Fairfield, CT Train Wreck, Jun 1911
Posted January 27th, 2008 by Linda Horton
TRIPLE WRECK IS DEADLY
Four Freight Trains Demolished and Five Men Killed.
FAIRFIELD, Conn., June 7.---One of the most, disastrous freight wrecks in the history of the New Haven railroad occurred near here early today, when four freight trains piled into each other, killing five men, injuring at least seven, two fatally, and leaving two unaccounted for. The dead:
WILLIAM LAFRIE, engineer; Hartford, Conn.
Fireman, name unknown; scalded to death.
ROBERT GATES, fireman; London.
ROBERT BEACHY, engineer; London.
______ HOFFMAN, brakeman.
The accident happened a few minutes after midnight in an isolated spot. The trains in the wreck were three extras and the regular New York fast freight. One of the extras jumped the east-bound track and crashed into a second train which was passing on the west-bound track. Trains running close behind each of the two extras crashed into the wreckage almost immediately. Crash followed crash. Two boilers exploded simultaneously, and the wreckage caught fire.
The accident is attributed to the failure of an engineer to observe a signal.
Morning Oregonian, Portland, OR 8 Jun 1911
__________________
Transcribed by Linda Horton. Thank you, Linda!
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