The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-09-16

pAEkRH up bNb S@GIpbIS AfVut SxWNbcS eANA
two more on the way down. II consisted
of the baggage car, passenger coach and
smoking car id chat order, with the
sleepers in the rear. The train left
White River junction ut $3.50 d. M, Sun
day morning, forty minutes late, and
was followed twenty minutes later by
the Montreal express over the Central
Vermont railroad The Quebec train is
known as number 30, and the Montreal
train as number 81.
In the meantime a northbound freight
train had arrived at Canaan, eighteen
miles down the road, at 4:l0 q. m, on
time.
Cause Of the Accident.
According to Division Superintendent
wv. II. Ray, D. R. Crowley, the night
train dispatcher at Concord, sent dis.
patch To John Greeley, the night opera
tor at Canaan, that No 81 was one hour
Conductor Lawrence Of the freight train
showed after the accident distinctly
states that No. 30, Instead Of 34, was
an hour and ten minutes late Conduc
tor Lawrence, believing lie had sufficient
time in the hour and ten minutes To
reach the side track at West Canaan,
four miles beyond before No. 30 reached
1T, ordered his train Nhead
The superintendent declared that the
accident was due To the mistake in plac-
ing d cipher after the three iii the mum.
Der Of the train, instead of d four.
The morning was dull misty one,
and the long freight train with a score
of heavily loaded cars numbered mp the
long grade toward West Canaan at the
usual speed. On the other side Of the
curve was the Quebec express, sliding
down the single track with her heavy
load Of passengers and the four heavy
sIeepers in the rear. The freight train
was on d straight piece OF track, about
mile in length, and the Quebec express
had rounded Il curve into this stretch
when each engineer saw the headlight
of the opposite train burst out of the
fog
Both engineers set their brakes and
then jumped. while the two great loco
motives crashed into each other and
rolled into the ditch.
The baggage car in the rear was hurled
back in to the passenger coach like a
great ram, and tore IL asunder from
end to end. A few windows were broken
in the smoking car and the Pullmans
were uniuWred.
The Inflated passenger coach was filled
with more than 80 people. One Of those
who escaped said that a. the train was
rounding the curve someone IN The front
Of the car began to sing, to that nearly
everyone was awake when the crash
came
When those who were in the other
cars recovered their dazed senses, they
hurried to the demolished passenger
coach, where groans, cries and shrieks
were rending the air.
Fortunately, with the engines of to
one side, the wreclage did not take fire.
The train hands, ably seconded by the
passengers from the sleeping cars,
groped their way among the ruins and
began the work Of rescue The bodies
Of the dead were laid beside the track
quickly, but tenderlv, while the rescuera
turned their attention To those who
ueeued aid. Great beams were lifted
pieces Of ioists were thrown aside and
the bleeding and mangIed forms were
dragged ont and laid on the backs Of
broken seats or upon blankets from the
sleeping ears. Wounds were hastily
bound up and deep cuts staunched by
strips torn from the bedding Of the
sleepers The little band worked dill.
gently and faithfully In the dawnine
light before the doctors came.
The neighborhood Is sparcely set
tieu one, but the few farmers were
easily aroused and lent every aid to tha
work Of succor.
~ the meantime the word had been
dispatched to this place and to Concord
and Hanover, and within one hour a
large force Of physicians were hurryina
to tae scene.
The accident was not without it,
heroes, and one Of those was Frank
kyan, a brakeman on the express. Ryan
was caught in tie wreck and had an
artery severed. He was unconscious for
reariy Is minutes aud when be regained
his senses his first thought was Of the
Montreal express, which he knew was
laundering down on the wreck with no
brakeman IN tie rear to wave q warn,
ing signal In d few husky words Ryan
told Of the approaching danger and the
Montreal express was stopped only a
quarter Of q mile from the rear of Tie
wrecked train.
The passengers on the Montreal ex,
press also assisted in the work Of rescuc
and the care of the wolndetk Among
the West Canaan farmers who aided was
Benjamin Briggs, one Of the first at tho
scene, and two hours later he drew out
Of the wreck the body of a woman. On
turning over the body. Mr., Briggs looked
into The face of his mother, and almost
collapsed from grief Mrs Briggs had
been visiting friends in the north and
was on her way to Boston
The sun, which rose about the time
the first doctors reached the scene. dis
closed TO them the full extent of tbt
disaster The sides Of the passenger
coach lay on either side Of the track. A
little farther on was tangled MAS
Of iron and steel from which the steam
was still rising, and which had once
been two locomotives. on to one side
WAS Q crowd Of people hurrying from
one writing form to another, IN a vain
attempt to ease the pain and stop the
flow Of blood. On the other side Of the
track all was silent, as one by one The
bodies Of the dead were laid In an ever
increasing row until lG lifeless forms
were resting side By side beneath Tho
trees.
as soon as practicable, the more seri
ously injured were laid on stretehers anC
taken by train to Hanover, N H., whcr,
they were given medical and surgiea
treatment ut the Margaret Hitchcock
hospital at Dartmouth college. But be
fore the train reached here on its way Il
Hanover, eight more had succumbcd {
their wounds, which brought the deatl