The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-07-15
Z DEAD IN WRECK
Express Train PlungeS Down
Embankment.
a OTHERS WERE INJURED
Six Cars Leave the Tracks and
Scarcely Any Person In Them
Escaped Death and
Injury.

Bridgeport, Conn. July IL. - The
Federal Express. one OF the New York.
New Haven & Hartford railroads
fastest trains. carrying passengers
without change from Washington to
Boston. and running With every berth
and every seat taken. plunged down a
tWenty.foot embankment here while
running sixty miles an hour.
or 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 II is evident they must
have met instant death. This probably
completes the death list
Forty-four injured are In the hos
pitfalls and nearly a score more receiv-
ed injuries not severe enough to pre-
vent them from continuing on their
journey.
The dead are:
A. NJ. Curtis. engineer.
W. A. Ryan, fireman.
Mrs. Gwendolyn +. Rogers. wife OF
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 +. Saunders. OF Norwich,
Conn.
Two unidentified men, one colored.
Two unidentified women.
One unidentified boy. about ten
years old.
A new "cross-over" installed on the
Burr road vladuct 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 yestibuled train OF
nine cars struck the switch at full
speed the locomotive leaped, rocked
and swayed over the ties for nearly
$50 Yards and finally fell to the street
below. dragging six cars down the en-
bankment The coupling broke be-
tween the sixth and seventh cars.
leaving three sleepers upright on the
embankment, two OF them still on the
rails.
The engine, twisted into junk. was
200 feet south OF Fairfield avenue. Be
hind we're the mail and baggage cars.
while the Pullmans and coaches were
In a mass In the rear.
The day coach was entirely crush
ed. and In II the deaths were many,
FIVE bodies being removed at once.
Pullmans crumpled Like Paper.
Three Pullmans we're almost COM
pletely crumpled up. but appearances
were that the passengers were in
measure protected by the strength OF
the cars.
The mass OF wreckage did not take
fire. but the fremen, who we're 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 mutilat-
ed that the work OF Identification pro-
crossed 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
nails.
G.. s. Rogers, an electrician SER
yeant in the United States coast artil-
cry, who had been transferred from |
Virginia to Maine. was travelling with |
lls wife and two little children. Mrs. !
Rogers was crushed and her tiny babe |
was killed by her side. Sergeant Rog. |
srs was fearfully hurt and his little
BOY was severely injured.
With hremen, policemen and doctors
working as fast as possible. the dead
md injured were laid out upon the
avn OF Mrs. B. A. Koran. In Fairfield /
venue. As fast as the ambulances
anne the injured were sent to the /
hospitals. A babe a year old was
ound In one car. II was alive and had
become separated from its mother,
Hrs. w. B. Clephane. OF Cherry Creek,
Ad., and its aunt. Miss Beatrice Gle
)hane. both OF whom escaped with
minor injuries. chiefly wounds on the
read.
The members OF the ST. Louis Ma
ional league base ball team. on their
vay to Boston, who were in the last
all escaped injury. Their car
tayed on the track. but Its sudden
top at the moment Of the crash threw
very one OF the ball players out OF
lis berth. without waiting to dress
the players hurried from
heir car, climbed down the yiaduct
md spent a strenuous two hours In
Helping the railroad men, policemen
md surgeons at their work in the
yreckage.