New-York tribune., 1912-02-21
TRAINS CRASH IN HOOSAC
TUNNEL, KILLING FOUR
Express Hits Freight and Engi-
neer Saves Passengers from
Death in Flaming Shaft.
ROCK POURS ON TRACK
Electric Engine, Though Warned
by Flagman, Fails to Stop
Smoke Drives Rescuers
from Portals.

North Adams, Mass, Feb. 2O.-With
twenty freight cars burning fiercely and
with tons of rock, loosened by the heat
raining down upon the tracks, Hoosac
Tunnel, on the Fitchburg division Of the
Boston & Maine Railroad, is effectively
blocked as the result Of a collision in
which four were killed tonight, when
Boston bound passenger express crashed
into freight. Days must elapse. in the
opinion of railroad men, before trains
can again operate through the tunnel.
The list of dead. as made public by
railroad officials, follows:
sIMoNps Archer l., fifty years old. Williams
town. engineer Of electric locomotive on pas
senRer train.
GREGG. Henry. forty. two years old. Scotia.
y Y. assistant engineer.
DAVIS. Luther. twortv-tvo Years old. Green
field learner on electric engine.
KEMP. Reuben. thir'yono Years o,d. North
Adams ragman attached 70 freight train
Many Of the occupants Of the coaches
were badly shaken UP, but there were
no serious injuries
The passenger train was not seriously
damaged. with the exception Of the cleo
tric engine which was drawing it, but
several cars Of the freight were demol-
Ished and the wreckage took fire. The
smoke pouring from the east portal Of
the tunnel drove back those who sought
entrance from that end, while the heat
made 1t impossible to go beyond the
central shaft from the other end.
The freight train, made up Of thirty
two care. loaded with merchandise, went
into the tunnel just before 4 o'clock and
when near the further end Of the four
mile shaft was stopped for some reason.
Kent. the flagman, went back to warn
the express, which he succeeded in stop
ming. Then he got aboard the engine,
which proceeded cautiously toward the
freight. For some unexplained reason,
nossiblv because the brakes refused to
work the electric engine failed to come
IN q stop when II neared the rear Of the
freight train, and moment later there
was a terrific crash This was followed
bv an electric display and burst OF
flame Then the rear freight cars took
fire
Tho engineer Of the regular engine on
the express train saw that the only hope
Of saving his passengers from death by
surfocatiou was to get away from the
spot at once, and he Immediately started
70 hack away. II was not until nearly I
O'clock that the train finally emerged
into the open air having been held up
,,,oet of the main airshaft awaiting or
ders.
The accident happened about $500 feet
from the east portal Of the tunnel aoout
4 40 o'clock, but it was some time later
before the news reached North Aams.
uhor news of the accident reached
bare Fire Chief II. ]. Montgomery ana
sortv volunteers were placed aboard
eot car. and, drawn by steam engine
.,,o,,,, IN reach the scene. but once they
"a rassad the central airshaft the heat
became So intense that they were Obliged
- turn back long before reaching the
,,rock AT the same time Superintend-
ont I d. Tyler and a gang of section
,,or tried to get to the fire from the
,,ber end. but they were driven back 10y
~ clouds of smoke and gas that filed
,ba mouth of the tunnel
Meanwhile the passenger train, which
nth the regular locomotive had broken
80, from the electric engine with the
Got crash. was slowly backing away
,.or, the fire and had got beyond the
,a,traI shaft. where the air was clear
,ri,bout difficulty. Later the train was
hocked out. and at o'clock tonight,
.brae hours late. it was started for Bo5-
on over the Boston & Albany tracks.
shortly before midnight a gang oi
,,rockers went into the tunnel and at
.or,nted to reach the burning debris.
rhoy had got to within about three hun
.rad feet when car of oil burst into
aomes There were number OF heavy
,xplosions, and smoke. denser than ever,
,rread through the tunnel The wreck
mo crew was barely able to escape No
further attempt will be made to get into
the tunnel until the fire has burned itself
ouf