The Railway Smash in England.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3693, 5 July 1906, Page 3

The Railway Smash in England.

SEVERAL LIVES LOST. London, July 2. The train contained forty-seven passengers, chiefly arrivals by the line from New York. They were mostly Americans, there being a few Canadians. Only the late hour of the steamer’s arrival at Plymouth prevented the train being crowded, the bulk of the passengers remaining on the steamer and preferring to proceed to Southampton by sea. Mr McClellan, Mayor of New York, and his wife were amongst these.

The train, which consisted of an engine, three first-class coaches, a guard’s van and a kitchen, after passing Salisbury station, left the rails at a curve at a point where the line traverses the main street of the town by a bridge with high girders. At the same moment the milk train was passing On the adjoining down line. The derailed engine crashed into the guard’s van of the milk train, killing the guard, and then collided with the girders of the bridge. Finally it smashed another stationary engine. The first coach was disconnected by the collission, overshot the engine, and dashed over the side of the bridge, precipitating some of the occupants into the street below. The second coach was ground into splinters by colliding with the girders, and the third was thrown across the rails and wrecked. The guard’s presence of mind in applying the brakes saved the van and the kitchen with a staff of six waiters on board. Flames shot up from the engine but were soon extinguished, and there was a great escape of gas until it was turned off. The driver and stoker of the express were killed. The fireman of the stationary engine, who was badly scalded, insisted on walking to the hospital declaring that others needed stretchers more than he did. He afterwards died from shock. Twenty-eight deaths occurred altogether. The injured behave with much heroism. The second coach contained a family of rich Americans named Sen tell, consisting of a son and two daughters. All were killed except the father, who was badly crushed. Mr and Mrs Copsitt, a bridal couple, were honeymooning. The husband, who is a millionaire, was killed, but the wife, who was asleep, was uninjured. She is the daughter of Dungros, an American Supreme Court Jugde. Amongst the victims were : Mrs Sentell. Misses Sentell (2). Mr Sentell, junior, Mr Copsitt. Mr Barwick, head of the Toronto Bar. Mr Keller, acrobat known as “the human enigma.’’ Mr McMeeking, a famous breeder of Kentucky horses. Mr Piron, Toronto representative of the White Star line. Driver of express train. Stoker oi express. Guard of milk train. Fireman of stationery engine. Some marvellous escapes from death are recorded. One man was saved because his arm was hooked through the sling of the arm rest, and he was not thrown to the other side of the compartment like his companions. They were all killed. Many of the victims are young girls.