The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-04
GAVE FIRST
 CALL FOR AID
EvERARD THOMPsON,YALE TICK EFT MANAGER, GETS IN EARLY
 CALL AT WESTPORT WRECK,
HIS STORY OF THE CRASH
Manager Merry of Hotel Taft, Who Was With Him on Train, Tells
 of Experience.

Everard Thompson, manager of the l Yale ticket office in New Haven, who l was in the second Pullman of the fast 1 express that was wrecked at Vest
 port yesterday afternoon, with Man l ager Merry of the Hotel Taft, was the
 first to send for aid for the injured and dying. After the first thought l of saving the passengers Mir Thomp- son had the presence of mind to call 1 for doctons on the train but not one | rushed to the nearest house, 200 yards l away, and sent hurry calls to NorwaIk
 and Bridgeport for physicians and a,mbulances. Within half an hour the l first ambulance had arrived from the Norwa1k hospital.
 Mir. Thompson tells this version of t'Mr. Merry and myself were ssitting together reading in the second Pur-
 man. There must have been three or
 we had selected the second. On leaving New Haven we had entered the smoking car of the first Pullman second coach.
 "The train with it's eleven or more coaches was filled to it's capacity. car rying an unusually large number Of women and children.
 First Shock Easy.
 "The f1sst intinlation of any trou- ble we had came in the easy jump of the car, gentle rocking motion. abrupt enough to cause ehyeteric alarm until the coach we were in tip ped gradually as it went over the bridge. We were at this time about 100 yards south of the Westport sta ton, and going I should say at ter rife rate of speed: We soon realized our coach tipped in the air, just at the edge of the bridge, where it had struck the abutment and stood poie- ed in midair, small panic arose al thrown with force against the seats. It lasted but moment, however In not take, more than two minutes.
 We found our way out of the rear door of the coach and found that the engine had turned complete somer- almost into the road just after it had crossed the bridge. The tender had become separated from 1t and was piled up forty-feet away in the ditch a Aso. No wheels or rails were left to show how the accident occurred. The engine must have ripped the tracks with it.
 it. had rolled with the engine. but strange to say was thrown upside of it. This is the most peculiar and inexplicab1e part of the accident, that the baggage car should be forced ahead Of the engine far
 We heard no explosion, although there must have been one while we were in the car, for the steam escap- ed in volumes. and flames burst out on every side.
 The Work of Rescue.
 The first Pullman following the baggage ear got over the bridge safe ly, but separated from the baggage second Pullman struck the abutment and stood suspended in midair All the coaches following the second Pull man, including the passenger coaches, 9 on l. ed back afaterward.
 Although the engine was separat- somersaulted, the flames in some mann which I cannot explain, be- came communicated with 1t and spread with incredible rapidity, famed by the high south wind which was blowing and in two minutes the first and sec ond Pullmarss were a mass of fire. able to get out by the rear doors. without resort to the windows and hurried to aid those in the first, which by this time seemed cauldron of fire We set about trying to get pas sengers out The windows were broken in with axes. and the car wsf5 easy to reach those in the rear of the car, who had only to step out on to the ground level. But the flames, handed out the win dows, and as many 1 ess could be gotten out were rescued. l IhOS6 who d1d not get out must nave been burned to death in the wreck age.
 When we came away the Pullmans were a seething mass of flames, the l heat so intense that it was impossi- l ble to get within 200 feet of them
 The trainmen. porters and other attendants. behaved admirably. and little hysteria among the women pas sengers. In fact the whole thing was over, 1t seemed. in two minutes. l
 he fo4ir7 ff,t the cause of the accident. There were | no rails or wheels to show how it 1 happened when the fire had gotten in
 None in the ssecond car was injur- 1 ed. The women of course, were badly | shaken up and wrenched. but saw none who was seriously hurt
 NIT. NTerry's Account.
 MT. Merry and MT. Thompson took the next local train back to New Ha- ven. MT. Merry was inclined to min He said the train was going at a, fair l rate of speed. for mo tradnss on this line go fast" said he:
 At 5:3O when we left,'' said Mir | Merry. stthe wreckage was still a fiery furnace. The fire started when we got out of our coach, and we imme- the women and children out. Every | one there had to get out of the win doWs which were broken by the train | and the men who had rush ed there.
 .'I saw no one injured but one wom- an in the second coach with us. who had a few scra;tchets. The engine lay on it's side, ditched at the foot of the with the mail car off the track. and the four Pullmans off the track. but not ditched. The day coaches remained on the tracks and | believe none in these were injured Of course, every one was more or less sha ken uD.
 'eT4he sight was terrible as we nov ed around the engine. The trainmeh were tseaIded by the escaping steam, and I saw one man with his arm cut off I saw three dead piled up in a heap in the vacant lot where the en- zine had fallen