The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-10-11
FATAL TROLLEY
CAR CRASH INTO
STEAM ENGINE
Editor BIydenburgh of Middle
town Killed and Many Seri-
ousIy Injured.
PILOT ON ELECTRIC
TRIES TO STEAL SWITCH
AS Result Meriden Trolley and
Train Meet on Same Track in
Head-on Collision Near the
WestfieId Station.

pro DapIy Fatally hurI, and a oOzen
more or less seriously injured last
night when al high-powered trolley
car and a steam train met in a head
on collision on the tracks of the Mid
| dIetown- Berlin branch of the New
Haven road. 800 yards from the West
field depot, and FIVE miles from Mid
dletown..f
The steam train, running about 20
miles an hour, and the electric car,
travelling at high rate of speed,
crashed together just before O'Clock.
and not a passenger on the trolley
escaped injury. The front end of the
car was splintered and tossed into the
air, landing on the. engine, while the
rear trucks remained on the tracks
The attempt of the trolley. car crew
to steal a switch is given as the
cause of the accident Motorman Lord
and Pilot Bradley, it is said, should
have held their car at the switch at
Newfeld, and allowed the train to
pass the car there, but they tried to
run into Westfield and get off the
main line onto the Meriden branch
tracks ahead of the train.
The Dead
Ralph A. Blydenburgh, 4s, Middle
town, city editor of the Midd1etown
Penny Press. Skull crushed In
stantly killed.
Probably Fatally Injured.
John G. EtIey, 40, Mt. Vernon, N.
z. tobacco drummer, several ribs
broken, internal injuries feared. IS de-
1irfous.
Otto St. Arnold, IS. Mertden. waiter.
fractured jaw. fractured leg and in
ternaI injuries.
Miss Frances B1orfan, %. Rock
Falls mill worker, fractured skull, in
ternaI injuries feared.
Injured.
The following injured are at the
MfddIesex Hospital, Mfddletown:
Emphraim Hines. 35. Mfddfetown.
conductor of trolley car, fractured
wrist and tibia-
motorman of trolley car, fractured
Harry euerfn. 27, New Haven. Ia
borer fractured nose and scalp
wounds, cuts and bruises on body and
legs.
michael Cronin,s IS. Portland, body
bruises and scalp wounds.
Miss Anna psltting. ~. Middletown,
Iacerati ons of body. a. IL
Charles sAhrens. 25, Long Hill. cuts
and bruises
Adam Drawer, SO, West Cromwell,
shop hand, bruised, badly shaken mp,
and suffering from shock.
Jarius Chafee. 20 Mid dletown, bad
" cut about face and head. Neck
twisted and ligameut sprained.
Taken to hospital and later removed
to her home:
Mrs. Robert Mathison, 80, Middle
town., fractured Leg scalp wounds.
She is sister of Miss Quitting.
Steam Train Passengers Hurt.
The following were passengers of
the steam train, and were injured,
| though not seriously, in the crash:
Homer Billiard, Portland, two teeth
knocked out.
Thomas Linehan. Middletown, three
teeth knocked out.
A score of other passengers on the
stea mtrain were; badly shaken up.
The Berlin train was late. having
| left the junction at 6:43 Instead of s6:33,
the regular leaving time. The Meri-
den car left NffddIetown at 6:45. The
| usual procedure is for the car and
| train to pass at Newfe1d, where there
| is a long switch near the station.
Thomas Beaupre of New Haven was
the engineer, william Underwood of
Midd1etown the conductor, and Harry
Norris of NTidd1etown the trainman on
| the lin-NdfddIetown train.
Under the law, three men are car
ried on all cars of the Midd1etown-
Meriden branch as far as W7estheId,
1 that part of the road over which the
trains to Berlin run. The motoxrnan
was Benjamin Lord of Nfiddletown,
/ the conductor Ephratn Hines, and the
pilot George Bradley of Meriden.
| IT was on a bad curve, one OF the
worst of the line between. A4ddletown
and Berlin, that the locomotive and
train crashed together. Engineer
Beaupre had passed the switch, where
the Meriden car should have left the
main line, had stopped at the West
field depot, and resumed the trip to
/ Middletown-
The train had gathered momentum
and was running at about twenty
miles an hour, when it rounded the
bad curve. Just the locomotive
neared the straightaway, and the en-
] gineer opened the throttle for the run
/ to Newf1eld, the trolley. car was seen,
bearing down upon the heavy Iocono-
tive The engineer applied the air,
and the motorman his brakes, but the
collision was inevitable
! Passengers on the trolley car could
| not see the headlight of the Iocomo-.
tive, when it became visible to the
motorman and pilot, for the curtains
/ at the front of the car were pulled
down, to exclude the light from. the
motorman's compartment, and give
/ him a better view of the rails ahead.
! A passenger said after the wreck that
there were fifteen on the car, the mo-
| torman, pilot conductor and twelve
| passengers. He had happened to
glance at the register, just before the
/ crash came.
NEotor1nan and Pilot Jump.
| When Motorman Lord saw the on
coming train round the curve, he
shouted to Pilot Bradley, set the
i brakes of the car, and jumped. The
] pilot landed on his feet and escaped
| injury, but Motorman Lords ankle
was broken by the force of his fall
! Then came the crash of the trolley
car and the heavier locomotive. The
/ front of the car was smashed like an
/ egg-shen and the passengers thrown
to the floor, struck by bits Of wreck
age cut by flying glass, and tossed
to the rear of the car. The Iocomo-
tive was not damaged
In the train there was a. panic Many
of the passengers We're thrown out
of their seats into the car aisle. A
score were badly shaken UP. and two
1 lost teeth in the crash. The engineer