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The
Massachusetts Railroad Commission launched an inquiry into the accident. The commission heard testimony from four expert witnesses, all of whom testified that the bridge could have held the weight of the train under normal conditions, however the bridge had been weakened by 50% when the work crew
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placed the blame on J. D. Reed and Daniel
Belville, the supervisors of the crew working on the bridge. Stevens criticized Reed for not giving Belville specific instructions and Belville, who was not a knowledgeable or qualified bridge builder, for not personally inspecting the work before he and his
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plunged 20 feet into the water and shattered upon impact. The two day coaches and the smoking car in the rear of the train remained on the track. Although the accident occurred in a fairly isolated area, a man driving by on horse observed the wreck and rode into the village for help. Hundreds soon
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that crossed over the
Westfield River. The bridge had been built in 1874 and was in the process of being strengthened for larger locomotives. Crews were working that day and were on break at the time of the accident.
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via a two-horse wagon filled with hay and covered in blankets. 13 bodies, many of them horribly mutilated, were pulled from the wreck. A fourteenth victim died three days later.
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on the top chord of the south truss and neglected to secure it with bolts or draft pins and failed to bolt the new plates in place at the end post.
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in a nearby apple orchard. They were then moved to nearby houses before being transported to hospitals in
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rushed to the scene including a physician, George L. Wood, who treated the injured with the help of the
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An inquest overseen by Judge Homer B. Stevens of the
Western Hampden District Court in
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Bridge collapse caused by rivets removed during construction work
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Around 12:30 pm, the bridge collapsed under the weight of the
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The wreck occurred on a 221-foot long, two-span iron
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348:Railway accidents and incidents in Massachusetts
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333:Bridge disasters caused by maintenance error
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21:2016 Chester, Pennsylvania, train derailment
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117:occurred on August 31, 1893, outside of
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16:1893 railroad accident in Massachusetts
328:Bridge disasters in the United States
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236:"Chicago Limited Express Wrecked".
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187:removed the rivets from the
296:"Blame For Chester Wreck".
266:"List of Dead Numbers 14".
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216:"A Train's Fatal Plunge".
176:Springfield, Massachusetts
148:Boston and Albany Railroad
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343:Railway accidents in 1893
251:"Victims of the Wreck".
196:Westfield, Massachusetts
115:The Chester train wreck
338:Chester, Massachusetts
298:The Boston Daily Globe
283:The Boston Daily Globe
268:The Boston Daily Globe
253:The Boston Daily Globe
238:The Boston Daily Globe
119:Chester, Massachusetts
52:Chester, Massachusetts
318:1893 in Massachusetts
285:. September 10, 1893.
300:. November 22, 1893.
270:. September 4, 1893.
255:. September 2, 1893.
240:. September 1, 1893.
220:. September 8, 1893.
135:lattice truss bridge
19:For other uses, see
81:42.2654°N 72.9623°W
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27:Chester train wreck
323:August 1893 events
218:The Cranbury Press
281:"Rivets Absent".
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86:42.2654; -72.9623
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35:August 31, 1893
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182:Investigation
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59:Coordinates
312:Categories
203:References
167:dining car
165:, and the
159:buffet car
72:72°57′44″W
69:42°15′55″N
142:Accident
48:Location
43:12:30 pm
152:Chicago
161:, two
129:Bridge
105:Deaths
97:Cause
40:Time
32:Date
150:’s
314::
226:^
108:14
23:.
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