TERRIBLE BAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 1021, 3 November 1871, Page 3

TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

A frightful accident occurred last night on the Eastern Railway, Revere, seven miles from Boston. The accommodation, train started behind time, and while stopping at the station at Revere, the Portland Lightning Express overtook it and telescoped, it, killing twenty-one passengers outright, of whom three were women, and wounding forty or fifty more. The cars took fire and were consumed.. Most of the woauded were scalded, and their limbs fractured. The killed and wounded belonged mostly at Lynn and Salem. The appalling railroad disaster at Revere last night caused an intense excitement to-day. Large crowds have visited the scene. At the time of the collision the accommodation train for Beverly had its red signal hoisted at the mast-head of the signal-post for the express to hold up, which it did at Everett, but subsequently proceeded, and was under full head-way when near Revere station, the engineer evidently not being ,aware of the proximity of tiie Beverly train until perhaps within sixty rods. - He then whistled *' down brakes," but not soon enough to avoid the calamity. Some passengers in the rear part of the accommodation train heard the ominous whistle, but too late to escape. On came the express train at* great velocity, and the engine struck the rearmost car full in the centre, and forced its way pi telescopic j manner; two-thirds the length of the car. The smoke-stack was instantly knocked off and the boiler penetrated all the distance into therearcar, the-reaTpart of the hitter being smashed into a thousand splinters and. throwing debris out on the side of the tender. Of v the rear half of the car not a fragment as big as a house window could be found. The fore part of the engine is utterly de- - molished, the pistons bent arid the rodß broken. The car was crowded with people, every seat being occupied, and many standing in the aisle. In among these the locomotive rushed as quick as a flash just as the Beverly train had started, mangling and killing in a most frightful manner. But this w&* not the only and perhaps not the worst visitor the unfortunate passengers had. Simul.ta.peo.us with the collision the head cap . of the boiler broke, and in an instant the wretched sufferers, were shroudedin clouds of hissing steam and boiling water, which brought instant death to many of the wounded; and will prove fatal to others who would probably not been otherwise seriously injured. £he lamps spilled their contents, but the fire,.if any, was undoubtedly extinguished by water and sttjam^ ;.. although the Beverly train was just moving when the collision took place. Its motion did not prevent injury to the cars in from. The coupling between the two rear cars broke, and the platforms of tiU of them were jammed up together, with the smoking car overlapping the luggage car, and rods and timber inextricably mixed and interwoven. Fortunately the entanglement was not so great but that the passengers succeeded in getting out quite speedily. Happily for them they did so, for the kerosene lamps were upset and their contents Bpilled upon the upholstery, and instantly the smoking car was in a blaze. The flames travelled with great speed from, one car .to another until three of. them were embraced in the fiery foUh. These subsequently moved up the track, Jp4M> ;^Ma»»daf*Mi&-*were altoWSoTTo* Durn until nothing was left. An effort at first was made to put out the fire, but this was prevented, and the flames were useful in lighting up the dreadful scene in the rear, and facilitated the services for the wounded. . ' The w^ork of rescuing the victims was at once commenced, assistance being, soon ' furoished'from Chelsea, Charlestowh, and, at a later, hour,' from Boston, including surgeon. ?*nd physicians. Dozens of poor creatures were jammed with the wood and iron work, and could not get out. An axe was wielded vigorously, and soon a rope wa&applied to the aides of the car, and afl the remaining framework was pulled asunder. , The dead and wounded were taken out carefully, and speedily placed on a platform or in the depot. Some were pinned with splinters ; 'some had arms and legs broken ; while others were mangled beyond recognition, Many, in fact the majority, of the dead were apparently free from bruises, but the peeling skin and deathly pallor which overspread the face and flesh told plainly that the steam and scalding water had been a frightful and effective agent of death. Public sentiment is strong against the conductor and engineer of the express train. The engineer escaped with a few bruises, by jumping from the train. The accommodation train was three-quarters of an hour late, which fact, it is said, was known to the managers of the express train. A young man viewing the wreck to-day, from the rear platform car, was thrown by the sudden start of the train, and fatally injured. The terrible railroad accident on Saturday night becomes more sickening as the details are developed. The cause of the accident was simply that the engineer on j the express train chose to plunge his train j into one standing at the station before him. The Beverly accommodation .train made several stops to get passengers at way-Stations. Meanwhile, the express train from Bangor left on time, and ran the highest allowable rate of speed. Before it started, Superintendent Prescott sent special orders to the engineer to be careful, as there was a train ahead of him. The conductor of the accommodation train was warned of the train behind him, and caused two red lanterns to be put out on the platform of the rear car ; but it seems no attention was paid to orders, and if so, the responsibility of this carelessness must rest somewhere. At the scene of the awful disaster there was little to be seen. In the ditch at the side of the road still smoke the embers of the burned cars, but this is almost all that tells of the disaster. In the Town Hall of Revere still lie half a dozen bodies. They are horrible to look at; Moody foam lies upon their black swollen lips, their eyes protrude from the sockets, discolored patches of flesh hang loose from their cheeks, and great flaps of boiled skin dangle from their hands. They have been crushed, cooked, and tortured; and deeper than all mere physical disfigurements, one sees something still more awful to look upon in their faces, a haunting look of unspeakable agony. r The officers of the road are almost $ra#Bd by the, accident, and seemed not to know what to do. The killed and wounded are nearly all Boston, Salem, and Lynn people*