Bridgeton pioneer., 1907-09-19

Other, and the Two Giant Locomo
tives, Locked in Tight Embrace
Roll Into a Ditch-All the Passen
gers Killed or Hurt We're in On,
Car, Which Was Telescoped by th,
Heavy Baggage Car.
White River Junction, Vt. (SpeciaO
A fearful head-on collision be
tween the southbound Quebec ex
press and a northbound freight trair
on the Concord division of the Bos
ton and Maine Railroad occurred foul
miles north of Canaan Station, due
10 a mistake in train dispatcher's or.
ders and from a demolished passen-
ger coach there were taken out p
dead and dying and 27 other passen-
gers, most of them seriously wound
| ed. Nearly ali those who were in
| the death car were returning from q
| fair at Sherbrooke, Quebec, 160 miles
north
The conductor of the freight train
was given to understand by the
:
! he had plenty Of time to reach a sid
| ing, receiving, according to the super
| intendent of the division, copy OF
| a telegraph order from the train dis
patcher at Concord which confused
the train Nos. 80 and S4.
1 The wreck occurred just after the
express had rounded into a straight
stretch of track, but owing to the
early morning mist neither engineer
saw the others headlight until it
was too late.
The south-bound~ train was made
up at Sherbrooke. 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.
Was Forty Minutes Late.
The train left White River juno
ton at $50 A. M, 30 minutes late.
and was followed 90 minutes later by
the Montreal express over the Central
Vermont Railroad. The Quebec train
is known as No. 80 and the Montreal
train as No. 81.
In the meantime a north-bound
freight train. known as No. 26I, had
arrived at Canaan, IS miles down the
road, at 40 4. NJ, on time. Ac-
cording to the division superintend-
ent. ". R. Ray. ]. A. Crowley. the
night train dispatcher at Concord,
sent a dispatch to John Greeley,
the night operator at Canaan, that
/ No. 81 was l hour and 10 minutes
; 1o-a
Lawrence of the freight train showed
after the accident. distinctly states
that No. 80 instead of No. 34 was
l hour and 10 minutes late.
/ Conductor Lawrence, believing that
he had sufficient time in the hour and
! ten minutes to reach the side track
at West Canaan. four miles beyond.
I before No. 80 reached il, ordered his
train ahead.
The superintendent declared that
/ the accident was due to the mistake
in placing a cipher after the three
in the number of the train, instead
OF a four.
/ The morning was dull and misty
in the Western New Hampshire
Mountains and the long freight train
with a score of heavily loaded cars
numbered up the long grade toward
West Canaan at the usual speed. On
the other side OF the curve was the
Quebec express, sliding down the
single track with her load of pas
sengers and the four heavy sleepers
in the rear.
Engineers Jumped.
The freight train was on straight
piece of track, about mile in length
and the Quebec express had rounded
a curve into this stretch when the
two engineers saw the headlights OF
the opposite train burst out of the
fog. Both engineers set their brakes
and then jumped. while the two great
I locomotives crashed into each other
and. locked in a firm embrace, rolled
into the ditch.
The baggage car in the rear was
hurled back into the passenger coach
like a great ram, and tore it asundel
from end to end. AS it did SO the
rear end of the car rose up so tha
when it stopped at the forward enc
of the smoker. which was behind tht
passenger coach, it was we'll inclined
Only q few windows were broken il
| the smoking car, and none of th'
Pullmans were injured.
But the Inflated passenger coacl
was crowded with more than so peo
pie. Shortly before the accident 4;
: few OF the men had gone back int
the smoking car in the rear, leaving
the women to get little sleep in tn
straight seats.
One Of those who escaped said tha
as the train was rounding curv
someone in the front of the car be
gan 10 sing. so that nearly everyon
was awake when the crash came
Those who were in the other cars re
covered their daZed senses, jumpe
out TO the side of the track and hui
ried to the demolished passenge
coach, where groans, cries and Shrek
were rending the air.
Gold Mine Disaster.
August, Ga. Especially A Chror