Massachusetts History

 From a Friday, January 14th, 1853 Newspaper-  The accident was Thursday the 6th.

 THE LATE RAILROAD ACCIDENT AT ANDOVER Massachusetts

“One person only, the son of the President elect, was killed by the accident at Andover instead of seven as at first reported. This sad event has awakened the universal sympathy of the public. The son of Gen. Pierce, who was killed, was an only child, and was about eleven years of age.—The lad was the inseparable companion of his doating mother, and no one could see them together, without noticing and being affected by the touching and affectionate attachment they each manifested for the other.

The following particulars we were unable  to give last week.

The express train, consisting of one large car, containing about sixty passengers, left the depot of the Boston & Maine railroad in Boston. at 12 1/2 o’clock Thursday, and was thrown off the track, about two miles beyond Andover, by the breaking of the forward axle. The car was dragged about twenty rods, and then overturned down an embankment, a distance of about fifteen feet, upon some rocks. Gen. Pierce’s son, whose head was badly bruised was almost instantly killed- Gen Pierce was bruised upon suffered some pain in was considerably bruised, and labored under great excitement on account of the loss of her son.

Charles Newell, an elderly gentleman, formerly postmaster of Cambridge, had one of his ribs broken. Mr. Bayley. of Lawrence. had a leg broken. A girl named Newell. had one of her feet badly crushed. Mr. Kittridge, of Pelham, had one of his legs broken ken.

The car was badly broken, and the scene was one of the utmost confusion and fright, and that there were not more lives lost is most remarkable. Nearly all of the passengers were more or less bruised, and there were six persons in all who had limbs broken. The passengers were returned to Andover, and a few came back to the city, but the larger portion proceeded on.

The Boston Traveller learns that Benjamin Kitridge of Pelham, NH, 35 years of age, who was taken to the Andover Poor House after the accident, will probably die of his injuries. One leg is broken. the other is badly bruised, and he is probably injured internally. E. A. Bailey of Dunbarton. N. H, who is at Lawrence, will also probably die of the injuries received.

The Providence Post quotes from a private letter. the writer of which says, that one brave little girl, ten years of age, whose ankle was so badly broken as to render amputation immediately necessary, never shed a tear. but kept saying.  “don’t cry, mother, you see I don’t.”