Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-12
THE WRECK.
CONTINUED from Page one.)
vive. Mrs Mccrokan received several

The wreck will be responsible for
two more deaths, if Mrs. Sarah Gala
bra. also of Philadelphia succumbs, for
she is about to give birth to child.
Three of her children, aged from two
to I'VE. are at the hospital with her,
none of them badly hurt.
All the patients are covered with
bruises and cuts showing the manner
in which they were thrown about their
cars when the train rolled down the
embankment.
In private ward at St. Vincent's
hospital is w. A. King. young ma
.chinist. who recently came to Bridge
port from Kansas City and who went
to Philadelphia yesterday to meet
George H Kirby. who was coming
from Kansas City to get employment
in local factory Although King
shows hardly scratch, the accident
drove him stark mad. He raved and
shouted continuously for his Pal"
when they were dragging me out I
saw two legs under the wreckage," he
said in one of his lucid moments. The
trousers were the same kind George
wore"
Kirby has. not been found here, al
though Bridgeport was his destinat ton,
and it is feared he may be one of the
two dead men still unidentified. The other
Is Negro, whose ticket read from Phil
adelphia to Boston and whose trunk was
checked from Westchester, Pa.
No May s. 1858, there was wreck at
South Norwalk, CT, in which A lives
were lost Since that until today the
New Haven Railroad line has been sin
gularly free from disasters. Automatic
signals protected the .'crossover'' which
the express had to take here to enable
1t to make the stop at the local station,
and the rules of the line prescribed a
speed at this point OF not more than Is
miles an hour. Stories that the engineer
was a new man not accustomed to a train
of such Importance and that the tower
man was not at his post were denied by
the company in official statements. The
fact remains. however, that when the ex-
press darted across the trestle where the
switch is located 1t was running nearly
go miles an hour. When il struck the
'tcrossevef" the engine leaped the rails
dragging all but three of its cars along
The towerman says that when Curtis
locomotive whizzed by, steam had been
shut off and the brakes were grinding
on sand. He believes the engineer real
ized his mistake and was trying to slow
down. although too late.
Several hours elapsed before Mrs. Wal
colt was Identified. first by the name on
her clothing and then by ring marked
&C. D. w. to +. B. L., June q. 1885" She
is the wife of Charles d. Walcott of
Washington, a director of the Smithso-
nian Institute. Mr.. Walcott telephoned
that he had left Washington and would
be here late tonight.
The bodies of the engineer and firemen
were identified by F. Fl. Barnes of New
York, president of the Empire City
Lodge, Brotherhood Of Railway Train |
men. and James NJ. Breen, yardman In
New York. Barnes made anxious inqui- |
ries for w. II. Boyd of New York. a
member of the train crew. who is still
missing.
The unidentified white man at the
morgue had on blue shirt such as rail-
way men wear. His head was split and
his face battered almost beyond recogni-
tion.
Coroner Clifford b. Wilson said tonight
that ne would investigate the wreck at
an early date.
The express left Harlem river an hour
late. 1t was going at high speed when
the open switch was struck. The Bridge
port station was only mile and a half
further on. The open switch was near
the tower which stands at the junction
Of Fairfield avenue and State street.
There was one tremendous crash. an in |
slant of intense silence. and then the |
sroans and shrieks of the wounded.
The wreck was almost complete. FIVE |
cars having gone over and only three cars
OF the long train left on the tracks The
engine, twisted into junk, was TIVE hun
dred feet south of Fairfield avenue. Be
hind were the mail and baggage cars
while the Pulmans and coaches were in
q mass in the rear.
Tho day coach was entirely crushed and
In here the deaths were many. FIVE bodies
being removed at cnce.
Three Puiimans were almost completely
crurnpied up but appearances were that
the passenger we're, in measure. pro
tected BY the strength of the material of
the cars.
With hremen. policemen and doctors
working fast as possible the dead and in
tured were laid out upon the lawn of Mrs.
B A. Koran. on Fairfield avenue.
As fast as the ambulanees came the
injured were sent to the hospitals. In
the wreokage of the engine was found the
body of the engineer. who went down at
his post. babe about a year old. was
found IN one car by a policeman. IT was
alive and had become separated from its
mother, Mrs. ". V. clephane. of Cherry
Greek, Mr.. aud its aunt. Miss Beatrice
Ciephone, both of whom escaped with minor
injuries, chiefly wounds on the head
In another coach Mrs. Whaton of Phil
sdelpha was taken out alive. but her
child was dead under her. Mrs l.. ".
Page Of 1928 Massachusetts avenue. Wash
ineton, n. c. who was with Der maid and
child, escaped with minor hurts.
w. H. Saunders. of New London who
was in the day coach with his wife was
doing at the time and woke to hnd him.
self in darkness. The wreck took FIRE near
him and he managed TO crawl to safety
although his arms and hands were burned
as the fire communicated to his clothing
Mrs. Saunders was pinned under the wreck
age and she had to be released by the
hremen. who after putting out the fire.