The Forest Hills Disaster
Encyclopedia
The Forest Hills Disaster (also called The Forest Ridge Disaster and The Bussey Bridge Disaster) was a railroad bridge accident that occurred on March 14, 1887, in the Roslindale section of West Roxbury, Massachusetts
, at that time a separate town from the City of Boston
.
A morning commuter train, inbound to Boston, was passing over the "Bussey Bridge", a Howe truss, at South Street, in the Roslindale neighborhood a half mile from the Forrest Hills Station, when it just collapsed, sending several cars crashing to the street below. Twenty-four commuters were killed and another 125 were seriously injured.
The train, made up of nine cars, was traveling over the Dedham Branch of the Boston & Providence Railroad on a sunny Monday morning with about 300 passengers including several school children. Six miles from Boston, the train crossed over the Bussey Bridge on its approach to the Forest Hills Station. The locomotive and first two cars crossed the bridge and then suddenly, without any warning, the bridge fell taking the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth cars with it. The shock of the collapse was so quick and forceful that the body of one of the cars fell and its roof tore off completely and landed on the embankment beyond the bridge. At first, there was nothing but silence, and then the victims' cries filled the neighborhood air.
The disaster shocked the entire nation, especially the suffering of the injured, some transfixed by splinters throughout their bodies and others dismembered and yet others badly mangled. The first body that rescuers pulled from the wreck was the body of a headless woman. Two young men were pinned under a pile of rubble with a car stove full of glowing coals hanging over them. Fortunately, the doors of the stove stayed closed and the bolts held firmly and they were rescued.
An investigation found that the iron bridge design was poor; it was not strong enough to carry the load of traffic it had to serve. Its designer, Edmund Hewins was exposed as a fraud and investigators found that the railroad had also failed to inspect and properly maintained the bridge, even though nuts and bolts were discovered which had fallen from the bridge and were lying on the street below.
West Roxbury, Massachusetts
West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
, at that time a separate town from the City of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
A morning commuter train, inbound to Boston, was passing over the "Bussey Bridge", a Howe truss, at South Street, in the Roslindale neighborhood a half mile from the Forrest Hills Station, when it just collapsed, sending several cars crashing to the street below. Twenty-four commuters were killed and another 125 were seriously injured.
The train, made up of nine cars, was traveling over the Dedham Branch of the Boston & Providence Railroad on a sunny Monday morning with about 300 passengers including several school children. Six miles from Boston, the train crossed over the Bussey Bridge on its approach to the Forest Hills Station. The locomotive and first two cars crossed the bridge and then suddenly, without any warning, the bridge fell taking the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth cars with it. The shock of the collapse was so quick and forceful that the body of one of the cars fell and its roof tore off completely and landed on the embankment beyond the bridge. At first, there was nothing but silence, and then the victims' cries filled the neighborhood air.
The disaster shocked the entire nation, especially the suffering of the injured, some transfixed by splinters throughout their bodies and others dismembered and yet others badly mangled. The first body that rescuers pulled from the wreck was the body of a headless woman. Two young men were pinned under a pile of rubble with a car stove full of glowing coals hanging over them. Fortunately, the doors of the stove stayed closed and the bolts held firmly and they were rescued.
An investigation found that the iron bridge design was poor; it was not strong enough to carry the load of traffic it had to serve. Its designer, Edmund Hewins was exposed as a fraud and investigators found that the railroad had also failed to inspect and properly maintained the bridge, even though nuts and bolts were discovered which had fallen from the bridge and were lying on the street below.
External links
- Bussey Bridge Train Disaster - Jamaica Plain Historical Society
- THE BUSSEY BRIDGE DISASTER, New York Times, May 1, 1887
- Bussey Bridge Wreck, 1887 - Celebrate Boston