New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-07
WORK OF WRECKERS.
EXPRESS OFF TRACK.
Crashes Into Freight = Engineer
May Passengers Hurt.

Bennington. Vt. Jan. 6.-By the act OF train
wreckers fast express. bound from Montreal
TO New-York City over the Rutland Boston
and Maine and New-York Central railroads was
partially thrown from the track to-day at Wal
lamoosac station. near White Creek. y. Y eight
miles from here. and several persons were in
jured- The train was thrown onto a siding by
a switch which had been wedged open. and only
a collision with two freight cars it is believed.
prevented a much more serious wreck The en-
gine of the express struck the freight cars and.
was partly wrecked as was also one car OF the.
train. but as the freight cars were empty the.
collision was not heavy one. and checked only,
the speed of the express
The engineer. who is expected to die and the
fireman were severely burned and scaIded be-
sides sustaining other injuries by being thrown
from the cab in the collision. Many of the
passengers were considerably shaken up and
some were badly bruised.
The wrecked train was the regular MontraaE
express. It was made up OF baggage car an ex-
press car, three Pullmans and two day coaches
The accident happened on what is known as ths
Bennington branch OF the Boston and Naine.
After leaving White Creek the train was pros
ceeding at fair rate OF speed It was not Il,
stop at Wallamoosac and. as the signal az ths
siding near the station indicated safety TIERS
was no warning until, with a tremendous lurch.
had plunged into the freight cars
The locomotive jumped the rails forcing ons
the freight cars also. and dragging the baggags
car and the first Pullman after II. The enginsl
and the baggage car were badly broken up
The forward trucks of the latter were carried
UP onto the tender Of the locomotive. The Pulls
man esoaped damage.
White Creek and Bennington were notified by,
telephone of the accident. and assistance was
| cared for. but It was found that few OF ths
passengers needed medical attention. Ths
wreckage blocked the tracks and traffic was De-
layed for some hours.
When the trainrnen turned their attention to,
determining the cause Of the accide8e<hsy found
that the switch lock had been broken. ap--
parently with stone. that the switch lamp
had been wrenched off and turned to show a.
safety signal and that the switch itself had been
wedged open These facts were reported to the
railroad authorities and to the nearby police,
a search for traces of the wreckerS beguTE
at once by the latter.
Boston Jan. 6.-Information received here by
President Tuttle Of the Boston and Maine Rail-
road indicated. he said, that the wreck OF the
Montreal express at waIIamoosac Station. N I.
to-day. the result of a deliberate act Mr.
Tuttle said that the switch which connected the
main track with the siding had been turned so
that the train would leave the main line and in
order to insure that this would happen, il had
been locked by the persons who had turned it.
Further than that he said, the switch
lamp was found upon the ground indicating that
| IL had been wrenched off to prevent warning u
the engineer, Fortunately. no lives were lost
| We are conducting Investigation
| President futile later said that. as result of
| the investigation thus far made in which two
empty whiskey bottles were found near the
switch. the company was certain that the train
| wrecking was the work of tramps. He said
that every effort was being made to appreheRd
the guilty persons.