Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-11-02

county declared the accident was
due to recklessness on the part of the
motorman, who had been employed
as train dispatcher and was pressed
into service because of the strike
which went into effect today after
the company had refused to rein
state 20 discharged union employees.
Mr.. Lewis said warrants would be
issued for the arrest of all officials
of the corporation who could be held
responsible for the disaster. An in
vestigation Of the wreck was in pro-
gress late tonight at the Offices of
the public service commission. The
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
had made no statement concerning
the wreck and four hours after it
occurred ignorance was professed of
exactly what had happened.
The wrecked train was packed to
the gates with home-going men,
women and children. Service on the
company's lines was materially re-
duced because Of the strike and ev-
cry train which left the Brooklyn
bridge was literally damned by the
thousands of delayed residents of
Brooklyn who almost fought to get
aboard. Mr.. Lewis and the police
asserted that the train was running
fully forty miles an hour when it
struck the curve and plunged into
the concrete Sidewalk of the tunnel.
1t was difficult for them to believe
at first. they said. that there could
have been such heavy loss Of life un-
less two trains had collided. The
tunnel was completed only recently
and it was declared only a motor
man thoroughly familiar with the
line could have negotiated the curve
safely even at moderate speed. The
gloomy tunnel was quickly convert
ed into shambles. The wreckage
burst into flames increasing the in
describable panic among the pas
sengers. Almost every passenger in
the first car was killed or desperately
injured. Many of these unable to
drag themselves out Of the wreckage,
ar believed to havesburned to death.
Dozen of the bodies removed were
G red beyond recognition and only
few of them have been identified
late tonight. The walls Of the cars
were crushed in as the train side
swiped the tunnel wall and many of
the passengers were ground to death
upon the concrete.
Frantic survivors scrambled madly
to climb up the side walls of the cut
on either side of the tunnel. Their
screams and the shrieks of the in
Jured brought hundreds Of persons
living in the vicinity to their aid.
but organized rescue work was mot
possible until the arrived Of Police re-
serves and firemen who lowered lad
oers to the tracks. Stretchers from
the scores OF ambulances which pa
sponded to calls for help were taken
into the cut and the fniure5 lashoa
70 them 30 they could not get out.
Bodies were taken to the Snyder av-
enue police station until there was
no more room there and then the
platform OF the Prospect Park sta |
ton a block below the wreck. WAS
used as a temporary morgue.
1t was not until hours after when
mothers and fathers. wives and hus
bands became alarmed at the ab- |
sence OF their loved ones and LEARNED |
OF the wreck that they besieged the
morgue. Women screamed and faint |
ed when they came upon the bodies
they hoped they would not And. Am
bulance surgeons did what they could
to relieve the distress OF the injured
up their wounds as best thew
might by the light Of AUTOMOBILES
lamps and electric torches.
President williams of the p. p -