The 1884 New Haven & Northampton Train Wreck
A northbound passenger train on the New Haven & Northampton railroad had departed New Haven, Connecticut, at precisely 7:15 a.m. on January 30, 1884. The train was supposed to arrive in Westfield, Massachusetts, at 9:20 a.m. But just below Southwick, Massachusetts,—a notoriously sharp bend in the track in a remote, wooded stretch known as Copper Hill, in East Granby, Connecticut—disaster struck.
As the train approached the curve, it was reportedly traveling at 25 to 30 miles per hour—dangerously fast for such a bend. Without warning, the tender and three railcars—a smoking car, a baggage car, and a passenger coach—derailed and violently flung down a 25-foot embankment, coming to rest on their sides in a ditch filled with icy water.
Miraculously, the locomotive itself remained on the rails. But the danger was far from over.
Inside the derailed cars, coals from the onboard heating stoves dislodged in the chaos. Flames soon ignited the floorboards in one car and the cargo in another. Making matters worse, telegraph lines were torn down in the wreck, severing communication with nearby towns and delaying calls for help.
With no water immediately available, the crew and local responders resorted to a creative, if unusual, solution: barrels of skim milk, part of the train's freight, were used to smother the flames. Their quick action prevented the fire from spreading further, but not before doing significant damage to the cargo.
Several passengers were injured, one severely. Conductor William L. Thomas, of New Haven, was thrown violently across the seats and was pinned beneath the full weight of a large female passenger who fell on top of him during the impact, leaving him seriously hurt. Express Messenger P. H. Ryan, from Westfield, suffered a gruesome triple fracture of his left leg. Baggage Master Frank Woods sustained a dislocated shoulder. The wreck and the fire caused significant damage, but thankfully, no lives were lost.
The engine continued to Westfield for aid, and the railroad dispatched a wreck train. The seriously injured were loaded onto horses and wagons and brought to the nearest doctor's house. The railroad cleared the tracks in time for the noon train to pass through.
A similar derailment had occurred at this very curve just two years prior, a warning that went ignored.
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Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
Some sources say that the tender did not derail.
Some sources say the train was traveling 35 to 40 mph.
Some sources say that the express messenger broke both legs (three on the left and one on the right).