The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-11-15
DISPATCHER
WAS TO BLAME
For Collision Near Vernon
Sept. 30.
OPERATOR AT FAULT
In Not Delivering Orders but De-
spatcher Should Have Noticed 0mis.
sion-Report Of State Railroad Com
missioners on Accident.

That the train dispatcher at New
London, Conn, was more to blame
than the local telegraph operator for
the collision between Boston q Maine
trains Nos. ~ and % near Vernon
Sept. 26, which came near causing the
loss of many lives, is the gist of the
report made by the state railroad
commissioners regarding that aeci.
dent. Commissioners j. w. Redmond
of Newport and Eli ii. Porter of vii.
mington were present at the investiga-
ton which took place in Brattleboro
Oct. 30, c. W. Writers representing
the Central Vermont road on whose
tracks the accident occurred. The re
port of the commissioners is extreme
ly interesting as showing the methods
of train despatching and the import
ance of every detail in this work. The
report follows:
A public investigation into the cause of
this accident held at Brattleboro, Oct. 30,
1907, revealed the following facts:
At point about two miles north of the
station at Vernon, Vermont at 4.54
o'clock in the afternoon of Sept. 20, 1907,
the regular south-bound passenger train
known as mo. 49, and the regular north
bound passenger train known as NO
25'' collided on the main line of the Cen
trial Vermont Railway company. No.
42' carried from $50 to 200 passengers,
while mo. 25' had only nine passengers.
The engineer and fireman of each train
discovered the approach OF the other train
when the trains were about 600 feet apart,
,.,l, folk aahn hp
emergency application of his airbrake,
and so reduced the speed of their respec-
tive trains, which were running about %
or 30 miles an hour,-that when they col
lided they were not running at speed to
exceed eight miles an hour; and the only
material damage was to the pilots of the
respective engines. No one on either
train was injured. Though these were
regular Boston & Maine passenger trains,
at the time of the collision they were run
ming on the main line of the Central Yer
mont Railway company and governed by
orders issued by the Central Vermont
train dispatcher at New London, Conn.
The cause of this collision, which came
so alarmingly near causing the loss Oh
many lives, is disclosed by the following
facts:
About o'clock that afternoon, the
Central Vermont telegraph operator at
Bratteboro received from the said train
dispatcher at New London, Conn, the
three following orders, numbered rcspec-
lively 81, 80, and So:
No. 81 Number 2, engine lOl, will
carry signals Brattleboro to South
Vernon for engine 7. Number %, en-
CINE unknown, will get this order and
meet first and second number 2, en-.
gines lOl and 7, at Vernon instead of
Brattleboro. Number AZ, engine I'M
known, and number %, engine UNI
known, will meet at Brattleboro."
No. 50. Second number 80, engine
1921, will run ahead of number AZ, en-
CINE 6l9, Brattleboro to Vernon.
ond number 80, engine 1927, and num-
Der AZ, engine 6l9, at Vernon"
No. So. Engines 6l9, 1913, and Gil
will run as first, second, and third
number AZ, Brattleboro to South Yer
non. Second number A. engine 1913,
will run one hour and thirty-tive MN
utes late Brattleboro to South Yer
non. Third number AZ, engine Gil,
will run two hours and ten minutes
late Brattleboro to South Vernon.
Number 3 engine lOl, will carry sig
nails South Vernon to Palmer for en-
CINE 1913. Second number AZ, engine
So, Will run one uOuI anu bHllty NV
minutes late South Vernon to Palm
err"
The telegraph operator at Brattleboro
is a young woman "a years old, who had
been in that position since April 10 last,
About 3A years before last April, she
worked for about six months as telegraph
operator at Stafford Springs, Conn, and
before that she had worked for about 2A
months as telegraph operator at Maple
wood Hotel in the White Mountains, Ex-
cept as above stated she never had any
experience or practice in telegraphy, out
side of what She gained as a student at
Springfield Vt. as,
mo. 40 arrived at Brattleboro at
4.42 O'Clock that afternoon and left Brat
tleboro at 4.45 The duty of the telegraph
operator at Brattleboro required her to
make three copies of each train order,
one copy each for the conductor and en-
gineer of the train to which the order
was directed, and one copy to be retained
in her office. For this purpose, she had
three different pads so constructed that
she could make thereon three, five, or
seven copies respectively. In the case OF
the above order No. 81, as it was directed