Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-09-17
Mistake In Orders Causes Head
on Collision Of Boston 8 Maine
Trains Ii New Hampshire.
CRASH TOGETHER ON SINGLE TRACK
Baggage Car Telescopes Passenger
Passenger Car, Carrying Death to
its ocupants--Distressing Scenes
at Dawn as Survivors Do Heroic
Work in Caring for the Injured.

WHITE l.,ER JUNCTION VI,
Sept. G.-Twenty.rour persons are
dead and seven more or less seriously
injured as the result of Il mistake in
one figure by Il train dispatcher in
Concord, which sent the southhounu
Quebec express crashing into a nor...-
bound freight train on the single track
of the Boston and Maine Railroad
four miles north OF Canaan early yes
tcrday morning
Confusion on the numbers 30 and
ii gave both trains the right of way.
and the express had rounded curve
into Il straight stretch of track about
mile long when the freight train,
coming from The opposite direction,
bore down unon 1t. Both engine driv-
ers set their brakes and jumped The
locomotives, locked in firm embrace
rolled into Il ditch. and the baggage
car of the express shot back into the
first passenger car, tearing it asundcr
from end to end.
II was in this car that all those
killed and nearly all of those injured
were seated. They were returning
from u fair IN Sherbrookc, Quebec,
16O miles north. ruat vtisVi---isl -.
that only few minutes before the
wreck occurred some men were sing
ing. This aroused others who we're
doing III their seats ana several mon
formed procession into The smoking
car in the rear, thus escaping with
their lives.
Dawn was breaking when the dis.
astcr occurred. and as it was far from
any settlement whore surgical and
could be obtained, the scenes that
followed were distressing Dead and
wounded were lying together under
great heaps of wrcckagc. and it was
nearly an hour before doctors could
be taken to the scene.
In the meantime the train crews and
Passengers who had not been injured
aided by Il little group of farmers, did
the work of succor. The only con
soling feature of the accident was
that the wrcckagc did not catch on
fire and add further horror to the
scene
Work of Rescue.
Fortunately with the engines OFF to
one side, the wreckage did not take
fire. The train hands, ably seconded
by passengers from the sleeping cars.
CROPPED their way among the ruins
ANA began the work OF rescue. The
bodies of the dead were laid beside
the track. while the rescuers turned
their attention to those who needed
aid.
Great beams were lifted pieces of
joists were thrown aside and the
manglcd forms were dragged out and
laid on the backs of broken seats or
on blankets from tho sleeping cars
Wounds were hastily bound up and
deep cuts staunched by strips of bed
ding. The little band worked dill
gently and faithfully in the dawning
light before the doctors came.
The ncighborhood is sparccly set
tied, but the few farmers living near
were aroused and lent every aid.
In the meantime word had been
snt to this place and to Concord and
Hanover. and within an hour Il large
force of physicias were hurrying to
the scene.
The accident was not without its
heroes. One Ryan, brakeman on
the train. who was caught in the
wreck and had an artery severed. was
unconscious for nearly fifteen min
utes. and when he rcgainod his senses
his first thought was of the Montreal
express. which he knew was thunder
ing down on the wreck with no brake
man in the rear to wave n warning
signal. In a few husky words kyan
told Of the approaching danger and
the Montreal express was stopped at
only quarter of a mile from ,ho
wrecked train.
The san. which arose about the
time the first doctors reached the
scone, disclosed the fun extent Of
the disaster The sides of The pas.
scngcr car lay on each side of the
track. little further on was tang.
led mass of iron and steel. from which
the steam was still rising and which
had once been tho locomotives. on
to one side was crowd of persons
hurrying from one writing form to
another in a vain attempt 10 case
the pain of the sufferers. On the
other side of tho track all were silent
as one by one the bodies of the dead
were laid in an cvcr.incrcasing row
until sixteen were resting beneath the
trees.
AS soon as practicable the more
seriously injured were laid on stretch
ers and taken by train to Hanover.