New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-23
Local, Running by Sig
mails, Drives Into Ex-
press at Milford.
BAY STATELIMITED
BARELY ESCAPES
Blocks Worked Properly,
Officials Find-TWo New
Workers Among Dead.

Milford. Conn. Feb. 22.-Nine
persons were killed and fifty injured,
many seriously, this morning, when
New York bound New Haven
local, running past warning signals,
crashed into the rear Of the Connec-
ticut River express, stalled in cut
near the Woodmont station.
Among the dead are w. r. Cur
It's, the engineer OF the local train,
officially known as No. ). His
death was instantaneous. With
hlm in the list of dead is George l..
Tourtellette, fagman Of the express,
who was crushed 10 death as he
stood on the track frantlcally way
ing the red danger flag.
Most of the other dead and in
iured were in the rear coach of the
express, a new steel car. AS eyi-
dence of the high speed at which
the local was running this car to-
night is mass Of crushed and
twisted metal. I" the rear of the
wreck the home sitnal shows at red,
while the brakes on the wrecked
engine are set hard, indicating that
Curtis, sighting the danger signals,
did all in his power TO stop his train.
This car was flung around and
into freight moving in the same
direction on the adjoining track. II
was split open and landed on it's
eide right across the four tracks.
Freight wreckage and car wreckage
were scattered all over the scene.
No Cars Down Bank.
Luckily no car went down the cm-
bankment. The sleeper next TO tho
day coach on the express left the
rails. but was saved from rolling
over by steel column of the over
head electric system. The day coach
came to rest at right angles 10 the
rails and straddling all the tracks.
The primary cause Of the wreck
was the bursting of an air hose on
the express. This train. which was
three minutes ahead of the local
when it passed Woodmont at ll:l9.
had been crossed over 10 the outside
track so that a freight could proceed
west on the inner track. This freight
was passing, and John j. Kennedy,
engineer OF the express, was maxi
ing repairs on the hose when the
local. passing a cautionary signal
1000 feet in the rear Of the ex-
press and a danger signal 300 feet
away, smashed into it, throwing
some Of the cars against the freight
and blocking all traffic.
Bay c,atc Saved by Few Yards.
Almost Immediately the Bay State
Limited, Boston bound, with 500 pas
sengers on board. came hurting
along on the eastcrly tracks, across
which lay passenger coach. The
engineer Of this train. reversing i'm
medlately, brought his train 10 a
full stop within few yards of tho
wreckage and then slowly backed to
Bridgeport. Had not this driver
had his train under full control the
worst wreck in the history Of New
England railroading might easily
have resulted.
Signals Worked Properly.
That the signals were working
properly was demonstrated almos,
Immediately after the accident, for
on the local train +. W. Chappell
an assistant engineer in the signal
department, was a passenger. His
tests, il is understood. showed that
the installation was in order ann
functioning properly.
The engine. examined by G.. "
Wildin, mechanical superintendent
os the road. showed the brakes to be
i'll good order. Wildin made the run
to the scene of the wreck in a special
engine and was on the ground thir.
t;-fye minutes after the crash.
The reports neither of Wildln o,
Chappell will ba made public unit
the men are called as witnesses be
fore Coroner Eli ". Mix, or III,
Connecticut Public Utilities Com
mission, which is now making an in
Continued on>Ose :, colunay