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

their bare hands and in a frenzy,
threw snow on the fast growing
| flames. Finally several large chem
ical 5extinguishers were procured from
forward coaches of the express and
the fire was put out, but not until
several had been severely burned, in
GLIDING the engineer and fireman of
the accommodation, who were wedg7
ed in the debris and some of the
passengers in the coach.
After theft rst shock as the day
coach lay upon its side across the
track and overhanging the brink of
a thirty foot enbankm ent SO that
the passengers could not escape that
way, and two other coaches were
either party overturned or badly
smashed, the scene about the tracks
was as sbedfam.
Strong men wrung their hands in
agony, others temporarily insane had
to be restrained from the most re-
markabIe feats of madness, while the
cries of women mingled with the hiss
ing of steam from the big boiler down
| the en- bankrnent and the shri11 tootss
of engines. which soug7afsto give warn
I'M of danger. "A cloud Of dust hung
those engaged in the work Of rescue
could hardly see each other.
In the par1or car w enthan, which
was about fourth from the engine OF
the express. seats were topsy-turyy,
having been swrencfed loose from the
floor and thrown sidewise as the big
coach, forced from its trucks, <1urched
dangerously towards the freight track.
This car had also been side-swiped
by the freight. and the falling glass
had cut nearly every passenger in the
coach. The first impulse Of those
not injured was to leave the car.
Suddenly in the rush for exits some
y
who lay under seats and IN the aisles
groaning from their Injuries.
"A man. whose Identity is not
known, shouted: care we going to.
leave the dying?'' and instantly all
seemed to return instinctively to their
own seats in the car. Strips of cloth
| ing were torn from shirts and other
clothing and first aid treatment was
rendered by the passengers one to
another.
A similar scene was being enacted
in the steel Pullman Napoleon
which like the great general after
whom it was named, bore the brunt
ond car from the rear, and turned
over Sidewise at an angle Of As de-
grees, which would have thrown it
down the en- banknent but for a s1Is-
tanning steel truss, this was only
dented at the ends. It's passengers
]
monentarily threatened to slide down
the big bank which was snow-cover-
ed. The Pullman Saugatuck was be-
tween the Wentham and the Napo-
leon. It was scarcely injured. It is
said to have been in the Westport
wreck.
The dying and dead at this time
were mixed with the wounded. One
witness states that he saw a man
and woman lying side by side in the
snow outside the Pullman s'Napo1eon.,s
Members of the train crew of the
Connecticut River special, finding that
the engine and two forward cars were
in good condition, transferred such
injured as could quickly be moved
into that car and hurried them to
Milford where conveyances of every
description were requisftfoned to take
them to Laura1ton Hall, a convent
boarding school for girls.
In the meantime, the Bay State
Express, leaving Bridgeport for Bos-
ton, train xils: No. 10. was rushing forward
to the scene of the wreck. But for
the presence of mind of the engineer
it is said that this train also would
have been wrecked. This distance
however was in favor of the pass
engers on the Bay State, which drew
to a standstin a few feet from the
wreck.
Immediately, more of the injured.
as they were taken from the wreck
were placed in the combination bag
gage, smoking car of this train and
later backed down to Central ave-
nue., Bridgeport, where they were
transferred to Bridgeport hospital
A special emergency car carrying
a number Of railroad officials and
physicians was made up at the Bridge
port station, leaving at 1922 for the
wreck. A number Of blocks, and the
clearance of trains 10 and ~ from
Bridgeport, delayed the physicians
who were carried only to Milford.
which station they reached soon be-
fore 2 O'Clock.
The most seriously injured at Lau-
ration hall were brought TO this car
and immediateIy returned to Bridge