The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-11-16
Cause Of Wreck Is Attributed By Road
 To Broken Pate
Defective Switch The Cause Says P. U.
 Engineer EIWeIl
Engineer keIIlher By Hurcu'ean Effort Brings Train to Stop
 Near Rivers Edge

The Portland Express. west bound. due in New York at 5:35, and two hours late at Milford, met catastrophe ooday at a point half a mile east ot . the Milford station in the twilight of early morning. At 6:02 two sleeping ears and two coaches jumped the track and were dragged a quarter of a mile over the ties upon the edge of steep e1nbankment. while the passengers, aroused from sleep. were frantic with fear
 It was as narrow an escape from aeath as many of those passengers SgilI ever have again.
 Tn cars left the track few feet east of the Gulf street bridge, which presents just such a drop into high way as the Federal Ex press found at Fairfield avenue in July. 1911, and the Springfield Express found beyond the SauEatnck station, on Oct. B.
 But the train with it's Jumping cars crossed the bridge, passed safely 8 snd was halted S iai with it's its sngine M r almost t up6h the brink of the iron bridge which crosses the hishway and the sf t1ilrty feet into water cohfrented Thsxcars IF; Sest Track at point where switch leads down into q sand
 This switch had been wired up. The bed plate had been. broken. and the break was said to be of loAg endur- ance as the rusty edges of it indicat-
 The track at this point and appar- was in fearful shape. Ties were split and rottfng. Spikes were loose in their places. and specta tors amused them selves pulling them with their fingers
 a IT, entIy of that found in the neighbor- hood of the disaster at Westport- Fish plates were Sometimes spiked to the raEls- and sometimes not.
 A gang of men were immediately put to work replacing the torn up track
 Some of them commsntea upon a the ft was not safe for the operation of trains at high speed
 To Engineer D. Kelliher, driver of the fast Portland Express which was wrecked by defective frog switch in Milford at 6 six o'clock this morn Ing. under conditions similar to those which were condemned yesterday In the report Of Coroner John J. Phelan on the Westport track conditions, the lives of many ,1.Id passengers R reE are 6odas h;s cab applying the brakes and frantical- 1x sanding the tracks with death upon every side until his train was stopped paug River Bridge, with its sheer drop Of thirty feet to the waters below.
 The Portland Epress was westbound towards New York, travelling at rate of speed estimated at 40 miles Der hour It was two hours late from Portland. being due in New York at train consisted of twelve cars, mostly express, There was combination baggage-srnoker. a day coach and two Pullman e1epers in the rear. It was in charge of Conductor L. Fl. Fowler and drawn by one of the massive Canadian type engines. number 1906, and IS scheduled on the running sheets as
 At Worcester. the Portland cars which are drawn over the Bostsa &s over the Boston & Albany road to Springfield. were said to have been aslsysd due s4 S freight yep wraee tSa trsin nsnn was over an hour late and an effort was being made to gain lost time when striking the number 10 frog switch just Ford and beside the ancient cemetery Tn which are buried persons who died two hundred years ago. the com pima ffon baxsa be-emolxer forced the defec- tive bed-plate and -'wing-raiP' from it's nncflore ge in spongy ties, deraihng the four rear cars.
 railnent until the jolting. and swaying sf the cars, caused a trainmen's sig nal This was folloWed c,5 oy the 3l fInaI Inr wide from the ties upon which it was travelling, collided. with freisht number 544, known as the Cdndl t-sin,s which was travelling. in a like direction on Track No B. It was then that he became aware of the awful Fzfe which awaited his passengers should he not he able to stop the train bsfore reaching the river bridge ahead. WRECK-S
 sADDIyiuz emergency brakes with ,,1csf1 force as to throw the train crew rom their feet, he is said to have stood upright in the cab and to have Eed inc sand with all the power at his ronanland. The parting of the cou- bling between the express and baggage sars. as repeated impacts between the oassenger and freight trains took place. aided materially in reducing the slon1entum at which his section was ra veIing. as the twisted trucks dug aeeply into the cinder and rock bed below.
 From the point of derailment to the spot where the engine stopped IS dls- lance of about 8 quarter or mile That the train pasued over this course tf full speed. crossing the GuH street nestle iY3 safety is considered mar fel It fs also asserted by those in b~~ @nSn a& Shm tfs1uA thRe the contact