Evening star., 1907-08-19
AUTO AND TRAIN COLLIDE
MACHINE GOING SIXTY MILES AN
HOUR STRUCK ENGINE TENDER.
Two Women and One Man Killed and
Two Women Perhaps Mortally
Hurt-Deaf Driver Racing.

GREAT HARRINGTON. Mass. August
ia speeding automobile crashed against
the side Of the engine tender of New
Haven express train at Ashley Falls. eight
miles from here. yesterday afternoon. AS
a result three persons are dead. one is
dying and another is seriously hurt.
The dead are Charles j. Root. fortyeight
years old: Mrs Joel H. Root eighty-two
years old. Charles Roots mother, and Miss
Candice Roberts, seventy years old. an
aunt Of Root.
The injured are Miss Mary P. Root. fifty
years old. and Miss Katharine Root. four
teen years old. Miss Mary Root Is q sister
of the dead man and Miss Katharine a
daughter.
Miss Mary Root is dying in the Pittsfleld
Hospital. to which institution she was re-
moved after the accident Little Katherine
Root Is at the home Of Miss Sallie Gallup
in this city. The Roots and Miss Roberts
live in Bristol. Conn. and the automobile
party were on their way to visit Miss Gal
lup in this city. Mr.. Root was driving the
auto.
According to those on the train. a special
Sunday express from New York to Pitts
feld the automobile had been racing with
the train for distance Of half mile.
Sharp Turn In Road.
A good stretch of road runs parallel with
Falls. At the point where the accident oc-
Cured the road suddenly swerves and
crosses the railway tracks. The crew Of
the train say 1t was going at the rate Of
sixty miles an hour. and that the auto was
going faster. Whether Root tried purpose
ly to cross in front of the train cannot be
known The only one who can tell any,
thing is little Katherine Root. She says
that she was in the rear seat and did not
see nor hear the train
1t is quite possible that Root tried to
cross in front of the train as a last resort
Just where the road turns sharply across
the tracks there Is q high bank. Had
Root sent the machine on ahead he would
have struck this bank. and. in all probable
ity. the machine would have been pitched
onto the railroad tracks.
Occupants Hurled High.
The auto smashed into the side Of the
engine tender and bounded back. hurling
the occupants high in the air and far from
the tracks. Mr.. Root was picked up dead,
apparently killed instantly.
Miss Roberts was breathing when the
train crew reached her. but she died in a
very short time.
Mrs. Joel H. Root was picked up un-
conscious, but died half an hour later
while being taken back on the train to the
Pittsf1eld Hospital.
Miss Mary Root was unconscious and
is still so in the hospital. She has q frac-
tured skull. fractured collarbone and seri-
Gus bodily injuries. Her death is ex-
pected mOmentarily.
Little Katherine Root Is seriously In
1ured. but the physicians in attendance
upon her say that she will recover.
Auto Driver Was Deaf.
The child says her father was quite
deaf and she doesn't think he heard the
train. Those on the train say that Root
could hardly have missed seeing the train
and they think that he wasn't aware that
the road turned SO sharply across the
tracks.
Charles J.. Root was a manufacturer Of
piano supplies at Bristol. He was the
leading property owner in that city and
was also heavily interested in copper
mines in the west
Miss Mary F. Root, who Is fatally in
tured. was president OF the Vassar Col
lege Alumnae. She was graduated from
that college in 1873
Mrs. Joel Root and Miss Roberts, who
were sisters, were the granddaughters Of
Gideon Roberts. said to have been the
first man to build clock manufacturing
plant in this country. The Roberts clock
more than 5000 men.
The crossing where the accident oc-
CURED is a bad one. There have been
several accidents there and the crossing
Is unguarded despite the protests Of
drivers.
The Root automobile which was a large
one. was literally torn to pieces. Parts
of it were found 500 feet away from the
crossing.