Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-09-18
WRECK
KILLS "a
QUEBEC EXPRESS COL
LIDES WITH FREIGHT.
FOUR MILES NORTH OF CANAAN
STATION IN NEW HAMP-
SHIRE.

White River Junction, VT, Septic
"A fearful head-on collision between
the southbound Quebec express and a
northbound freight train on the Con-
cord division of the Boston & Maine
railway occurred four miles north of
Canaan station early yesterday, due to
mistake in train dispatcher's orders.
and from a demolished passenger
coach there were taken out "a dead
and dying and q other passengers,
most of them seriously wounded.
Nearly all of those who were in the
death car were returning from a fair
a. Sherbrooke, Quebec, 100 miles
north.
The conductor of the freight train
was given to understand that he had
plenty of time to reach a siding by
the night operator at Canaan. receiv-
ing, according to the superintendent
of the division. a copy of a telegraph
order from the train dispatcher at
Concord, which confused the trains
numbers 80 and "a.
The wreck occurred Just after the
express had rounded into straight
stretch of track, but owing to the
early morning mist neither engineer
saw the others headlight until it was
too late. Those identified up to 6
o'clock Sunday night were as follows:
List Of the Dead.
Timothy Shaughnessy, Castle Bar,
Quebec.
Mrs. Shaughnessy.
Miss Anna st. Pierre, Isle Verte,
Quebec.
Fred M. Pets. Ochiltree. Texas.
Mrs. A. f. Warren, Haverhill, Mass
Mrs. F. C. Blake, South Corinth, VT.
Mrs. Margaret Largy. Manchester.
N. H.
Miss Barrett, Manchester.
Mrs. Philip Gagon, Sherbrooke,
Quebec.
Miss Alvina Garon, Nassau.
Mrs. Webster. a dressmaker living
in Massachusetts,.
J. ]. Concroth, Somerville, Mass.
Infant child Of Irving Clifford, Con-
cord.
Mrs. E. T. Briggs. West Canaan, N.
H.
John G. Duncan. Bethel, vt.
The unidentified include boy 4
years of age and man 40 years old
a woman Of so years, another OF S..
O man OF IS years and four others.
twenty-five Of the bodies we're re-
moved to Concord during the night.
| The Train Was Late.
The passenger train had left here
bound for Concord about an hour late.
The track to the south is a single one
to Franklin. 80 miles distant. with a
few sidings. It abounds in curves.
while the greatest part Of It from
Canaan is down grade. The freight
train pulled out Of a siding some
miles to the south and started up the
track for this place at o'clock.
The train dispatcher's sheet at Con.
cord is declared to show that the
! freight crew disobeyed orders in do
ing so. There are no signals on the
road and the trains are directed from
station to station. Going north 1t Is
long. straight track from Canaan
to the curve where the accident hap
pened and the freight was making
good time when the passenger train
came around the curve. It is estl-
mated both trains were going at a
speed OF from 30 to 40 miles an hour.
There was time to put on the brakes
and both engine crews jumped and
escaped injury.
Early in the afternoon, although 10
Of the 30 freight cars which had COM
posed that train we're derailed. and
the track was torn up for a quarter
OF mile, the work Of rescue had been
completed, and It became known that
the number Of dead was "a. Twenty.
two Of them were taken by train to
Concord, and two we're sent to this
place.
Before the removal Of the bodies IA