The sun., 1907-08-19
AUTO HITS EXPRESS, KILLING 8
RUNS AT 90 MILE AN HOUR RATE
INTO ENGINE TENDER.
Deaf Driver HAD Been Racing with Train
IN Parallel Road That suddenly Turned
20 Cross Railway Track e. ,. Root.
Mother. Aunt and Sister the victims.


Mother. Aunt and sister the victims.
GREAT DARLINGTON. Mass. Aug. is.-A
speeding automobile crashed against the
side OF the engine tender Of New Haven
express train at Ashley Falls. eight miles
from here, this afternoon. Ae a result three
persons are dead. one is dying and another
is seriously hurt.
The dead are Charles J. Root. 4syears old;
Mrs. Joel II. Root, 81 years old. Charles
Roots mother. and Miss Candice Roberts
70 years old. an aunt OF Root
The injured are Miss Mary p. Root. 50
years old. and Miss Katherine Root. IA
years old Miss Mary Root is a sister Of
the dead man and Miss Katherine a
daughter.
Miss Mary Root is dying in the Pittsfeld
Hospital. TO which institution she was re-
moved after the accident. Little Katherine
Root is at the home OF Miss ssl!ic Gallup
in this city.
The Roots and Miss Roberts live in Bristol,
Conn, and the automobile party were on
their way to visit Miss Gallup in this city.
Mr. Root was driving the auto.
According to those on the train. a special
Sunday express from New York to Pitts
field. the automobile had been racing with
the train for distance Of half mile
A good stretch Of road runs parallel with
the railroad for some distance near Ashley
Falls. At the point where the accident
occurred the road suddenly swerves and
crosses the railway tracks. The crew Of
the train say it was going at the rate OF
sixty miles an hour and that the auto
was going faster. Whether Root tried
purposely to cross in front OF the train
cannot be known. The only one who
can tell anything 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 a high bank. HaS Root
sent the machine on ahead he would have
struck this bank and in all probability the
machine would have been pitched onto
the railroad tracks.
The auto smashed into the side Of the
engine tender and bounded back, hurting
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 Q
very short time.
Mrs. Joel H. Root was picked UP uncon-
scious, but died half an hour later while
being taken on the train to the Pittsfeld
hospital.
Miss Mary Root was unconscious aud is
still SO In the hospital She has fractured
skull fractured collarbone and serious
bodily injuries. Her death is expected
momentarily.
Little Katherine Root is seriously injured,
but the physicians in attendance upon her
say that sh, will recover.
The child says her father was quite deaf
and she doesn't think he heard the train.
lhoss on the train say thai Root could
hardly have missed seeing the train and
they .hink that he wasn't aware that the
road turned 40 sharply across the tracks.
Charles j. Root was q manufacturer Of
piano supplies at Bris.ol. He was the
leading property owner in tnat city and
was also heavily interested in copper mines
in the West.
Miss Mary p Root, who IL fatally injured,
vas president OF the vssssr College Alumns.
She was graduated from that college in 1875
Mrs. Joel Root and Miss Roberts. who
were sisters, were the granddaughters Of
Gideon Roberts. said TO have been the first
man to build a clock manufacturing plant
in this country. The Roberts clock factory
at Bristol employs at present more than
5000 men.
Tho crossing where the accident occurred
is bad one. There have been several
accidents there and the crossing is un-
guarded despite the protests Of drivers.
The Root automobile, which was a large
one. was literally torn to pieces. Parts Of
il were found 500 feet away from the cross