The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-09-19
rs PERSONS KILLED
26 OTHERS BADLY HURT
Trains Collide Hsad-0n On a Steep
Grade.
VICTIMS ARE MOSTLY WOMEN.
Frightfu Wreck On the Boston and
Maine Railroad.
AN ERROR COSTS MANY LIVES.

AN ERROR COSTS MANY LIVES.
The Southbound Quebec Express and
Heavy Freight Crash Into Each
Other, and the Two Giant Locomo-
tives, Locked in Tight Embrace,
Roll Into a Ditch-All the Passsn-
gers Killed or Hurt We're in One
Car, Which Was Telescoped by the
Heavy Baggage Car.
White River Junction, Vt. (Speeial). J..
IA fearful head-on collision be-
tween the southbound Quebec ex-
press and a northbound freight train
on the Concord division of the Bos-
ton and Maine Railroad occurred four
miles north of Canaan Station, due
to a mistake in train dispatcher's or
ders, and from a demolished passen-
ger coach there we're taken out "a
dead and dying and 27 other passen-
gers, most of them seriously wound
ed Nearly all those who were in
the death car we're returning from a
fair at Sherbrooke, Quebec, 16O miles
north.
The conductor of the freight train
was given to understand by the
night operator at Canaan Station that
he had plenty of time to reach sid
ing, receiving, according to the super
intendent of the division, a copy or
telegraph order from the train dis
patcher at Concord which confused
, the train Nos. 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 1t
/. was too late.
The south-bound train was made
. up at Sherbrooke, where 1t picked up
: two sleepers from Quebec and two
more on the way down. 1t consisted
I of the baggage car, passenger coach
l and smoking car in that order, with
the sleepers in the rear.
: Was Forty Minutes Late.
I, The train left White River juno
ton at $50 A. NJ, 40 minutes late
and was followed 20 minutes later by
the Montreal express over the Central
( Vermont Railroad. The Quebec train
l.. is known as No. 80 and the Montreal
t train as No. "a.
: In the meantime north-bound
freight train, known as No. 267, had
= arrived at Canaan, l s miles down the
: road. at 4.10 A. NJ, on time. Ac-
: cording to the division superintend-
: ent. w. r. Ray, ]. A. Crowley, the
night train dispatcher at Concord
r sent a dispatch to John Greeley
= the night operator at Canaan, thai
r No. "a was l hour and 10 minute:
s late. The order, which Conductor
Lawrence of the freight train showed
n after the accident, distinctly state:
J. that No. 80 instead of No. "a wa
IS l hour and 10 minutes late.
Conductor Lawrence, believing tina
e he had sufficient time in the hour ant
,e ten minutes to reach the side tract
d at West Canaan, four miles beyond
before No. 80 reached it, ordered hi
J. train ahead.
/ The superintendent declared tina
the accident was due to the mistake
d in placing a cipher after the thre
> in the number of the train, insteat
of four.
is The morning was dull and mist,
in the Western New Hampshir
Mountains and the long freight trail
with a score OF heavily loaded car
numbered up the long grade towar
10 West Canaan at the usual speed. o.
"a the other side of the curve was tn
10 Quebec express, sliding down tn
ID single track with her load of pas
sengers and the four heavy sleeper
al in the rear.
4 Engineers Jumped.
If The freight train was on a straigl
ne piece of track, about mile in length
and the Quebec express had rounde
w. curve into this stretch when Tn
40 two engineers saw the headlights {
lie the opposite train burst out OF tn
fog. Both engineers set their brake
"a and then jumped, while the two gref
,a locomotives crashed into each othe
he and, locked in firm embrace, role
into the ditch.
The baggage car in the rear wa
JUS hurled back into the passenger coaC
nc like a great ram, and tore II asundt
from end to end AS it did so III
by rear end of the car rose up so th'
he when it stopped at the forward en-
of the smoker, which was behind II
ed passenger coach, IL was well incline
~. Only I6W WlHuOMb Mtl0 bAOh'A
an the smoking car, and none of u
lrt Pullmans were injured.
lc- But the Inflated passenger coa(
was crowded with more than so pc
of pie. Shortly before the accident
be- few of the men had gone back in
ale the smoking car in the rear, leaviT
the women to get little sleep in Il
sse straight seats.
On, One of those who escaped said tn
as the train was rounding a cur
ed someone in the front of the car b
re- gan to sing, so that nearly everyol
10. was awake when the crash cam
ed Those who were in the other cars I
)te covered their dazed senses, Jump
out to the side OF the track and hu
ent ried to the demolished passeng
di- coach, where groans, cries and shrie
were rending the afr.
~ ~ Gold Mine Disaster.
August. Ga. (Special) A ChrC