Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-21

! and although the latter was not able
| because of the heavy smoke TO reach
| the wreck he got near enough to dis
Germ the trouble. Upon receiving the
| report of the messenger the switch
| man made use of a commercial wire
| which passed over Hoosac mountain
and telephoned TO headquarters IN
this city. Meanwhile the passenger
train which had broken away from
| the electric locomotive with the nrst
| crash. was slowly backing away from
the fire and got beyond the central
shaft. where the air was clear, With
out difficulty. Later the train was
| backed out and at o'clock, tonight,
three hours late, was sent to Boston
over the Boston & Albany tracks.
The freight train made up of 81 cars
loaded with merchandise, went into
the tunnel Just before. o'clock and
when near the further end of the
ly damaged. with the exception of the
electric engine which was drawing it,
h,1t several cars on the freight train
were demolished and the wreckage
took fire. The smoke pouring out from
the east portal of the tunnel drove
hack those who sought entrance from
thai end. while the heat made IL i'm
possihle TO go beyond the central shaft
from the other end with the result that
hurs after the crash the wreck was
still burning.
The accident happened about 300
feet from the east portal of the tun-
mel. about 4S0 o'clock. but it was some
time later before the news reached
North Adams, for all of the railroad
wires passing through the tunnel
were carried away by the crash. A
switehman at the east portal was the
first to discover the wreck. He no
tfced smoke pouring from the mouth
of the tunnel and a few sniffs sufticed
to tell him that II was not engine
smoke. but smoke from burning wood.
He sent a messenger into the tunnel
four-mile shaft was stopped for some
reason and Flagman Kent sent back
to warn the passenger train known 10
be due. The passenger train was eight
minutes late and it was just 4:0s
when the electric engine was hitched
onto the front of the regular engine
and il entered the west portal of the
tunnel.
Flagman Kent succeeded in stopping
the EXPRESS and then got aboard the en-
CINE which proceeded cautiously toward
the freight For some unexplained rea-
son. possibly because the brakes re-
fused to work, the electric engine failed
TO come to a stop when 1t neared the
rear of the freight train and moment
later there was A terrific crash rms
was followed by an electrical display
and a burst of flames and the rear
freight cars took fire.
The engineer of the regular engine on
the express train saw that it would be
hopeless to attempt to save the crew of
the electric and that the only hope of
saving his passengers from death by suf-
location was to get away from the spot
at once, and he Immediately started to
back away. 1t was not until nearly /
o'clock that the train finally emerged into
the open air, having been held up west
of the main air shaft awaiting orders
When news of the wreck reached here
Fire Chief II. j. Montgomery and 40
volunteers were placed aboard fiat car
and drawn by steam engine sought 10
reach the scene, but once they had pass
ed the central air shaft the heat be-
came so intense that they We're obliged
to turn back long before reaching the
wreck Meanwhile Supt. J. ID. Tyler and
gang of section men sought reach
the wreck from the other end, but they
were driven back by the clouds of smoke
and gas that filled the mouth of the
tunnel.
Seventeen freight cars are burning,
the rest of the train having been pull
ed out of the east end of the shaft.
Losened by the intense heat, many
great bolders which make up the
Roof and side of the tunnel have fallen
upon the tracks to add to the trouble.
Hoosac tunnel is one of the most IA
nous railroad tunnels in the world. AT
the time that it was opened, in 1873, it
was the longest railroad tunnel in ex-
istance, being Az miles in length. For
the greater part of the distance 1t IS
hewn out of solid rock. Until within
year trains had been drawn through
the tunnel by steam, the smoke and
gasses compelling the closing of all
windows and doors in the cars and
making it extremely Uncomfortable
for passengers. A year ago, however,
an electrical system was Installed and
now trains are drawn through by cleo
tricaI engines 1t is the custom to at
tach the engines just before the train
enters the tunnel and detach them at
the other end.
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