Free press., 1907-09-21
WRECK IN The EAST
twenty-five Excursionists Killed
aAd a Large Number Injured
on the Boston and Maine.
RETURNING FROM A FAIR
Passenger Train in Contact With
Heavily Loaded Freight on
Curve and All Cars Crushed
Except SIeepers.

White River Junction, Sept 16.-
twenty-five excursionists returning
frOn Canada met death and many
others were injured about daylight
Sunday in a fearful headon collision
on the Concord division of the Boston
and Maine railroad, about four miles
west Of Canaan station. The badly
injured numbered nearly thirty, some
Of whom, it is feared. may not re-
cover. At noon twenty bodies had
been taken from the wreck.
A train OF four cars well filled with
tired, sleeping excursionists, nearly
al OF whom had been spending the
day at the fair at Sherbrooke, Que,
160 miles over the Canadian border to
the north had rounded a curve at
lively speed when the headlight of
freight locomotive flashed before the
eyes Of the engineer. In another in
slant there was a crash, and both en-
g1nes were lying together a mass of
wreekage, in the ditch beside the
track the baggage car next to the
passenger locomotive had been driven
back into the passenger coach, tele-
scoping 1t and crushing the lives out
OF half a car load of people At the
same time nearly every one else in
shat car was injured. A few escapes
but those who were in the sleeping
car In the rear were saved from death
by the more sturdy qualities of their
car.
The accident occurred at 4:24 a. m.
Just as the dawn was showing in the
81 hn of&o -
train hands who had escaped injury,
and passengers in the sleeping car
were looking upon one of the worst
wrecks ever seen in New Hampshire
The locomotive lay in a tangled pile
The baggage car, partly derailed, was
held nearly upright by the wreckage
OF the demolished DAY coach, one side
OF which had been completely ripped
on. while the remainder was ground
30 spIiDters by the force of the shock.
A smoker behind the day coach stood
on the rails with ends demolished and
windows broken. The sleeper was
practically undamaged. In the debris
OF the passenger coach lay more dead
and injured than could be estimated
at the moment. At once those who
had escaped harm saw their task The
cries and moans of the injured
prompted speedy action Out from
under broken beams and spIintered
jOists, bleeding forms were dragged
and laid on broken backs of seats or
blankets from the sleeping car.
Wounds were hastily bound up with
torn sheets from the berths and scuh
Dther help as could be hastily pro-
wided was given. An hour elapsed be-
fore physicians could be brought from
Hanover, White River Junction and
Canaan. The dead were placed beside
the track to await more satisfactory
disposition.
Soon after daylight crowd from
the countryside began to assemble
the curious ones numbered several
hundred. During the forenoon, the
wrecking trains were sent from
White River Junction and Concord
and put TO work and the track was
cleared early in the afternoon, al
though ten of the so freight cars
which had comprised that train were
derailed and the track was torn up
Cor a quarter of a mile. By noon the
work OF rescue had been completed
and it became known that the number
OF dead was %. Twenty-Five of them
were taken by train to Concord and
three were sent to this place. Before
the removal, II had been identified.