New-York tribune., 1907-09-16

into the smoking car in the rear. leaving the
women to get a little sleep in the straight seats
One Of these who escaped said that as the train
was ronnding q curve some one in the front OF
the car began 70 sing. that nearly every one
was awake when the crash came
When those who were in the other cars had
recovered their senses they jumped out 20 the
side Of the track and hurried to the demollshed
passenger coach where grOens, cries and shrieks
were rending the air.
Fortunately, with the locomotives off to one
side. the wreckage did not take fire and ada
further horror 10 the already 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 The
bodies Of the dead were laid beside the track
quickly. but tenderly. while the rescuers turned
their attention 10 those who needed aid Great
beams Eyere lifted. pieces of timber were thrown
aside and the bleeding and nlanged forms were
dragged out and laid on the backs of broken
seats or upon blankets from the sleeping cars.
Wounds were hastily bound up and deep cuts
bandaged with strips Of bedding from the sleep
ers. The little band worked diligently and
faithfully IN the dawning light before the physi-
clans came.
The neighborhood IS sparsely settled one,
but the few farmers were easily aroused, and
lent every aid TO the work of succor.
PHYSICIANS HURRY TO SCENE.
In the mean time word had been dispatched
70 this place and to Concord and Hanover,
N H. and within an hour a large force of
physicians was hurrying TO the scene.
The accident not without its heroes. and
one of these was Frank Ryan. brakeman
sae express. He was caught in the wreck and
had an artery severed. He was unconscious for
nearly fifteen minutes. and when he reEained his
eenses his first thought was Of the Montreal EX-
press. which he knew laundering down
ihe wreck with no brakeman in the rear 10
svave a warning signal In a few husky words
Ryan told of the approa ching danger. and the
Montreal Express was stopped only a quarter
of mile from the Of the wrecked train.
The passengers on the Montreal Express also
assisted in the work OF the rescue and care of
the wounded Among the West Canaan farmers
WAS Benjamin Briggs, who was one of the first
Ht the scene, and two hours later he drew out
the body of a woman. On turning up the face
aIr. Briggs looked into the features of his mother
and almost collapsed from grief. Mrs. Briggs
llad been visiting friends in the North and
on her way TO Boston.
The sun. which rose about the time the first
r,hysicians reached the scene. disclosed to them
the full extent Of the disaster. The sides Of the
passenger coach lay on each side Of the track
A little further on was tangled mass of iron
and steel from which the steam was still rising
and which had once been two locomotives. OFF
TO one side was crowd Of people hurrying from
wTithing 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 silent as one
by one the bodies of the dead were laid in an
ever increasing until sixteen lifeless forms
were resting side by side beneath the trees.
INJURED TAKEN TO HOSPITAL.
As soon as practicable. the more seriously in
a-zz
grain TO Hanover, N H, where they received
rnedioal and surgical treatment at the Margaret
Hitchcock Hospital at Dartmouth College But
before the train reached here its way 10
Hanover eight more had succumbed 10 their
wounds. which brought the death roll up TO
rweaty-four. During the forenoon twenty
seven OF the injured were taken to Hanover.
while the bodies of the dead were removed in
Two trains TO Concord.
The railroad officials were informed very soon
after the accident. Mr.. Brown. conductor Of the
express walked back TO West Canaan and called
Superintendent Ray of the division at Concord
by telephone, and that official with several
Others and force Of physicians from the CAPT
tai city arrived at the scene at 80 o'clock. No
effort made 10 clear the tracks until the
wounded had been cared for and sent away and
arrangements made for sending the dead 10
Concord
people al day. and the work of the train
wreckers was impeded by the curious crowd.
The track was cleared finally this afternoon, al
Though several hundred feet of rails had TO be
relaid. The rear Of the express train stopped
directly on a bridge over small river but
fortunately the sleeper did not leave the track
STATEMENT BIZ SUPERINTENDENT.
Superintendent Ray as soon he had ar
ranged for the removal Of the victims of the
'accident began an investigation of the cause.
and this afternoon gave out the following state
snent:
The accident was due 70 a misunderstanding
between J. 4. Crowley. the night disra tc7er Al
Concord. who has been in the service seven
years, and John Greeley. the night operator at
Canaan. who has seen tWenty-three years ser
Ssce Ia transmitting train orders. one Of these
TWO men made the fatal error of taking ''0'
Tor + The train order which Conductor
Lawrence o. the freight signed for al the
canaan station said that train No. 80 was run
ming an hour and ten minutes late. On this or
der the freight conductor could easily have
made the side track al West Canaan. and this
vas MS lntentlon- Ordinarily. train No. 81
follows Ne 80. thirty-five minutes later. bat
the freight conductor neld order received at
West Hanover that No "a was forty minutes
late Il was the freight conductors intention
then 10 keep to West Canaan. Train Dis
Iatcher Crowley. of Concord. states that he told
the Canaan operator that No. 81 was an bour
and ten minutes late. 1t this mistake OF
taking a o. for a figure - that caused the
wreck
One ot the passengers on the train, who was in
the smoking car 20 the rear Of the passenger
coach, described the accident as follows:
had one Of the seats in the middle of the car
when the train left White River Junction. and
lat the head Of the car woke up and began TO
fsing. This aroused nearly every one else in the