Norwich bulletin., 1911-07-18

Louis cardinals had the proverbial
luck when they escaped injury in the
wreck at Bridgeport early Tuesday
morning. They occupied the two rear
sleepers, which were derailed. out
which were the only two coaches that
did not plunge to the street below.
According to newspaper correspond
ents with the st. Louis team it was
baseball luck" that saved the Cardi-
mails from injury or death. Their two
Pullmans were in the middle Of the
train leaving Philadelphia, but after
the train was ferried around Manhat-
tan Island the baseball cars were at
tached to the rear of the regular sleep
ers. That saved the players from a
fall in the street, which probably
would have killed some of them, and
would surely have seriously injured
some. Such catastrophe would have
abruptly terminated the great race be-
ing made by the Cardinals this sea-
son.
A st. Louis team was. in the only
other big baseball wreck that has oc-
CURED in the last 10 years. The
Browns and the Cleveland team were
travelling on a special train one night
in 1908 when they were wrecked at a
little town in Ohio. To get from
Cleveland to st. Louis for a double
header, the clubs arranged for a spe-
cial train, consisting of two sleepers
and an empty baggage car. At l
o'clock in the morning, while the train
was running about 40 miles an hour it
was derailed. The engine remained
upright, but the baggage car was
crushed like an eggsheI, and both
sleepers were hurled into ditch. The
wreckage was an awe-inspiring sight,
yet not one man of the 81 passengers
was seriously injured.
Players of both teams were asleep IN
their berths, and when the cars
bumped along on the ties and finally
turned half way over, there was great
confusion. Players on one side of the
car dropped out of their berths into
berths on the opposite side. Awaken
ing suddenly in such confusion, they
began to fight. each other. but soon
realized what had happened. None Of
the Cleveland players was hurt in the
least. but the railroad settled with
each man for a small sum- and Presi :
dent Kilfoyle afterward took out a
blanket insurance on the team (which
was valued at 100000 in the policy
The st. Louis players got nothing. Wee
Willie Sudhoff had his hand cut and
got such a fright that he never re-
covered his effectiveness as a. pitcher
Sudhoff had just won eight straight
games. After that. whenever the
Browns were travelling he could not
sleep in berth and would sit up all
night. A baseball writer who had two
ribs splintered in this spill-the worst
injury that befell any passenger on the
train-has always believed that the
shock ruined Sudhoff as pitcher.
Another special was sent down from
Toledo and the teams resumed their
journey at dawn. They could not SLEEP
and the nervous strain even affected
their appetites. Arriving in st. Louis
early the same afternoon they played
a game. Fifteen or 20 years sgo the
Chicago National league team was
wrecked one night. and Jimmy Ryan
was thrown out of an upper berth
landing on top of A freight car on an
adjoining track. The sleeper was side
swiped by the freight train. and wher
part of the side and the roof was tor
off Ryan went with it. He was badly
shaken up and did not return to the
game for weeks.