Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1906 — AWFUL DISASTER IN GREAT BRITAIN [ARTICLE]

AWFUL DISASTER IN GREAT BRITAIN

Twenty - Three Passenger Tourists and Four Trainmen Are Killed. " 1 "'"■"y 1 ' LOCOMOTIVE JUMPS THE TRACK Nearly All the Dead Travelers to Europe from the United States. LUCKY DELAY ON TEN OCEAN Otherwise the Roll of Dead Have Been Much Longer Dozen Wounded—Names of Victims. Salisbury, England, July 2. Driving at a mad pace over the London Southwestern railway the American line express, carrying forty-three of the steamer New York’s passengers from Plymouth to London, plunged from the track Just after passing the station here at 1:57 a. m. yesterday and mangled to death in its wreckage twenty-three passengers who sailed brom New York June 23. and four of the trainmen. Besides those to whom death came speedily a dozen persons were injured, some of them seriously. Names of Those Who Died. Following is the list of the first cabin passengers, dead: Walter Barwick, of Toronto, Ont.: Louis Cassier, of Trumbull, Conn.; Frederick Henry Cossltt, of New York:Mrs. C. W. Elphicke, of Chicago; Dudley P. Harding, Mrs. L. N. Hitchcock and Miss Mary F. Howieson—all of New York; Rev. E. L. King, of Toronto, Ont; Frank W. Koch, of Allentown, Pa.; John E. McDonald and C. F. McMeekin, of New York: C. A. Ptpon, of Toronto, Ont.; Mrs. E. W. Sentell, Miss Blanche M. Sentell and Miss Gertrude M. Sentell, —all of New York; Mrs. Walter W. Smith, Miss Eleanor Smith and Gerard Smith —all of Dayton, O.; Mrs. Lillies Hurad Waite and Chas. E. Sentell, of New York. Second cabin passengers— Louis Goepplnger, Jules Keeler, William H. Thompson. Names of the Injured. The following are the first cabin passengers injured: G. H. V. Allen, of New York; Robert S. Critchell, Chicago; Miss I. S. Griswold; Miss M. Hitchcock, of New York; Mrs. Koch, Allentown, Pa.; Miss Anna E. Koch, Allentown. Pa.; G. 11. V. Allen, Fairhaven, Vt.; E. W. Eentell, New York. Second I cabin passengers—Miss M. Rask.

DELAY SAVES NUMEROUS LIVES

Night Ride Deters Many from Boarding the 111-Fated Train. The late hour of the New York’s arrival at Plymouth saved many lives. She carried more than sixty travelers for London, but many of them elected to travel on comfortably to Southampton in preference to the late landing at Plymouth and the long night ride across the country. If the New York had made a faster passage the somber roster of the dead and injured would have been longer. The big American line steamer reached Plymouth at 9:35 o’clock Saturday night, and half an hour later there was a tender alongside to receive passengers for England. Several who had planned to debark and packed their baggage decided at the last moment to remain aboard. It was a fateful decision, though not dictated by any fear.

The run across the Atlantic had been pleasant. There were cheery partings when the passengers for London transferred to the waiting tender, which steamed for the Devon|*ort landing, where the express was lying made up. The train consisted of a powerful express engine, three first-class corridor carriages and one combination guard’s van and buffet. The passengers were soon entrained and at 11:30 the express pulled out. It was given a clear track on the run of 230 miles to London, on which the express generally maintains an average speed of a mile a minute. Driver Robins quickly gave the en glne her head and the special was soon speeding swiftly through the night. It ran on safely and without incident until it entered the long railway yard at Salisbury, when the passengers noted that the coaches began swaying from side to side. Suddenly at the end of the long platform, when the track begins to curve towards the bridge spanning Fisherton street, the main avenue of the city, the engine, seemed fairly to leap from the track. It swung across the adjoining track with terrific force and destroyed the guards’ van of a milk train that was slowly steaming in the opposite direction, killing a guard. Lurching forward the locomotive plunged against the standards and girders of the bridge. The bridge withstood the Impact, and rebounding the engine crashed into another engine which was standing on a siding and overturned. The wreckagc of the two engines interlocked in a great broken mass of twisted steel and Iron. Throughout the wild plunging of the engine Driver Robins, whether alive or dead, remained in his cab. Hour* afterward his charred laxly was found grilled over the firebox. The first coach shot over the engine, and careened onward until It was hurled against the parapet of. the bridge and smashed into fragments, killing or maiming almost every occu-

pant One man was shot through the window, cleared the parapet and fell to his death to the street below. The second coach lurched forward and rolled towards a stationary train and practically destroyed' itself before its wild flight was ended. The third coach dashed forward with the rest, left the rails and encountered some obstruction, overturned and collapsed. The guards* van and buffet, the rearmost car of the train, was saved by the courage and quickness of Guard Richardson. With the first shock Richardson jumped forward and set the brakes and saved himself and his comrades. The van ploughed forward, in-' jurlng some of its occupants, but practically maintained its equilibrium.