The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-09-27
TRAINS ON
SAME TRACK
Frightful Accident Narrow
ly Averted Yesterday.
COLLISION AT VERNON
Fortunately Engineer on North-bound
Train Saw Smoke Of Other in Time
to Apply Brakes-Accident Result
of a Mistake on Part Of Operator.

Providence alone averted fright
full railroad wreck late yesterday af'
ternoon between here and Vernon.
On account of failure to deliver orders
train No. 40 of the Boston & Maine,
composed of seven cars filed with re.
turning Valley fair visitors, started
for Vernon on the track which had
been given to the north bound local
No. 20. Rushing toward each other
on the same line these two trains met
in cut short distance this side Of
Drummer station and miraeulously
terrible horror was averted. Engineer
Harry Hunter of the north-bound
train happened TO notice the smoke Of
the south.bound express just before
entering the cut where the collision
took place and Immediately reversed
his engine and applied the emergency
brakes Fortunately the express was
travelling up grade and on account Of
its heavy load was going at a~com'
paratively low rate of speed. Only q
short distance interviewed when the
engineer of the express saw the local
but he managed to reverse and apply
the brakes in time to stop much of
the force of the crash As IL was the
impact of the collision smashed the
pilots of both engines and gave the
passengers severe shaking.up but
not a person was severely injured.
Both fremen and one of the engineers
Jumped after doing everything pos
sible to stop their trains. Train AZ
was in charge of Conductor Davis and
Engineer Ramsey, while % was in
charge of Conductor James Griffin and
Engineer Harry Hunter.
The accident was undoubtedly due
to the fact that the local telegraph
operator, Mrs. Nash, failed to deliver
to the engineer of the south-bound or
ders to wait here for the local from
South Vernon. Receiving no order
here and being 30 minutes late the
tain went south at rapid clip, and 1t
was not until it was far out of reach
that the local authorities became
aware of the liability of disaster.
Barney Vim, travelling conductor of
the Central Vermont, happened to in.
quire of the local operator as to the
whereabouts of train 25 and after wir
ing TO Vernon the latter was Mortified
to find that il had left that station.
To the railroad officials here it looked
as if nothing could prevent frightful
wreck and arrangements were at once
made for taking care of the injured.
Two local physicians were summoned
to start for the scene and a wrecking
train was being made up when news
was received that no one was hurt.
The place where the accident oc-
CURED is a cut near the Hubbard
farm about two miles north of Dunn
mer station. The track at this point
curves slightly and is just at the
crest of a 100,foot embankment lead
ing to the river John Calvin of this
town. who was one of the passengers
on the south. bound train, says that
both trains surely would have gone
down the bank had the collision come
with any force, and the fact that the
cars of the express were lighted with
old.fashioned kerosene lamps means
that fire would have added to the hor.
ror of the situation. Mr.. Calvin says
that for a few seconds there was al
most a panic in the heavily-lOaded ex-
press train, women screaming and men
shouting. The force of the collision,
he says, was enough to throw all pas,
sengers who were standing but he saw
only few who. appeared to be injured
in any way.