The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-09-17
MISTAKE IN ORDERS
Error Of a Telegraph Operator
Costs Twenty-Five Lives.
IS MANY OTHERS INJURED
Express and Freight Trains on the
Boston and Maine Railroad Collide
at Canaan, N. H., With Most Dis
astrsvs Results.

tASt'N va, FN~SAiAo.
Canaan, n H., Sept. 17-By col
lisioh of freight and an express
train on the Concord division of the
Boston and Maize railroad near here
more than score of persons lost their
lives and a greater number received
injuries. According to a statement
issued by the railroad officials a blum
der in handling train orders was the
cause, but the identity of the employe
responsible for the error remains to
be determined.
At the rooms of the undertaking
firm in Concord where most of the
dead were removed Immediately after
the accident twenty-five bodies are
taiG out in long rows. OF these thir-
teen are considered as positively iden-
titled by relatives, while the identity
of several others was believed to be
sufficiently known. The revised list
of identified dead follows:
Timothy Shaughnessey, Manches-
ter; Mrs. Timothy Shaughnessey. Man
chester; George l.. Southwick, Worces-
ter, Mass; Fred M. Phelps Ochiltree,
Tex; Mrs. M. E. Warren, Haverhill,
Mass; Mrs. Adolph Boisyert, Concord,
N. H., Miss Annie Barrett, Manches-
ter; Augustine Roger, Manchester;
Richard F. Clarkson, Lebanon, N. H.;
Frank III. Loves, Ipswich, Mass; Mrs
e. S. Briggs, West Lebanon, N. H.;
John nj. Congdon, Bethel, VT; Leon
S. Cady, West Lebanon.
The twelve bodies still awaiting
Identification include that of an eight
year-old boy who died at the Mary
Hitchcock hospital at Hanover during
the night, four men and seven women.
Twelve of the twenty-seven persons
who were taken to the hospital suffer
ing from injuries have recovered suff1-
sciently to leave that institution and
but fifteen persons remain at the hos
pital. None of the injured persons
still at the hospital is in a dangerous
condition, the injuries in the main
consisting of slight concussions
bruises and sprains.
Fearful Result of Mistake.
The southbound train was made uI
at Sherbrooke, Que, where it picked
up two sleepers from Quebec and two
more on the way down. 1t consisted
of the baggage car, passenger coach
and smoking car in that order, with
the sleepers In the rear.
The train left White River Junction
at $3.50 a. M, forty minutes late, and
the Montreal express over the Contra
Vermont railroad The Quebec train
is known as No. 80 and the Montrea
train as No. 81.
In the meantime northbound trair
known as No. 267 had arrived a
Canaan on time. According to ths
division superintendent, w. r. Ray
J. Il. Crowley, the night train dis
patcher at Concord, sent dispatch
to John Greeley, the night operator a
Canaan, that No. "a was one hour ant
ten minutes late. The order which
Conductor Lawrence of the freigh
train showed after the accident dis
tinctly states that No. 80, instead Q
No. "a, was an hour and ten minutes
late.
Conductor Lawrence, believing tina
he had sufficient time in the hour AM
ten minutes to reach the sidetrack a
West Canaan, four miles beyond, be
fore No. 80 reached it, ordered hi
train ahead.
Superintendent Ray, after an inves
tigation Of the cause OF the disaster
gave out the following statement:
"The accident was due to misun
derstanding between J. A. Crowley
the night dispatcher at Concord, VIII
has been in the service seven years
and John Greeley, the night operate
at Canaan, who has seen twenty-five
years service in transmitting trai
orders. One of these two men mad
the fatal error of taking cipher TO
a four"
nm FEIInMc IN SESSION