The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-02-23

the statements of eye-witnesses shows
that the Connecticut River Special,
known as train 10 on the way direct
from New Haven to New York with
out stop carried 10 full steel cars, mail,
baggage, smoker, PulImans and a day
coach at the rear.
About 100 yards east of the Indian
River bridge and d mile and half
from Milford station some trouble was
experienced with the air brakes. The
train was stopped on the outside track
coming West and FIagtnan TourteI-
I6tte was sent 500 feet to the rear,
and just at the inner arc of a curve.
The rear car. steel coach as were all
the others on both trains, was stop
ped directly opposite Identification
pole No. 943.
"A freight train hound West, in the
same direction as the Connecticut
River Special was either Standing still
or travelling slowly on Tack i. just
inside of the one on which the pas
senger train was at a stand -stiu.
Inside the standing train all was
serene Some were reading while
others were talking The coach which
holds about 754spersons was comforts
ably crowd ID .s
There was a sudden shrek of a To-
connective directly behind Few turn
ed believing that it was an engine on
. the freight alongside
Suddenly the engine of Train No. 5,
an accommodations, having killed the
hagman. Tourtellotte, rammed full
force into the street car. which SEEM
ed to rise in cloud of dust as the
explosive force OF the released steam
in the accommodation engine threw
the boiler from the driving wheels
and trucks, filling the rear cars with
steam and hurting the boiler about
4 SO feet across the tracks and down
an enbankment
HRFT,1
then JaIn1ned itself into the and-under
the big steel cars, ripping off the rear
Grueks of the car and sending its top
To the electric wi res above. AS the
huge mass OF steel slid inward and
upward across the freight train it
crossed an empty fiat car directly
ahead of high steel coal car also
empty The rear car now swung
wholly across the four tracks and the
coal car was raised and thrown
across another track while an empty
Armour beef car crushed itself like
an eggshen against the heavier coal
car and the Bottom of the steel coach.
In the percussion, which, was
carOm-like, the steel Pullman and
coaches ahead were shunted with
such force that one, the parlor car
NapoIeons left the tracks and damned
against the outside electric poles. In
others ahead the seats were ripped
from the flooring and forced forward
while heavy plate glass breakage
caused many cuts and bruises to pas
sengers.
The tender of the accommodation
engine wedged beneath the heavy
steel car of the forward train. was
driven inward into the Adams Ex-
press car of the local, which bent in
ward for a distance of about four
feet
Had this combination baggage and
express car been of wood or the other
cars Of finsy material the devasta-
ton and loss of life would have been
beyond conjecture
AS it was, the entire end of the
steel rear day coach of the flyer was
bent and blown outward by the force
Of the explosion of the engine boiler
and the forward baggage coach of the
second train sustained a5shock. which,
otherwise would have telescoped
about two of the forward cars on the
rear train and a. least three cars for
ward of the engine
What direct or indirect effect the
freight train had upon the whole is
a problem that railroad men were
loath to discuss. One feature ali
agree upon: That tank car of gas
cline being brought forward by the
freight train within two car lengths
from the engine, cinders of which
were strewn about the tracks, was
just kept from exploding by the dis
taaes at which the freight was stop
ped from the burning car.
The fire; which all but consumed
several OF the injured passengers, was
due to the hrebox of the locomotive
being practically within the steel
coach, cushions, baggage, etc, which
with a Heterogeneous assortment of
Passengers and wreckage, was throw
against its front
AS the fire broke out trainnnen and
passengers assisted by George S.
CLARK, son of former Representative
George w. CLARK Of Milford, the only
English speaking eyewitness Of the
wreck from the outside, sought fire
extin guishers. The first were Of the
small brass variety. which failed to.