Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-12-07
DEATH OF THREE WOMEN
IN RAILROAD DISASTER NEAR vERoEs
MES SATURDAY
Heavy Gravel Train Crashed Into Passenger
on Rutland Railroad. Throwing Cars Down
Embankment.- Score OF Peopls
More or Less Seriously Injured

Embankment,- score OF ieopi
More or Less Seriously Injured.
Three women we're killed and almost
score Of other people injured In a railroad
disaster that took place Saturday morning o.
tho Rutland railroad near NcfEchnes \
heavy gravel train, claimed TO be beyond con
troll, struck the rear Of the passenger train
a. il was about 10 take u siding, hurting tive
passenger coaches over the edge Of steer
embankmeni Tho wrecked cars Immediately
took fire, aud three women passengers, Mira
W A. Lawrence, as of Bristol, Miss Cor
rinna Stowe, IS. Of Bristol, and Mrs. Nellie
Barnard, as, Of Bristol, were either burned
to death or killed outright Among the
Injured were members Of the Drury Opera
company Of New York. eolored musical
organization ON It's way to burlington,
The women Killed were all In the from,
ear Of the train when the bodies were re-.
covered from beneath the fragments Of the
they we're so charred as to be almost unroeog'
nltable. The wrrckage was entirely consum'
ed The injured were taken 10 nearby
! farm house and 20 a hotel In the village Lat
cr in the day a number Of those hur, were
/ taken TO Burlington on a special train. All
the train hands escaped injury
| A mixed train from Rutland due AZ Yer
genneS at a. m, was taking the siding al
the vergennes station 20 allow south bound
mail train TO pass. heavy gravel tram
was following the mixed train and for some
reason which has not yet been explained,
failed TO stop. With terrific crash the
locomotive Of the gravel train struck the mix
ed train which was composed OF two passen'
ger cars and caboOse. The caboose was
smashed and the passenger cars were hurled
on end then toppled over the edge Of a SO.
foot embankmeni which drops az an angle Of
as degrees to q small brook. The ears did
not fall the entire distance, however, re-
naming on their sides on the slope This
position made the work Of rescue very din
cult
Almost Immediately the wrecked cars took
fire and several Of the passengers were un,
able to escape from the flames. The local
FIRE department responded but as the station
il three,quarters Of mile from the village,
and there il only one hydrant near the scene
Of the wreck, their work was greatly delayed
and hsmpercd, The fremen and persons liv'
ing nearby made every effort 10 assist the
passengers, aud those most seriously hurt
were taken 10 the home Of d. q. Meits,
farmer living just across the field from the |
station The less severely injured were I
brought 10 the Stevens house In the village. l
George Hunt Of Rutland. the engineer Of I
the gravel train made statement last night (
regarding the wreck lie said II left Bran /
don this morning with 10 ear loads Of gravel [
was running as the second section Of No, T
"a. which is mixed train north bound for
Rutland. / was to follow the mixed train on
the side track at Nereennes and allow the /
mail 10 pass There was not room enough on 4
the siding FOR the mixed owing 90 the fact I
that south bound freight had entered the
siding from the north end thus causing the l
caboose and two coaches on the mixed train I
to remain on The main line, where they were
hit by the gravel train, which lifted them T
into the air and toppled them over. There
&. sharp curve which we went around be-
fore we struck the rear end 81 the mixed.
applied the brakes some time before 4
reached the curve and when | found the
brakes were not holding the train ! reversed
the engine and remained with 1t until I H
plowed into the rear end Of the mixed. did 1
everything that man could do TO stop the
train.