The Somerset reporter., 1907-03-21
Wreck In skowhegan Yard

The only wreck of any considerable
Importance ever occurring within the
yard limits of the Skowhegan station
took place, Tuesday morning. A loco
motive colided with passenger car,
the resulting damage being several
thousand dollars
The engine referred to was in charge
of Harry Marsh of Waterville and was
Just out of the Waterville repair shop.
IL had been run up over the okowhegan
branch twice during the earlier hours OF
the night and IL was on its third trip
that it came to grief. The line of the
Skowhegan branch 10 often used in this
manner to give new locomotives, or
those on which repairs have been re-
Gently made, test run and this ma
chine, No. 283. was being exercised over
the okowhegan line TO test it's capabili-
ties ano to discover its weak points If it
possessed any.
The account of the accident, said to
have been given by the engineer,
ascribes the trouble to the failure of the
air brakes and his inability to throw the
reverse lever. The report current Is
that he tried the air as he ppIoached
the south end of the railroad bridge and
finding that did not respond, he immedi.
ately attempted 10 reverse his engine,
but could not move the reversing lever.
Unable to reverse and without the air
brakes his machine was bound to keep
ON until it hit something sufficiently
solid to bring his ninety tons of metal 10
a standsIill
The coaches for trains No. 416, due to
leave at Is, and No. IL, due 10 leave at
! s. 20, were standing on the track next to
| the passenger station and Ii was with
the first of these that the engine collided.
| The impact was sufficient 10 telescope
the car, the engine buryIng itself In
| the wreck for half its length. The
shock communicated itself to the rest of
the train and the platform of the second
car was crushed in. Two freight cars,
standing farther down the track, just
beyond the passenger coaches, got
enough of the blow to send them to the
end of the line, near the Porter grist
mill, one of them going beyond the rails
into bank of ice and snow. The outer
works of the locomotive, such as the
COW catcher, headlight, bell and whistle
were swept off as one would strip leaves
from the branch Of tree.
In commenting on the matter former
employee of the Maine Central gives il
as his opinion that the locomotive was
not gong more than ten miles an hour
when abe struck the car. Others think
the speed must have been double or
treble that, and an observer unfamiliar
with such matters would suppose moth
ir,,v laaa hop mil n
have caused such havoc The former
employee already quoted states that the
damaged car was of the pattern built 20
years ago, light timbered and ironed,
and that it would be expected to yield
to the impact of a locomotive, even at
comparativ ely low speed. The collision
WAS with sufficient force TO produce a
considerable crash, one that was heard
by Sumner 9. Ward and others living at
a distance from the station.
wrecking train, equipped with a
Grain capable of lifting 100 tons, arrived
at 7.15 and matters were quickly put to
rights. Now trucks were put under the
broken car as needed and il was run
down the line to the Waterville shops
The locomotive proceeded to the same
destination under its own steam.
The worst smashup at this point pre-
vious to the one of Tuesday morning,
occurred about five years ago. Several
cars loaded with pulp wood got away
from a switching engine on the south
side one Sunday, and came down the
grade and across the bridge bringing up
against Bangor & Aroostook fat car in
the yard This car was demolished,
breaking in two and springing upward
in the center.