In 1890 a railway accident occurred in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

that killed 23 people. It was the second major train wreck in the city, following the 1878 accident in Wollaston. The accident was caused by a

jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

that had been left on the track. The foreman of the crew that placed the jack on the track was charged with manslaughter, but the trial ended in a hung jury.

Accident

At 10:50 AM on August 19, 1890, the

Old Colony Railroad The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...

Woods Hole Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...

Express Express or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid Music * ''Express'' ...

, consisting of a locomotive, baggage car, smoking car, Pullman car, and four coaches, departed Woods Hole with 391 passengers. Its riders were tourists from across the country who had vacationed in

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

and

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

. It was scheduled to arrive in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

at 1:10 PM. Near the

Adams Academy Adams Academy was a school that opened in 1872 in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. John Adams, the second President of the United States, had many years before established the Adams Temple and School Fund. This fund gave of land to the peop ...

campus in Quincy, Old Colony maintenance workers had returned from break and were working on surfacing the road bed. They were working at the north end of a curve, which made it so that an oncoming train could not be seen for three or four hundred feet. In spite of this, foreman Joseph F. Welch chose not to send a flag out to warn oncoming trains. Shortly after passing

Quincy station Quincy station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Quincy, Illinois, United States. The station is one of the namesake stations of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q or Burlington Route), but today serves as the western termi ...

, the express passed a gravel train. The engineer of the gravel train motioned indicating that the engineer of the express should whistle for people on the track. When the express was about 350 feet away from the work crew, the engineer used his whistle to warn of his train's approach. The men, who had not previously heard the express due to the passing gravel train, moved out of the way, but neglected to take a jack off of the rail. The Woods Hole Express struck the jack, which derailed the locomotive and plunged it into an embankment. The fireman was instantly killed, but the engineer survived. The tender, baggage car, smoker, and Pullman passed by the engine and were stretched out alongside the track. No one on these cars were seriously injured. The lead coach fell on top of the engine and its 50 passengers were thrown into the corner, killing many of them. The car then filled with steam from the engine fatally scalding several passengers who had not died in the collision. The three remaining coaches stayed on the track and their occupants were unharmed. In addition to the 12 people killed in the wreck, 11 later died from their injuries. Boston newspaper editor

Edwin C. Bailey Edwin Curtis Bailey (June 10, 1816 – August 19, 1890) was an American newspaper editor and postmaster. Biography Bailey was born on June 10, 1816, in Albany, New York. He served as the postmaster of Boston from 1853 to 1857, and was a commande ...

was among those who perished.

Prosecution

The Massachusetts Railroad Commission's report stated that "the immediate responsibility for this terrible accident rests upon Joseph F. Welch, the section master." Following an inquest, the district attorney chose to prosecute Welch. On September 5, a grand jury indicted Welch for manslaughter. His trial began on April 28, 1891. On May 1, after nine hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. The jury was split 8 to 4, with the majority favoring acquittal.

References

{{reflist 1890 in Massachusetts August 1890 events Quincy, Massachusetts Railway accidents in 1890 Railway accidents and incidents in Massachusetts Accidents and incidents involving Old Colony Railroad