Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-02-14

A FORTUNATE WRECK IN WHICH NC
ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED.

ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
Train No. 5 on the Grand Trunk lei
the rails Wednesday afternoon at . poiu
about q mile and Q half south of Sout
Paris. None of the cars tipped ovel
but every wheel of the train except tn
pony truck of the engine was of tn
rails, and the track was torn up for
distance of 800 or 400 feet. The fortu
nate and somewhat remarkable featur
of the affair was that no one was serious
~ injured beyond little shaking 81
and scratching.
passenger train due at South Paris a
1886. 1t was little late Wednesda,
afternoon, and the train was running al
rather higher than the usual speed. Or
the curve, at the place where the rail
road and highway run along side by
side for quite little distance, the drive
wheels of the engine went of the rail
The engineer instantly shut of the
steam and put on the brakes, but the
whole train went about 500 feet before
coming to a standstill. 81 thought she
never was going to STOP" the engineer
said, and doubtless some Of the passen
gers felt the same way about it. HaG
the accident happened in the summer
doubtless the train would have Jared
worse, and the passengers would have
been shaken up much worse by the sud
den stopping of the train.
Meanwhile the coupling between The
tender and the first car broke, and the
locomotive ran about car length ahead
of the rest of the train. When every.
thing came to a stop, only the pony truck
of the engine was on the rail. The west
rail, on the outside of the curve, for a,
least two-thirds of the distance which
the train moved after being derailed,
was torn from the ties and turned partly
or entirely over, and several lengths
were showed over into the ditch On that
side of the track.
A mail car, baggage and express car,
smoker, and one other day coach, made
up the train. The engine was not at all
damaged, the tender but slightly. The
cars were tilted at various angles, but
only one Of them, the smoker, sustained
material damage. On this car the for
ward truck turned around nearly at right
angles, and the car body was tipped up
but stayed on the trucks.
The place where the accident happen
ed is in shallow cut. and there is no
over which the train could
go. A little farther north the situation
might have been different.
In the smoking car there were only six
or seven passengers, and in the other Car
about twenty-five. Mutually all were
more or less shaken up, yet as rule
they did not seem TO find the experience
as rough as the appearance Of things
at the scene would seem to
indicate. One man who was in the
smoking compartment of the rear car
said, at didn't shake me up very badly.
| could look out through and see the
smoking car swinging wildly, and i
didn't know where that was going to
stop"
One of the men who was in the smOk-
or, asked if it shook him up badly, as
that car evidently described more curves
than any of the others, replied, mot
very bad. | hung to my seat, and l was
mighty glad when it stopped"
In the express car was the express
Fred Smith, who has been on
this run for many years, and he Jared
about the worst of any one. The door
Of the car was thrown open and he was
thrown bodily out through. Fortunate
Iy there was good depth Of soft snow
beside the track, and beyond some
on his face he has no marks of
the accident.
Charles Pratt, the veteran conductor,
walking in the aisle of the rear car at the
time, and though he was thrown against
the seats, he Immediately treasured
those passengers who were inclined to
have their nerves affected. As soon as
be had ascertained the condition of
things, he started on foot, accompanied
by few of the passengers, for the South
Paris station, where he reported.
At once the Norway train was sent
down to the wreck, and brought the
to South Paris. The Lewis
ton Branch train came up, and for the
other trains of that day the passengers
were transferred around the wreck.
Wrecking trains were dispatched from
Island Pond and Portland, and some
or a hundred men put In
the night at work. Before seven O'clock
in the morning. shorter job than had
been anticipated-the wrecked train was
hauled off and the track was again put in
shape, so that Thursdays trains were
able to get through with only such de-
lays as were incident to the deranged
m p5ition of FRO ffic