New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-04
SURVIVORS TELL MANY
ASTORY Of HEROIC ACTS
YOUNG Priest Dragged a Dozen
Victims from Burning Coaches
in Saugatuck Wreck.
FIELD HEIR ONE OF THEM
Secretary Macveagh Meets Mr.
James, His Friend--Pas-
sengers Criticise the
Train Officials.


Train officials.
Many OF the passengers who were III
,ureS in tia train wreck at SaugstucK'
Conn. were brought back TO this city on
various trains that altered into the Grahd
Central Station during yesterday e'e".'e
and last night With the exception OF
few. most of them we're able to continue
on 10 their homes without any assistance
All OF them seemed to hold TO the opii'io.
that the accident was due to the engineer
taking a switch too quickly
According 20 the early arrivals ne'e'
probably fifteen persons lost tne'r hIoo
and more than score others were M
,ured Immediately following the acci-
denf all those who had succeeded IN sep
tina out alive went 10 the rescue OF inc
others. and from the stories that nome
corners related II was apparent that oiiiS
their heroic work kept the list OF dea'hs
from being greater.
Many persons were extricateo from th0
burning cars, the rcscuers oreVihs n'a
flares, which enveloped the coacneS INC
oassengers were so thankful in escaping
With their own lives that they stopped IL
M effort in saving those trapped IN the
burning coaches. Aiding the rescuerS
uere MANY women, who tore UP theH
skirts 10 bandage persons cut by the ~
ing glass or gashed by wreckase.
Tho survivors gave greet deai OF
credit 10 n young priest. who was III WV
front coach. where most or the pssse"-
liz en-
gers lost their lives. According 10 lhe''
he made a dozen or more trips 70 inc
burning coach and dragged forth as many
porsons. Several Of these were SO oauiE
injured that they died soon ni'et 'hey
were taken out.
white q run,h4r of the survivors Voiun-
,esred Information regarding the wreck
MANY only shuddered with horror az 'ne
thought Of the scenes they mao "''"es
Kept Away by Flames.
Men women and children were oeins
burned 20 death. and those VINO hau sue
csadad IN getting safely out OF the
,.oachss stood by terrorstrtcken and pow
or,.ss 70 aid them because OF tho heFce
ea-,as 7. was 80 hot in some places
.h., ., was almost impossible to approach
the victims.
Two n4rsons who had an almost Hirsc-
,,,ors .scane from death were Philip L.
James. who. on his mothers sioe' "os
an heir Of Marshall Field, OF Nhicaso' '.u
his wife. They were in the hrSt car IN
which were many OF the persons VINO
u,s,a killed. Mr. James received lohs
49,, behind the ear and both of h's
hands were badly laeerated ne "@s
ea unconscious at the moment OF
~. crash and thrown heavily 70 the moor
80 Tho coach Although everything a.
once became dark, Mrs, James searchea
around and finally found her hcsDanu
She then held TO him until ooth "ore
taken out by the young priest
NJ, lanes and his wife arrived mere On
.ho Springfield local at 10 o'clock. On the
saroe train was Franklin MacVeagh' Sec
rntorv ~ the Treasury Of the Uni'eo
states. who is a personal FRIEND OF MI
Jsrnes. Before leaving the terrninsi II!
ta~icab. 70 which Mr.. MacVeagh escor'eu
him and his wife. Mr.. James volunteered
20 ..u what little he knew about the &C
c,deD, lie said that lie and HIS wife
were IN the utSl JAW =,
b.en talking, he said, Of their Visit 10 me-
,noth.r-in-law, who lives IN TINS CITY
when suddenly he was thrown 10 'he
ooor That was all he remembered no
said. until he was revived by physician
The crew of the train, as we'll as the ot-
acials OF the New York, New Haven q
Hartford Railroad, came In TOT great
deal OF criticism from the passengers
According to the story, Immediately toi-
Iou,ng the accident there was not per-
son attached 20 the train to be seen any
where SO far as ofhciale were concerned
u was said that more than two houfs
elapsed before relief arrived
O. L. Wade. a lawyer. OF indianapolis
hIs wife. and DR.. Anderson, dentist also
OF that city, were among the survivors
7, is feared that Mrs. Wade's back 10
broken. Her husband only had his right
side injured Tho three went TO the Bel
mont Hotel, where they will remain until
,rch ,ins an they are able TO go home.
At Sixty Miles, Hs Thinks.
I'VE were In the second car" said Mr..
wade, in relating his experience. "and I
believe that the train was travelling at
least sixty miles an hour. Suddenly the
train bolted, and the next thing I knew
we we're trapped in the coach among a
great deal Of Debris. 1t was impossible
10 Get out of either the front or rear door
of the coach, and for a while It seemed
as II all was over.
Perhaps only few seconds elapsed,
hut we felt as II we had been I'm there
half an hour when some one broke the
window where we were sitting and res
cued the three Of us through it. made
every effort TO get the mans name, but
ne declined, saying he did nothing more
than his duty"
Mr.. Wade and Or. Anderson are both
thirty-th.rd degree Masons, and had at
tended the convention held at Boston.
They were on their way TO this city
where they hoped 70 spend week before
returning TO Indianapolis.
william II. Conk, Of the Bankers Build
ing Bureau, at No. 106 East 10Th street:
James harrington, Of the Textile Finish
ing Company. and Harry o. Swan, Of No.
iSz Lexington avenue, Providence. were
apoonr the survivors who reached here