The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-16
Injury to 81 in Wreck on the
b. & NJ.
Passenger and Freight Meet on
a Straight Track.
A MISTAKE IN ORDERS
A CIPHER Where There Should
Have Been a 4.
Unfortunate Persons We're Re-
turning From Fair.

v
A fearful head on collision between tne
southbound Quebec express and
northbound fre'eht train on the Con
cord division of the Boston & Maine
railroad occurred four miles north Of
Canaan station early Sunday, due te
a mistake in train dispatchers' orders
and from a demolished passenger coacr
there were taken out 20 dead ana oy'
ing, and q other passengers, most OF
them seriously injured. Nearly all those
who were in the death car were re
turning from fair at Sherproohe
Quebec. so miles north.
The conductor of the freight train
was given to understand that ne mac
plenty of time to reach siding Dy the
night operator at Canaan station, re-
ceiving according to the superintendent
of the division. a copy OF a telegraph
order from the train dispatcher at con-
cord, which confused the train num-
bers 30 and "a.
The wreck occurred just after the ex-
press 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 Dead.
Those identified were as follows:
TIMOTHY SHAUGHNESSEY, Castle
Bar. Quebec.
MRS. SHAUGHNESSEY.
MRS. ANNIE T. PIERRE, Isle Verte,
FRED NJ. PHELPS. Ochiltree, Texas.
MRS A. E. WARREN, Haverhill'
MRS. F. c. BLAKE, South Corinth.
Mrs. MARGARET LARGY. Man
chester, n. H.
MISS BARRETT. Manchester.
MRS. PHILLIP GAGNON, Sher-
MISS MISS AI.vINA GIRoN, Nassau
MRS. WEBSTER, a dressmaker hv-
ing in Massachusetts
J. l. CONGRET, Somerville, Mass.
INFANT CHILD of Irving Clifford.
Concord.
n. H.
One unknown boy who was taken to
the Margaret Hitchcock hospital here.
suffering from arm and leg fractures,
died last night.
The unidentified include a boy years
old, a man 40 years, a woman of 80
years, a man of 55, a man of 35 years,
and four others
twenty-five of the bodies were re-
moved to Concord.
The Injured.
The most seriously injured who were
taken to the Margaret Hitchcock hos
pital at Hanover. n. H. include:
= Saunders. Nassau, N H, legs
and arms injured.
Mrs. S Saunders, Nassau, head and
back injured.
Mrs. &. N. Saunders, Nassau. wounds
on head
Miss D. Saunders. Nassau. internal in
juries.
Miss C. Saunders. contusions on face.
Fred Saunders, Nassau, shoulders in
jured
Mrs. Hester Saunders, Brockton, Mass,
head and back injured.
Charles St. Pierre, Isle Verte, quebec,
internal injuries.
Arthur jacques, Millbury, internal in
juries.
E. A. Bachelor. somerville, ankle
broken.
Phillip Gagnon, Sherbrooke, internal
injuries.
John Barrett, Manchester. head and
breast injured.
Miss Abby Jansen, Nassau, broken
frontal bone
Story of the Wreck
The southbound 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 bag
gage car. passenger coach and smoking
car in that order with the sleepers in
the read The train left White River
Junction at $3.50. forty minutes late and
was followed 20 minutes later by the |
Montreal express over the Central Yer
mont railroad. The Quebec train is
known as No 80, and the montreal tram |
as No. 39-
In the meantime a northbound train |
known as No. 267 had arrived atCanaan |
IS miles down the road at 4:10 a. m, I
on time. According to the division |
w. r. Ray, J. r. Crow |
ley, the night train dispatcher at Con- |
cord sent dispatch toJohn Greeley. the |
night operator at Canaan that No. "a /
was one hour and ten minutes late. The |
order which Conductor Lawrence OF the |
freight train showed after the accident. |
distinctly states that No. 80 instead OF /
No "a was an hour and ten 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, be-
fore No. &c reached it, ordered his train /
ahead The superintendent declared
that the accident was due to the mis-
take in placing cipher after the three |
In the number Of the train. instead of
q four. The morning was dull and
misty in the western New Haupshirc
and the long freight train
with q score of heavily loaded cars lunl- |
bered up the grade to West Canaan at
the usual speed. On the other side of
the cut the Quebec express was sliding
down the single track with her load of
passengers and the four sieepers in tho
rear. The freight train was on
straight piece of track about a mile in
length and the Quebec express had
the curve into this stretch !
when the two engineers saw the head
light of the opposite train burst out of
the fog. Both engineers set their
brakes and then jumped
Then the Crash Came.
In another instant there was a crash,
and both engines We're lying together
! mass of wreckage. in the ditch beside
the track The baggage car, next to the
passenger locomotive, had been driven
back into the passenger coach, teles-
ceping it and crushing the lives out OF