No. we
wasn't hurt much, II at all. But it
was horrible experience.
| "Thc plunge was about 20 feet and
the water at this point was deep
enough to drown a man. Had we been
hit or had We been entanglcd in the
wreck engine there would have been
no hope for US"
The WiscaSsct, Watervile & Farms
ington Railroad Is narrow gauge
road. The trestle bridge where the ac-
cident occurred are an old wooden
structure. and gave way AS the en-
CINE bumped furiously over the sleep
ers of the old bridge. the timbers gave
way and the whole structure collapsed.
| ohe OF the men on board the wrecked
train, is an old employe of the Maine
Central Railroad. He went back to the
| curve where the train left the track
| and examined the rails carefully. He
SAID the rails had not spread and he
could see no cause for the accident
The engine on the wrecked train had
| left the track only two weeks ago. and
in consequence had been sent direct to
the repair shop where it had been
thoroughly ovcrhauled, having lust gone
| back into commission