The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-16

White River Junction, Vermont, Sept.
15f-A fearful headon collision between
the southbound Quebec express and a
northbound freight on the Concord di-
vision of the Boston & Maine railway oc-
CURED four miles north of Canaan sta
ton, early today, due to a mistake In
train tffspatchers' orders. and from a de
mOlished passenger coach there were ia
ken out twenty-four dead and dying. and
twenty-seven passengers, most of them
seriously wounded. Nearly all those who
were in the death car were returning from
fair at Sherbrooke, Quebec. sixty miles
north.
The conductor of the freight train was
given 10 understand that he had plenty OF
time to reach a siding by the night opera
tor at Canaan station, receiving. accord
ing 10 the superintendent of the division,
q copy of a telegraph order from the
train dispatcher at Concord, which con-
fused the train numbers. 80 and "a.
The wreck occurred Just after the ex-
press had rounded into a straight stretcl
of track. but owing to the early morning
mist neither engineer saw the other
headlight until it was too late.
The Dead.
Those identified up TO o'clock tonight
were as follows:
Timothy shaughnessy. Castle Bar,
Quebec.
Mrs. Shaughnessy-
Miss Anna ST Pierre. Isle verte, Que
bee
Fred NJ Pells, oehiitree, Texas.
Mrs. A. E. Warren, Haverhll Mass.
Mrs F. c. Blake, South COrinth, VT.
Mrs. Margaret Largy, Manchester.
Miss Barrett, Manchester.
Mrs. Phillip Gagon, SherbrOoke
Miss Alvina GirOn, Nassau.
Mrs. Webster, a dressmaker, living in
Massachusetts
J. L. ContSoth. Somerville. Mass.
Infant child of Irving Clifford, Con-
cord.
Mrs. Z. l. Briggs. West Canaan, N. H.
John g. Duncan, Bethel. VT.
The unidentified include a boy years
Of age and man 40 years old: a woman
OF % years, another of 50; a man of 50
years, and four others.
Twenty-Five of the bodies were removed
10 Concord during the day.
injured.
The most seriously injured, who were
taken to the Margaret Hitchcock hospital
at Hanover, N. H., include:
Unknown boy, both legs broken arm
torn off and head injured; dying.
T Saunders, Nassau. n. H, legs and
arms injured.
Mrs, s. Saunders, Nassau, head and
Mrs; c. N. Saunders, Nassau. wounds
Miss D. saunders. Nassau; internal in
Miss c. saundert, Nassau, confusion of
face.
Fred Saunders, Nassau, shoulder in
Miss Miss Hestor sau bders. Brauton. Mass.
head and back injj red.
Charles St .Pierrt Isle verte, Quebec,
Arthur Jacques. Milbury.. internal in
juries.
f. A BatcbeIdor. SomerviIIe. leg broken
Phillip Gagnon, SherbToOke. internal in
John Barrett. Manchester. head and
breast injured.
Miss, Abby Jansen. Nassau, broken
frontal bone.
Forty Minutes Late.
The sOuthbOund train was made up at
SherDrooke last evening, where it picked
up two sleepers from Quebec and two
more on the way down. 1t consisted of
baggage, passenger and smoking car in
that order, with the sleepers in the rear.
The train left White River Junction to-
day at $3.50. 20 minutes late, and was fol-
lowed twenty minutes later by the Mont
real express over the Central Vermont
railway. The Quebec train is known as
No. 30 and the Montreal train as No. 49,
In the meantime a northbound train
known as No. 267. had arrived at Canaan
is miles down the road, at 4:10 a. m on
time. According to the division superin-
tendent. W. r. Ray. J. r. Crowley the
night train dispatcher at Concord sent a
us l1utGn 10 dOtil CItti1. the nlElT ODer-
ator at Canaan. that No. 81 was one hour
and ten minutes late.
Accident Due to Mistake.
The order which Conductor Lawrence
of the freight train showed after the acct.
dent distinctly stated that No 90 instead
of No "a, was an hour and ten minutes
late. Conductor Lawrence. believing tina.
he had sufficient time in the hour and ten
minutes to reach the side track at West
Canaan, four miles beyond, before No 80
reached it, ordered his train ahead. The
declared that the accident
was due to the mistake in placing a
cipher after the three in the number of
the train, instead of a four.
The morning was dun and misty in the
western New Hampshire mountains. and
the long freight train, with a score of
heavily loaded cars, numbered up the
grade to West Canaan at the usual speed. I
on the other side of the cut the Quebec
express. sliding down the single track
with her load CT passengers and the four
sleepers in the rear. The freight train
was on a straight piece of track about a |
mile I'm length. and the Quebec express !
had rounded the curve into this stretch |
when the two engineers saw the head /
lights of the opposite train burst out of /
the fog. Both engineers set their brakes /
and then jumped.
In another instant there was a crash and /
In another instant there was a crash and ]