Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-07-15
IL DEAD IN WRECl
Express Train PlungeS Dow
Embdnkment.
~ OTHERS WERE INJuREl
Six Cars Leave the Tracks an
49, Scarcely ANY Person in Them
Escaped Death and
Injury.

Bridgeport, Conn, July IL. - The
Federal Express, one of the New York
New Haven & Hartford railroad s
fastest trains, carrying passengers
without change from Washington to
Boston. and running with every berth
and every seat taken, plunged down a
twentyfoot embankment heres while
running sixty miles an hour.
OF the 100 passengers that went
down with the first six cars scarcely
one escaped death or injury. Twelve
bodies have been taken out of the
twisted wreckage, including the engi-
neer and fireman, who were so mutt
lated that it is evident they must
have met instant death. This probably
completes the death list
Forty-four injured are in the hos
pitfalls and nearly score more receiv-
ed injuries not severe enough to pre-
vent them from continuing on their
journey.
The dead are:
A. M. Curtis, engineer.
W. A.. Ryan, fireman.
Mrs, Gwendolyn F. Rogers, wife o.
an electrician sergeant, coast artil
lery, U. s. A
- Rogers aged seven weeks, the
daughter of Mrs. Rogers.
c. w. Christie, of Philadelphia.
Helena B. Walcott.
George E. Saunders, Of Norwich,
Conn.
Two mid ant f<iad wan ar, oororo5
Two unidentified women.
One unidentified boy, about ten
years old.
A new "crossvover" installed on the
Burr road viaduct and embankment on
the western outskirts of the city was
indirectly responsible for the accident.
The train was late and the engineer
was driving to make up, lost time.
When the heavy vestibuled train of
nine cars struck the switch at full
speed the locomotive leaped, rocked
and swayed oven the ties for nearly
l50 yards and finally fell to. the street
below. dragging six cars down the eI
hankment. The coupling broke b,
tween the sixth and seventh cars,
leaving three sleepers upright on the
embankment, two. of them still ON tn 4
rails.
The engine, twisted intp. funk, wal
zoe feet south Of Fairfield avenue. Be
hind were the nail and baggage cars,
while the Pullmans and coaches were
in a mass in Their
The day coach was entirely crush
ed, and in it the deaths. were many,
five bodies being removed, at once
Pulimans Crampled Like. Paper.
Three Pullmzns we're almost Q
pEetely crumpled up, but appeara
were that the passengers were l.
measure protected by tho strength Va
the cars.
The mass of wreckages did not Ia
fire, but the ffremen, who were cal'S
TO the scene OF the disaster, had Pile,
OF work with their axes chappl
into the overturned cars and aasisth
passengers to- safety.
Many Of the dead were So mutilat
ed that the work of Identification pro
crossed slowly. Two babies we
found. one with it's head severed
the other inpaled ON splinter.
The positions of the bodies Of {!
engine crew indicated that both ha
jumped when their locomotive left tn.
rails
G. s. Rogers, an electrician ser
geant in the United States coast artil-
lery, whos had been transferred from
Virginia tn Maine, was travelling with
his wife and two little children Mrs
Rogers was crushed and her tiny babe
was killed by her side. Sergeant Rog-
ers was fearfuEIy hurt and his little
boy was severely injured.
With fremen. policemen and doctors
working as fast as possible, the dead
and injured were laid out upon the
lawn of Mrs. B. A. Koran, In Fairfield
came the injured were sent to III
hospitals. A babe a year old VI
found in one ear. II was alive and a
become separated from its MOTH
Mrs, w. B. Clephane, of Cherry Cree
Ma. and its aunt. Miss Beatrice CT
phane, both of whom escaped wi
minor injuries, chiefly wounds on I Il
head
The members of the st. Louis 7
tionaf league base ball team, on tn
way to Boston, who we're In the IL
Pullman, all escaped injury. Their
stayed on the track. but its sud !
stop at the moment of the crash tn
every one OF the ball players out
his berth. Without waiting TO DIR
completely. the players hurried Fl
their car. climbed down the viad
and spent a strenuous two hours
helping the railroad men. policep
and surgeons at their work In