Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-02-28
Continued from Page One)

were in a very slippery condition,
and the place where the collision oc-
Cured is particularly bad because of
a down grade on the west bound
tracks, and a sharp curve with a set
of buildings which effectually OBJ
scure the vision for any considerable
distance ahead.
Halted for Hot Box
The first extra had come to a stop
some 300 yards within the yard limit
and was on the west-bound track.
This train was in charge of Conduc-
tor w. j. Monahan of Portland. and
J. c. Frank was the engineer. Train
No. ], the eastbound passenger, had
passed but few minutes before, and
; Conductor Monahan and his brake
men were tending hot box about
half way uD his train, when the Sec
ond extra crashed into the rear.
smashing up through the caboose and
into the last of the heavy heater
cars. The caboose was shattered as
If it had been straw hat in the
path of a steam roller. and the i'm
pact of the colliding locomotive with
/ the weight and momentum of the
long laden freight behind 1t, lifted
| five of the cars Of the head train off
the irons and over onto their sides
on the east-bound track.
Block Signal Was Set
1t was understood that the ward
block, which was about 800 yards
east of the scene of the crash, was
set against the second extra, which
was running at the usual 10-minute
interval behind the first section. The
frA in sv, oh
ductor +. G. Frazier, and d. Raynor
was the engineer. 1t was reported
at the scene Of the accident, shortly
after its occurrence, that when Engi-
neer Raynor observed the block sig
nal. he at once applied all brakes,
but the heavy freight continued to
drift" slowly along the slippery
rails.
Engineer Sticks to Throttle
The engineer and fireman of the
second extra were unconscious Of the
real danger ahead, until their engine
made the turn only about three car
lengths behind the buoy" of the
head train. There was nothing with
in human power that they could do
to stop their train then, and Engineer
Raynor turned to his fireman with a
warming to jump clear. The engineer
remained at his post as his big loco
motive plowed into and through the
lightly constructed caboose, in which
We're riding the four potato car
tenders.
Fire Starts in Wreckagc
Inc cars composing the two extra
trains. all of which were loaded with
Aroostook potatoes, We're not of the
automatic heater type, and as is Gus
tomary at this time of year in such
shipments. small wood stoves were
installed in each of the box cars to
keep the temperature above the
point where the perishable freight
would freeze. The fUur men. who
We're the luckless victims of the ac-
cldent, were employed by the ship
pers to tend those fires.
Shortly after the two trains had
been telescoped, fire broke out in
the derailed and overturned cars,
and before the work of rescue and
OF clearing the debris could pro.
coed it was necessary to call the
Farmingdale fire department to sub
due the flames.
For some time following the crash
1t was almost impossible to deter
mine how many had lost their lives
in the catastrophe. BY checking up
on the two train crews. it was found
that all of the railroad men had es-
capped serious injury. The only
check on the identity Of the victims
was on the way bills for his freight.
which Conductor Monahan had in
his pocket. 1t was by the entries
on these way bills that the names of
the missing potato car tenders were
learned.
Homes Victims Not known
No information was available late
yesterday as to the homes or rela-
tives of the four who lost their lives
in the accident. When the wreck
age and debris had been removed
sufficiently by the wrecking crew.
the big engine which had plowed
through the caboose and into the
rear boX-car, was backed out under
1t own power and the bodies Of the
four hapless men were removed
The bodies were terribly mangled,
and the clothing stripped and
charred until Identification by such
means was practically impossible.
1t was by watch found on one
tortured and scared body. and tiny
square of note paper on another
that the identification was reached.
Tangled Mass Flesh and Steel
The remains of the four Aroos-
took men were all found practically
together, deep buried in a tangled
mass of twisted steel and splintered
wood. just ahead of the boiler front
and under gear of the monster
snorting locomotive. where it had
crowded them up through the inte-
rior of the caboose and against the
rear end of the last laden box car.