The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-09-20
twenty-five DIE
IN RAILWAY Wreck
TERRIBLE HEAD-ON COLLISION
OCCURS NEAR CANAAN STA
TON, VT.
The Injured Number 27-Passenger
Trains on the Boston G. Maine
Crash Together-Confusion of Or
ders Blamed for the Disaster.

White River Junction, VT, Sept. 16.
"A fearful head-on collision between
the south-bound Quebec express and
north-bound freight train on the Con-
cord division of the Boston & Names
railroad occurred four miles north of
Canaan Station early Sunday, due to a
mistake in train dispatcher's orders,
and from a demolished passenger
coach there were taken out 25 dead
and dying and 81 other passengers,
most of them seriously wounded.
Nearly all those who were in the
death car were returning from a fair
at Sherbrooke, Quebec, 60 miles
north.
The conductor of the freight train
was given to understand that he had
plenty of time to reach siding by
the night operator at Canaan Station,
receiving, according to the superin-
tendent of the division, a copy of a
telegraph order from the train dis
patcher at Concord which confused
the train numbers 80 and "a.
The wreck occurred just after the
express had rounded into straight
stretch of track, but owing to the
early morning mist neither engineer
saw the others headlight until it was
| too late.
Names of Identified Dead.
| Those identified up to six o'clock
Sunday night were as follows:
| Timothy Shaughnessey, Castle Bar,
Quebec; Mrs. Shaughnessey; Miss
Annie st. Pierre, Isle Verte, Quebec;
Fred M. Phelps, Ochiltree, Tex; Mrs.
A. E. Warren, Haverhill, Mass; Mrs.
F. c. Blake, South Corinth, VT; Mrs.
Margaret Largy, Manchester, N. H.;
Miss Barrett, Manchester; Mrs. Phil
lip Gagnom, Sherbrooke; Miss Alvina
Giron, Nashua; Mrs. Webster, dress
maker living in Massachusetts; ]. l..
CFongrot, Somerville, Mass; infant
child of Irving Clifford, Concord, N. H.
child of Irving Clifford, Concern, N. H.;
Mrs. e. L. Briggs, West Canaan, N.
H.; John G. Duncan, Bethel, VT.
The freight train was on a straight
piece of track, about a mile in length,
and the Quebec express had rounded
the curve into this stretch when each
engineer saw the headlights of the
opposite train burst out of the fog.
Both set their brakes and then jumped,
while the two great locomotives
crashed into each other and, locked In
firm embrace, rolled into the ditch.
| Crowded Car Telescoped.
| The baggage car in the rear was
hurled back into the passenger coach
like a great ram, and tore it asunder
from end to end. The Inflated pas
senger coach was crowded with more
than so people. Shortly before the &C.
cident a few of the men had gone
back into the smoking car in the rear,
leaving the women to get little sleep
in the straight seats. One of those
who escaped said that as the train
was rounding curve some one in the
front of the car began to sing, so that
nearly everyone was awake when the
crash came. Those who were in the
| other car hurried to the demolished
puassenger coach, where groans, cries
and shrieks were rending the air.
| Fortunately, with the engines off to
one side, the wreckage did not take
fire. The train hands, ably seconded
by the passengers from the sleeping
car, CROPPED their way among the
ruins and began to the work of rescue.
Wounds were hastily bound up and
cuts staunched by strips of bedding
from the sleepers. The little band
worked diligently in the dawning light
before the doctors came. r
The neighborhood is a sparsely set
| tied one, but the few farmers were
aroused and lent every aid to the work
of succor. In the meantime word had
been dispatched to this place and to
| Concord and Hanover and within an
hour large force of physicians was
on their way to the wreck.
Montreal Express Saved.
| The accident was not without its
heroes and one of these was Frank
Ryan, brakeman on the express.
Ryan was caught in the wreck and
had an artery severed. He was I'M
conscious for nearly Is minutes and
when he regained his senses his first
| thought was of the Montreal express,
which he knew was laundering down
on the wreck, with no brakeman in
the rear to wave warning signal. In
a few words Ryan told of the approach
ing danger and the Montreal express
was stopped only a quarter of mile
| from the rear of the wrecked train.
| Farmer Finds Mothers Body.
| Among the West Canaan farmers
who aided was Benjamin Briggs, who
was one of the first at the scene, and
| two hours later he drew out the body
| IF woman On turning I'M the face