The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-07-12
At LEAST TWELVE
DEATHS IN NEW
HAVEN WRECK
Several Of the Injured are in a
Critical Condition.
--~
ENGINEERS FATAL. MISTAKE
Ran at Rate Of 60 Miles an Hour
Where Conditions Called for
Caution.
ENGINEERS FATAL MISTAKE

Bridgeport, Ct, July 12.-Twelve
lives were lost and A passengers are
lying in hospitals here several prob
ably fatally injured, as the result Of
the wreck just before dawn yester-
day morning, at the western end Of
The city OF the Federal express, runs
ming from Washington, d c., to Bos-
ton ON the New York, New Haven &
Hartford railroad
The train travelling at ,he rate of
about 60 miles an hour when the
rules according TO railroad officials,
called for rate of Is miles at the
point. was hurled of the yiaduct by
an open switch When the train
leaped from the embankment a day
coach next the baggage car was
caught at the bottom OF the heap and
smashed into matchwood, and not a
person inside escaped death or seri-
Gus injury The heavier Pullmans,
FIVE of them that crashed down after
it, held together, and the sleeping
passengers inside, although badly
shaken, for the most part suffered no
worse than broken bones and bruises.
A great mass OF wreckage was piled
up on the streets beside the viaduct
in an instant. Fire broke out but
the Bridgeport fire department quick
~ put this out, and the men lent as.
sstance to rescue those whose cries
Of agony filled the air Ambulances
and doctors, hastily summoned, did
their best to save those who were
under the debris.
The Federal express ran with
every birth and every seat full Mon
day night owing to the heavy traye
caused by the hot wave. Many oil
the passengers were young persons
returning from the national conven
ton of the Christian Endeavor socie
ty in Atlantic City The train left
Harlem river an hour late. The
Bridgeport station was only y miles
beyond the open switch was neal
the tower which stands at the juno
ton OF Fairfield avenue and STATE
street Automatic signals protec
the "cross-over' which the express
had 10 take here TO enable ii t
make the stop at the Bridgeport sta
ton The new "cross-over,' install
ed on the Burr road yiaduct and EN-
bankment. was indirectly responsible
for the accident The engineer hat
his throttle wide open to make NJ
lost time Apparently he forgot al
together the cross-oyer on which tn
train should have passed at SLOW
speed to another track to enable
to stop
In a statement issued by Vic
President Horn at New Haven las
evening the assertion is made tina
Engineer Curtis disregarded both tn
distance and the home signals, an
confirmation is given OF the earle
official statement to the effect tina
the Federal express was running a
the crossover at a rate OF about =
miles an hour. when the runnin
card called for only 10. Mr.. ior
says that the engineer had once PR
viously run the Federal express an
was familiar with the operation {
the line between New York an
Bridgeport from general experience
Mr.. Horn adds that there is no wa
OF accounting for the error mad
by the engineer"
The towerman says that when Gu
tiss locomotive whizzed by steal
had been shut of and the brake
were grinding on sand He belieN
the engineer realized his mistake an
was trying to slow down, althoug
too late.
With iremen. policemen and DO
tors working as fast as possible, Il
dead and Injured were laid out upC
the lawn OF Mrs b. A, Horan In Fai
field avenue AS fast as the ambt
ances came the injured We're SCI
TO the hospitals Many Of the de,
we're so mutilated that the work
Identification progressed slowly. Tv
babies we're found, one with It's he'
severed aud the other impaled
a splinter that went entirely throul
the body. The positions OF the DO
les OF the engine crew Indicated tn
both had jumped when their LOGON
tive LETT the rails Engineer Curt
was found In the wreck Of the telt
COPIED day coach, 100 yards behil
his engine Fireman Ryan W
found clear OF all wreckage aud u
body looked as II 1t had been throw
against some obstruction or be-
struck by u flying piece Of debris.
Several hours elapsed before MI
Walcott, one OF the dead, was iden
first by the name on her clothing al
then by a ring marked &C. ID. w.
p. b. L.. June %. 1888" She Is {
wife of Charles ID. Walcott OF Was
lngton. n director OF the Smithsoni
institute. MIR. Walcott telcphon
that he had left Washington a
would be here late tonight The b
les of the engineer and the iirem
we're identified by +. II. Barnes
New York president OF the Emp
CITY lodge, brotherhood Of railw
trainmen. and James NJ. Breen,
yardman In New York. Barnes ma
anxious Inquiries for w. II. Boyd
New York, member of the tr'
crew, who In still missing.
The unidentified white man at
morgue had on blue shirt such
railway men wear His head "
split and his face battered alm'
beyond recognition The man che
ed yalise from Philadelphia
Boston. No papers were found
him. lie was about 90 years q
stookily built about feet. 10 incl
tall and apparently oi swarthy &c