St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-03-02
AWFUL ACCIDENT.

Hurt,-1he N0rfh-bOund freight Left
Sf.JoEnsbury contrary TO Orders.-COn-
ductor Drew, who was Responsible for
the Accident, Fled to Parts Unknown.
I From Monday Nights Extra CALEDoNIAN.]
One of the worst accidents that
ever occurred in the history of the
Passumpsic railroad took place just
above st. Johnsbury Center at $50
this afternoon. Two through freights
collided at the culvert just below the
residence ofCharles Cobb, and three
persons were killed and one injured,
but not seriously.
Fred Clark, engineer on the up
train, and Charles West, an engineer
who was riding on the engine, were
killed Fred Greene, fireman on
the down train, was also killed.
William Bowling, brakeman, was hurt
about the head, but not seriously.
Engineer Napoleon Bedard of the
down train saved his life by Jump
ing None of the other train hands
were hurt. Fred Clark was living
when the body was found, but prob
ably died before he could be extri-
Gated from the debris of car trucks,
freight, etc.
The down train had thirty-nine
cars, most of them loaded, and was
a very heavy train. In addition to
this it was going down a heavy
grade and had a fearful impetus
when the crash came, The up train
was slowly steaming up the grade.
]. {. Bacon and the two Ahearn
boys saw the trains and witnessed
the collision. Mr.. Bacon said the
crash was not as loud as he antici-
pated, but the impetus of the down
train was so great that the cars
nearest to both engines tumbled over
the locomotives and fell on both
sides of the track into the ravine
below. The cars. were loaded with
baled hay, dressed beef, corn and
flour.
Beneath a dozen or more trucks,
,the tender of the engine coming south
and at least half dozen freight cars
and their contents, all completely
demoralized, were found the bodies
of the two engineers, Fireman Green
and William Bowling; the latter
was the only one that came out alive
and the rescuers did not know he
was alive until he was rescued. He
received a cash on the head and was
either stunned by the blow or else
by the cold 1t is not believed he is
seriously injured. Bowling was
found beneath the tender, while the
other bodies were mixed up in the
wreck.
Fred Clark was about thirty-hve
years old and as we understand was
unmarried. Charles West had recent
ly been married, and was about thirty
years old. Fred Green was a new
man on the road.
The cause of the accident was the
forgetting of orders. Conductor
Drew had orders to wait in st.
Johnsbury and left this town after
the air line had come down. AS
soon as it was reported from st.
Johnsbury to the train dispatcher's
Office at Lyndonville that the train
had left, word game back that the
through freight down had left Lyn,
donville. St. Johnsbury Centre was
reached by telephone, but before the
message came the up train had left
st. .Johnsbury Center. There is no
telegraph station at st. Johnsbury
Center.
About 20 years ago, after the col
lision between two trains on the
Henry Ross meadows, a telegraph
Office was put in at the Centre, but
about six years ago it was taken
out. Even if there had been an
Office at St. Johnsbury Centre this
accident might have occurred, as the
up train had got by the Centre be-
fore a telephone message could be
sent there.
The damage to the rolling stock
will be large. Two engines were lock-
ed together just over the culvert and
about twenty cars are smashed. The
cars that tumbled over into the
culvert are completely demolished,
though the baled hay can be saved
all right. The cars at the rear of the
down train were notso badly smash
ed.
Had either of these trains beengone
of the air line trains it is useless
to speculate what the loss of life
would have been. The air line south
had passed that spot hardly 80 min
utes before and the express north had
hardly reached Wells River, as it was
two hours late, 1t is
the worst accident, as far as fa-
tality is concerned, that has ever
occurred on the Passumpsic rail
road.
Conductor Drew has fled to parts
unknown. Supt. Folsom was in st.