The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-23
Is One Theory Advanced for
the Train Wreck at
Milford, Conn.
LIST OF THE DEAD
REMAINS AT TEN
But One of the Sixty Injured
Is in a Critical
Condition

New Haven, Conn. Feb. 23.--The deatl
list as the result of the Tear-end collision
OF two passenger trains on the New York
New Haven & Hartford railroad at Mil.
ford stood at ten this morning. OF the
more than three score injured only one
was in critical condition.
The list of the dead follows: William
X. Curtis, engineer of the rear traini Ed
ward McGuinnis, fireman of the rear
train; George l.. Tourtellette, hagman OF
the forward train; Charles L. Allen OF
Groton, a travelling salesman; Susan b.
Hyland, an employe of the railroad Off
ces here; Patrick Common Of New York,
who died at the hospital; Joseph J. Frye,
a Pullman porter on the forward train,
who died at the hospital; Harry Schappa
of New Haven, who died at the hospital
from scalds; two unidentified men, one
OF whom is thought TO be Madiros Der
Hovhannassian, dealer in precious
stones, and the other q railroad fireman
named Werner.
A preliminary investigation into the
cause of the wreck was opened this morn
ing of Coroner Mix, with Chief lnspec
tor Trumbull of the public utilities CON-
mission sitting with him. The latter
body will probably open a formal in
quiry o-morrow, and it also has been
that federal probe will be
started soon.
The tracks at the scene of the wreck.
half mile east of the Milford station,
were fairly well cleaned up this morning,
but heavy fog hindered the work and
delayed traffic on the line in both direc
tions.
The chief object of the official inquiry
viii be to determine how II happened
that two trains got into the same block.
This division of the New Haven system
is guarded by semaphore block signals
since the previous wreck, The
theory advanced to-day was that the sig
lals were obscired by smoke from the |
passing freight train and the engineer
ailed to see the train ahead until too |
ate TO prevent the crash.
While the roadbed was not torn up, |
{ was literally covered with the ruins |
# the engine and freight cars. Heavy |
ron bars were twisted like wire and |
teel frames OF the rear coach OF the ex
'EtrS N0Af ilpptu apdts. nv tSHi SooSh
# the express, split wide open, was
brown across the moving freight, crush
ng these cars partly down and then fall
ng over the eastbound tracks. Caught
nder it were the bodies of Miss Susan
/. Hsland of New Haven and of the
nan believed to be Madiros Der How
a graduate student at Yale.
ate in the afternoon this car was raised
TO permit the removal of the
odies and they were taken to a morgue
ere.
One Pullman coach narrowly escaped !
plunge down the embankment with its i
The second coach from the !
,ar, it was iammed with its forward end {
ard against one of the standards sup !
orting the eatenary system of the road. |
In this manner it hung on the edge of
le bank. {
Not coach of the express escaped t
Jury. the forward cars being jammed I
'gether, the windows smashed and v
lo@ing the terrific force of the impact. |
he baggage car of the local was torn t
ON its side The rear coaches were not C
riously damaged and were hauled away
on after by wrecking train. a