The Portland daily press., 1895-08-09
SOMEBODY'S BLUNDER
Sent Two Trains Crashing Together
On the White Mt. Division.

Three Railroad Employees Lost Their
Lives and the Damage to Rolling Stock
Concord, N. H., Aug. S.-The names of
those killed in the collision on the White
Mountain Division of the Boston &
Maine railroad near Plymouth this fore
| noon are: Frank Stevens and George
Merrill both of Lakeport, respectively en-
gineer and fireman of the "Cannon Ball'
express and Henry Gines, fireman of the
special freight.
|, SThe. --latest intelligence received by offic-
ials from the scene of the collision on
the White Mountain Division of the Bos-
ton & Maine railroad near Plymouth is
that no passenger were hurt, although
Engineer Eaton of the special freight and
one or two other trainmen were injured,
killed. Orders for the movement of the
two trains were given by the dispatcher
at Woodsville and it is not known who
blundered. 1t is now understood that the
freight was on the time of the Cannon
Doll OApIGSS WD6u ull0 -COlllolOu W.
CURED. Central Vermont and Canadian
Pacific expresses were consolidated and
sent out as one train from this city, via
the White River Junction.
| The first passenger train from the north
over the White Mountain Division of the
Boston q Maine railroad since the collis-
ion this morning arrived here at 1. 80
this afternoon, in charge of Conductor f.
| @. Joes. None of the passegers, who
We're in the wreck were on this train.
| Particulars of the collision as learned
| here are that the Cannon Ball, in
charge of Conductor E. A. Bennett, left
| Plymouth at s. 30 with clearance orders
and met the special freight, which start
| ed from Concord at two O'Clock, head on
at . Eilt, short distance this side of
| Plymouth. The express was going up
grade and working full head steam, while
the freight was running at high rate
OF speed on the down grade, where they
met. The force of the collision was SO
great that both locomotives were badly
| broken and hurled over the embankment
| The trains met on a curve so the men on
the locomotives had to act hastily.
Engineer Frank Stevens and Fireman
George Merrill, both of Lakeport, of the
Cannon Ball. and Fireman Henry
Glines of Laconia of the freight, jumped
to the right and were caught under the
falling locomotives and killed, their bod
| loS DeluS Dduly lanSl0Q.
| Engineer Moses Eaton of Concord and
Pilot Coburn of the freight jumped to the
left and escaped with a severe shaking up
and other slight injuries.
| A brakeman on the freight whose
nameA cannot be learned, was so badly
| injured that when Mr.. Jones' train
passed the scene of the collision, he was
reported as dying. Ihe express consisted
of vestibule cars and only the forward
wheels of the baggage Car left the iron,
the remainder keeping the track. Nine
| teen freight cars were piled up in the
wreck, and broke down the telegraph
lines SO that it is impossible to obtain
particulars direct for several hours. When
the locomotives struck, the conductor in
the fore part of the first class coach was
hurled almost to the end. He was badly
shaken up and cut on the head so severely
as to need surgical attendance.
| There were only a few passengers on
the express and the injuries any of them
received amounted only to slight bruis-
| eS.
The wreck blocked travel several hours
| but the line was opened early this after
noon. The, financial loss by the collision
will be very heavy.
Plymouth N. H., Aug. S-Passengers
on the Cannon Ball" express were W.
J. Randolph, Boston Globe correspond
ent, injury to right leg and hand; Mrs.
Merrill Greeley Plymouth; Mrs. Henry
G. Currier and son, Plymouth; Walter NJ.
Rogers, Boston, slight injury to leg;
Mrs. G. S. Pepard, Plymouth; Mr. and
Mrs. William Garvin, Sanford, Me.
Frank A. Garyin, Sanford, Me- j. Rob
bins, Boston D. N. Dole, H. b. Perry,
Denver, Col.
Conductor Eugene Bennett of Concord
received cash on the right side of his
head. Freeman Downing, baggage
master, was injured in the shoulder.
AS soon as the news of the disaster
reached Plymouth, crowds went to the
scene of the wreck and all possible assist
ance was given to the injured. The doors
of the Pemigewasset House were thrown
open to all that wished their injuries
cared for.
Arthur Austin of Haverhill, a brake
man of the freight, received fracture of
the skull and is in precarious condition.
All the telegraph poles for an eighth OF
mile were thrown level to the ground
and the wires were rendered a mass OF
tangled confusion