NEWSPAPER & ARCHIVE
There was a bad smash-up on the Berkshire division of the Consolidated railroad at the Derby meadows near Shelton and only about 100 feet away from the bridge at 11 o'clock yesterday forenoon. A switching engine attached to some freight cars was backing down grade and was unable to slow up in time to get out of the way of a special freight train that was coming up from the rear.
The presence of the special was discovered in time for the switcher to stop, but the brakes apparently refused to work, and the engine of the freight ran into the tender of the switcher and wrecked it. Eight coal cars were thrown off the spilings into the meadows 20 feet below.
William Keileher, a brakeman, who lives at 25 Hedge street, was caught in the wreck and had one of his arms broken and suffered other internal injuries. He was taken to the hospital. He will recover.
An unsuccessful attempt was made to wreck the fast freight on the Air Line road between midnight and 2 o'clock yesterday morning, by unlocking the switch at Portland, but luckily the attempt failed. A railroad man discovered that the switch had been tampered with.
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