The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-09-19
And Score Injured in Fright
full Crash of Trains.
VICTIMS EXCURSlONISTS
Horror Occurred on Boston and Maine
Railroad, and Was Caused by
Misunderstanding of Orders.
Many of Injured May Die

A fearful head-on collision between
the southbound Quebec express and
a northbound freight train on the Con.
cord division of the Boston and Maine
railroad occurred four miles north Of
Canaan station, Vermont, early Sun.
day, due to a mistake in train dis.
patchers' orders, and from a demoIish.
ed passenger coach there were taken
twenty-four dead and dying and twen-
ty-seven other passengers, most of
them seriously wounded. Nearly all
of those who were in the death car
were returning from a fair at Sher-
brook, Quebec, 100 miles north.
The conductor of the freight was
given to understand that he had plen-
ty Of time to reach a siding by the
night operator at Canaan station, re.
ceiving, according to the superintend-
ent Of the division "a copy of the tel
egram order from the train dispatcher
at Concord, which confused the train
number 80 and "a. The wreck oc.
Cured just after the express had
rounded into a straight stretch OF
track, but, owing to the early morn.
ing mist neither engineer saw the
others headlight until it was too late.
The southbound train was made up
at Sherbrook, where it picked up two
sleepers from Quebec and two more
ON the way down. It consisted of the
baggage car, passenger coach and
smoking car in that order, with the
sleepers in the rear.
The train left White River juno.
ton, VT, at $3.50 Sunday morning, for
ty minutes late, and followed twenty
minutes later by the Montreal Elk.
press over the Central Vermont. The
Quebec express train is known as NO.
90 and the Montreal train as NO.
81.
Meantime northbound freight train
known as No. 267 had arrived at
Canaan. 1S miles down the road, at
4:1O a. M, on time. According to w.
R. Ray, Jr., division superintendent,
]. R. Crowley, the night train dis
patcher at Concord, sent dispatch
to John Greeley, the night operator
at Canaan, that No. 81 was one hour
and ten minutes late. The order which
Conductor Lawrence of the frelght'
train showed after the accident dis
tinctly states that No. 80 instead OF
No. "a was an hour and ten min
utes late. Conductor Lawrence, be,
lieving that he had sufficient time IN
the hour and ten minutes to reach
the sidetrack at West Canaan, four
miles beyond, before No. 80 reached
II. ordered his train ahead. The SUI
nerintendent declared that the acc1-
dent was due to the mistake in plac-
ing a cipher after the three in the
number Of the train instead Of "a
| four.
One of those who escaped said that
as the train was rounding a curve
some one in front of the car began
to sing so that nearly every one was
awake when the crash came. Those
who were in the other cars recovered
their dazed senses, jumped ont to the
side of the track and hurried to the
| demolished passenger coach, where
groans, cries and shrieks were rend'
ing the air.
Fortunately, with the engines on
to one side, the wreckage did not
take fire and add horror to the al
ready dreadful scene. The train hands,
ably seconded by the passengers from
the sleeping cars, groped their way
among the ruins and began the work
Of rescue.