The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-07-12
BY AsseeIatsd Presa.

Bridgeport, Conn. July 11.-Twelve
battered bodies in the morgue, forty
four sufferers in hospitals and noun
tain of junk at the foot OF q twenty
foot embankment In the western end
of this city tell a tale Of the worst
wreck in the So years history Of the
New York, New Haven & Hartford
railroad. The accident happened to
the Federal Express just before dawn.
Four OF the dead are unidentified.
The dead are: D. c. w. Christie, of
Philadelphia; Geo. e. Saunders, of
Norwich, Conn., Mrs. Gwendolyn F.
Rogers. wife Of Sergeant George H.
Rogers, of the coast artillery, United
States army; May Louise Rogers; a
baby girl seven months old; Mrs.
Helena d. Walcott, Of Washington, D.
c.: A NJ. Curtis, Of New York, engineer
of the train, and w. A. Ryan, of New
York, fireman.
Several Of the wounded are In a criti-
cal condition W. A. King, a passenger,
was driven mad by the accident.
OF one hundred passengers aboard
the Federal Express who went down
with the first six cars, scarcely one
escaped death or injury.
"a Twalve bodies have been taken out
OF the twisted wreckage, including the
engineer and fireman, who were so mu-
tilated that 1t is evident they must
have met instant death. This probably
completes the death list.
WAS RUNNING FAST.
A new Gross over" 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 fast to make up lost time.
When the heavy vestibulted train of
nine cars struck the switch at full
speed, the locomotive leaped, rocked
and swayed oyer the. ties for nearly $50
gsrde-endh finally fell to the street be-
lew, dragging SIX cars down the bank
The coupling broke between the sixth
and seventh cars, leaving three sleepers
upright on the embankment. two of
them still on the rails.
BALL PLAYERS HELPED.
Many q victim OF the wreck pinned
Beneath the debris owes his life to the
pronptness of the members of the st.
Louis National baseball team. The
ball players were riding in the last two
cars which remained on the track
When the crash came, they pulled out
in their pajamas and several of them
were bleeding from cuts about the feet,
caused by racing over the sharp wreck
age.
II was in the next to the last car"
said Roger Bresnahan, the teams man
ager. 'I was smoking at the time the
spill came, and grabbed hold of some
thing and held on. I got out all right.
Not one of our men was hurt, but, of
course, our baggage is gone"
The ball players left for Boston,
where they played today, on a special
train at $3.50 o'clock.
One of the remarkable incidents was
when the 1remen cut a hole in the
roof of the coach which was lying on
its side and a man crawled out,
dragging his suit case after him. He
said he had not even scratch. He
dropped the case and Immediately as
sisted In aiding those less fortunate.
Just behind the locomotive three cars
were piled one above the other. At the
bottom Of the heap was the day coach
and a majority of the dead were taken
from this car. The mass Of wreckage
dil not catch fire but the firemen, who
were called to the scene Of the disaster
had plenty Of work with their axes
chopping into the overturned cars and
assisting passengers to safety.
Many OF the dead were so mutilated
that the work of Identification pro-
gressed slowly. Two babies were
found, one with its head severed and
the other impaled on a splinter.
The positions of the bodies OF the
engine crew indicated that both had
jumped when their locomotive left the
rails.
The Federal Express ran with every
berth and every seat filed last night
G. s. Rogers, an electrician, sergeant
In the United States coast artillery,
who had been transferred from Vir-
ginia to Maine, was travelling with his
wife and two little children. Mrs.
Rogers was crushed and her tiny baby
was killed by her side. Sergeant
Rogers was fearfully hurt and his other
child was severely injured.