St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-08-06
COLLISION ON LAKE ROAD.
Two Engines DemoIiShed-Th Three Cars
Burned-Four Men Seriously Injured.


Burned-Four Men Seriously Injured.
The above heading tells the story
of the accident in nutshell. Engine
Maquam, with Dick Leslie engineer
and Frank Williams fireman, had
helped a freight train up to Walden
heights Saturday and was returning
to St. Johnsbury, when it collided
with the Hyde Park through freight
on a curve half a mile west of Dan
vile station. AS his engine shot
around the curve Leslie was Mortified
to see the freight coming toward him
at full speed. He quickly reversed
the engine and put on the brakes, but
he was on a steep grade and the rails
were so wet that the wheels did not
hold. 1t was impossible to sand the
track, for the engine was running
backward and the sand pipes open
in front of the drivers. The fireman
saw the danger and jumped, escap-
ing unhurt. A moment later the
shock came. The report was heard
for some distance around and the
people from Danville and from the
neighboring farms hastened to the
scene of the wreck and helped to res
cue the injured men.
The Maquam's tender was COM
pletelv demolished, the wheels broken,
the water tank split open, the floor
gone and the upper parts bent and
twisted out of all former semblance.
Beneath the ruins was the un-
fortunate engineer, bruised and bleed
ing and groaning with pain. He
was extricated and taken to the
Danville station for medical treat
ment, while the work of rescuing the
others went on.
Thomas Leonard, engineer on the
freight Massawippi, and his fireman,
William Brown, were wholly un-
conscious of any danger. The former
was fixing part of the locomotive
and the latter was coallng up, and
the first intimation they had of the
approaching engine was the terrific
shock. Their engine stopped direct
lv over an open culvert and the for
ward trucks left the track. Leonard
was thrown by the force of the col
lision out through the cab window
and he fell between the ties to the
bottom of the culvert where the
steam and hot water poured directly
upon him. Brown was knocked un-
conscious, and when found was
jammed against the fre-box. The
steam gauge broke and the escaping
steam filled the cab so densely that
they had great difficulty in rescuing
him.
Brakeman Pike had just kindled a
fire in the stove Of the saloon car,
which was just behind the engine,
and was eating his lunch, when he
was thrown violently forward and
his legs pinned beneath the hot
stove That car and the two be-
hind it piled up in a heap and then
toppled over upon the side of the
dump. The ruins caught fire from
the stove and in very short time
the entire mass was in flames.
There was another close call for a
couple of bridge builders who were
riding on the cowcatcher of the
engine Maquam. The mems backs
were towards the approaching train
and the first and only intimation
they had of the collision was the
moment it occurred. The two men
were thrown violently to the ground,
not hurt at all, but scared half to
death.
The engine Maquam was but little
damaged and when it recoiled from
the wreck, being reversed, it got
away from the demolished tender
and started back up toward Hyde
Park, whistling as it went. The
steam gave out as it reached West
Danville and it was side-tracked by
some section men and stopped.
The accident occurred at II A p.
m. Word was Immediately sent to
St. Johnsbury and the wreck train
started at once to clear the track,
and it accomplished it Is minutes
before the first special train was due.
Another train went up for the wound
ed men. On it's return it was met by
express wagons with mattresses and
pillows and the unfortunate men
were taken to their homes. Leslie
had compound fracture of one arm
and one leg, three broken ribs and
other c11ts and bruises. Leonard