Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-09-19
TWENTY-FIVE killed IN Railroad Wreck.
Fearful Loss Of Life Results from Early Morning Collision Of
Express and Freight Trains near Canaan, n, \.
John H. Cog Bethel Man. Among the henng Scenes at the
Wsck-Hsusm Of Brakeman AyeIk Further Disaster.

/ Both engineers set their brakes and
then jumped, while the two great locomo-
tives crashed into each other and rolled
into the ditch.
The baggage car in the rear was
hurled back into the passenger coach like
great ram and tore il asunder from end
to end. A few windows were broken In
the smoking car and the Pullmans were
uniniured.
The Inflated passenger coach was filled
with more than 80 people. One Of those
who escaped said that as the train was
rounding a curve some one In the front
of the car began to sing, so that nearly
everyone was awake when the crash came.
WORK OF RESCUE.
When those who were in the other cars
recovered their daxed 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 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
bedding of the sleepers. The little band
worked diligently and faithfully in the
dawning light before the doctors came.
The neighborhood is a sparsely settled
one, but the few farmers were easily
aroused and lent every aid TO the work OF
succor.
In the meantime, the word had been
despatched TO White River Junction and
to Concord, and Hanover, and within an
hour a large force of physicians were
hurrying to the scene.
HEROIC ACT OF BRAKEMAN.
The accident was not without its he
roes, and one Of these was Frank Ryan, a
brakeman on the express. Ryan was
caught in the wreck and had an artery
severed. He was unconscious for nearly 10
minutes and when he regsined his senses
his first thought was OF the Montreal ex-
press, which he knew was laundering
down on the wreck with no brakeman in
the rear TO wave warning signal. In a
few husky words Ryan told OF the APP
preaching danger and the Montreal ex-
press was stopped only quarter OF mile
from the rear OF the wrecked train.
FOUND HIS MOTHER AMONG DEAD.
The passengers on the Montreal express
also assisted in the work OF rescue and
the care OF the wounded. Among the
West Canaan farmers who aided was BEN
jamin Briggs, one OF the first at the
scene, and two hours later he drew out OF
the wreck the body OF woman. On
turning over the cody Mr.. 3riggs looked
into the face oi Lis neither, and slmost
collapsed from grief. Mrs. Briggs had
been visiting friends ia the ncfth and
was on her way to Boston.
The sun, which rose about the time the
| first doctors reached the scene, disclosed
to them the full extent OF the disaster.
The sides Of the passenger coach lay on
either side OF the track. A little farther on
was tangled mass Of iron and steel from
which the steam was still rising and
which had once been two locomotives.
On to one side was crowd OF people
hurrying from one writing form to ar
other in vain attempt to ease the pain
and stop the flow OF blood. On the
other side of the track all were silent as
| one by one the bodies OF the dead were
laid in an ever increasing row until 16 life
less forms we're resting side by side be-
I meath the trees.
| AS soon as practicable, the more seri-
ously injured were laid on stretchers and
taken by train to Hanover, n. H., where
they we're given medical and surgical
treatment at the Mary Hitchcock
hospital at Dartmouth college. But be-
fore the train reached White River juno
ton on its way to Hanover, eight more
had succumbed to their wounds, which
brought the death roll up to "a. At the
| hospital an unknown boy, suffering from
arm and leg fractures, died Sunday night,
making the number OF deaths from the
wreck %.
| The remainder of the victims at the
hospital with the exception of one uniden-
/ titled girl, who may die, were reported as
/ comfortable and expected to recover.
During the forenoon 81 OF the injured
were taken to Hanover while the bodies
OF the dead were removed by two trains
to Concord.
/ STATEMENT BY SUPERINTENDENT.
| Superintendent Ray, as soon as he had
arranged for the removal OF the victims OF
the accident, began an investigation of
the cause, and Sunday afternoon gave out
the following statement.
| "The accident was due to a misunder
standing between j. A. Crowley, the
night dispatcher at Concord, who has
been in the service seven years, and John
Greeley, the night operator at Canaan,
who has seen % years service in transmit
! ting train orders. One of the two men
made the fatal error OF taking cipher for
four. The train order which Conductor
Lawrence of the freight signed for the
Canaan station said that train No. 80 was
running one hour and ten minutes late.
On this order the freight conductor could
easily have made the sidetrack at West
Canaan, and this was his intention. Or
dinarily, train No. "a follows No. 80. "a
minutes later, but the freight conductor
held an order received at West Hanover
that No. 81 was forty minutes late. II
| was the freight conductor's intention