The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-07-27
Horrible Tragedy
 Being huestigated
(Continued from Page 1>

(Continued ing, the youngsters were swept down by the east bound freight' their bodies tossed in all directions
 Six Killed Instantly Six of the eight were killed almost instantly, one died beside the tracks and the eighth died early last night at Griffin hospital, Derby.
 The dead:
 John Gentle. 17. 55 West street;
 Joseph Gentle, 14, his brother; George Rumble, IS, deorge Charles Bierwith, 12, West
 street;
 Ruth Bierwith, 14, his sister;
 Carl Hoffman, 13, 34 Wheeler
 street; oo Steven Rotkowieh, IT, Ss
 Wheeler street;
 Joseph Dzwonchyk, IA, 70 New
 street.
 Engineer Heart Broken
 John J. Kane, of Hartford, en, cineer of the death train, is stlil in d highly nervous condition as q result of the ghastly accident. II didn't see them till they were only 20 feet away" he said again ana again. and it was too late to do anything. , or.o The Bierwith girl, was still ailve when a rescue party finally arrived at the foot of the steep bank pv which the spot can only pc reached. but she died as she was being carried up the bank. Joseph Gentle, his body crushed, was llke- wise still alive but he died carry last night at Griffin hospital, Der hy. despite frantic efforts of doc tors to save at least one of the party of eight.
 Horribly Mangled
 Nearly all the bodies were nor ribly mangled and 1t was hours before identification of all the Vic- time had been completed. George Rumbel was decapitated and ms head thrown more than lO0 1eet up the tracks. The bodies or the others, ground beneath the wheeis' were pushed to one side as tite rumbling freight shivered to groaping halt. T, All
 As far as could be ascertained, there was only one eyewitness to the terrible catastrophe, Lucille Eette. IA. who was climbing the steen bank alongside the tracks when she saw her eight compan- ions crushed and hurled to tnei' deaths. She had stopped to talk with them just a few moments pc fore and had declined an invitation to sit down and join in their game of cards.
 Her version of the tragedy is the one that apparently has mos' foundation, and she says that the eight youngsters never stirred fron inc track on which they were struck by the onrushing long freight With the noise of tnt westbound train in their ears, sne said. tho children failed to hear tnt eastbound train roaring down or them and were beneath the wheels of the locomotive before they nae even a chance to escape.
 Traffic Was Held Up
 Traffic along that portion Of th' Housatonic division of the New Haven road was held up for ,sev eral hours. The scene Of the ac cident. about a mile and a nal from Shelton center and at th' foot of a steep bank overhung D. Shelton park, is opposite the I'm I'm University penthouse. The sectioi of the railroad is known as th, Berkshire division and Is the traci along which observation trains ar run during Housatonic rive regattas. .,
 For hours the scene of the acci dent and the entire town WeI' filled with confusion. It was con siderably after o'clock before an official news of the tragedy ha been given out. Police haa h' names or definite data aVailaple 10 several hours as they strove to uh tangle the maze or detalls ar secure identification of the Vic'ihs
 Local Man Conductor
 A Waterbury man, G. H. Barn hart. was the conductor of tn freight which wiped out the e'sh vouths, J. H. Danaher, also Materbury. was the conductor 9 the westbound train which was be s,g watched by the youngsters a the death freight bore down o' them around the sweeping bent acrnss from the Yale Universlt! boathouse.
 The New Haven Railroad, iron ifs divisional offices, issued tn following brief statement or th fraredy: Communication witl fhe traffic department of the rail ro,,d brought news that at 2:2 ps nj. (E. s. ID freight train oB- running from Maybrook to Bosto' struck group of children on tn fracks. The engine crew of tra,' RO-b from Boston to Maybrook ' Boston, running on track z m in ounosite direction. reported seem fhe group sitting on the track njavinr cards. The fireman trie fo warn the card players ou
 Emergency Squads Rushed
 AS soon as Shelton police ma heen notified of the, tragedy py 5hone call from the Yale Doa' a' barlse an emergency squad W. rished to the scene. An emei, eeney call was put in for all aVa,, Sbie anibuiances and doctors, pu then they arrived at the scent sbe oniy one for whom there wa iny hope at all was Jpseph . fIIs wfio died within . few hsNti Chief William Donoyan ef lh shelton police was soon on tn Sc6ne and ordered the bodies 70 2