Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-09-20

the long list OF recent disasters When
head-on collision occurred Sunday morn
ing between the southbound quebec eX-
press and a northbound freight train on
the Concord division of the Boston &
Maine railroad four miles north of Ca
man, N H, station, due to a mistake in
train despatcher's orders, and from de-
molished passenger coach there were
taken rs dead and dying and 26 other
passengers more or less wounded. Nearly
all those who were killed were returning
from the fair in Sherbrooke, Que. The
conductor OF the freight train was given
to understand that he had plenty of time
to reach a siding by the night operator
at Canaan station, receiving, according
to the superintendent of the division,
copy of a telegraph order from the train
dispatcher at Concord which confused the
train numbers 80 and "a.
THE wreck occurred just after the ex-
press had rounded into a straight stretch
of track, but owing to the early morning
mist neither engineer saw the other
headlight until it was TOO late.
The morning was a dull, misty one,
and the long freight train, with score
of heavily loaded cars, numbered up the
long grade towards 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
sleepers in the rear. The freight train
was on a straight piece of track, about
a mile in length, and the Quebec eX-
press had rounded a curve into the
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 To-
comotives crashed into each other and
rolled into the ditch.
The baggage car in the rear was hurled
n or int hn ma
ram, and tore 1t asunder from end to
end.
only a few windows were broken in the
smoking car, and the Pullmans were I'M
injured.
The Inflated passenger coach was filled
with more than SO people One of those
who escaped said that as the train was
rounding a curve someone in the front of
the car began to sing, so that nearly
everyone was awake when the crash
came.
When those who were in the other cars
recovered their dazed senses, they hur-
ried to the demolished passenger 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 cars, CROPPED
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 to those who needed aid
Great beams were lifted pieces of joists
were thrown aside, and the bleeding and
mangled 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
staunched by strips torn from the bed
ding of the sleepers. The little band
worked diligently and faithfully in the
dawning light before the doctors came
The neighborhood is a sparsely set
tied one, but the few farmers were easily
aroused, and lent every aid to the worl
of succor.
In the meantime the word had beer
dispatched to Concord and Hanover. an(
within one hour a large force Of physi
clans were sent flying to the scene
Physicians from Canaan and Enfield wer'
the first to arrive.
The revised list of the dead Is as fol
lows: Mr.. and Mrs. Timothy Shaughn
essy, Miss Annie Barrett, Austin Royder
Della Houle, Manchester, N. H; Mrs
Adolph Boisvert, Concord, N. H; Richart
Clarlkson and Leon 8. Cady, Lebanon
Mrs. e. S. Briggs. West Lebanon; Mrs
l.. c. Blake, Barton Landing; Mrs. VIII
liam Cunningham and Frank H. Lower
Ipswich, Mass; George L. SouthwictI
Worcester Mass; Mrs. w. E. Warrel
erhill, Mass, John H. Congdon. Bethel
VT, with a winter home 1873 Summe
street Boston; H. D. Stevens and C. E
Derby. Boston, Dominick Denoit, Lowell
M. M. Wilson, East Cambridge, Mass.
F. M. Phelps, Ochiltree, Texas; Annie 81
Pierre, Isle Vert, p. O.; Mrs. William
Vintinner, Robinsonbury, p O.; Mrs
Vena Gagain, Sherbrooke, P. Q.
John M. Congdon, 65, of Bethel. one o
the victims of the wreck, was a membe
of the E. c. Fisher company which own
the Bethel tannery. He was on his wa
to Boston. He was born in Randolph, n
Y, and during large part of his life wa
a lawyer in Gowanda, N. Y. He was
representative in the New York legisla
ture when Theodore Roosevelt was ais
an assemblyman and had served as dis
trict attorney in New York state. II
and his wife had lived in Bethel abou
two years He is survived by daughte
and three sons. Two of the sons ar
prominent lawyers in New York state.
Blame Not Placed.
In a statment isued at Concord Tuesda
General Manager Barr of the Boston
Maine railroad, states that the record
show that the order sent out from Con
cord Sunday morning regarding the run