The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-08-25
Railroad Accident at West Berlin Sunday Morn
ing Killed Six Men Outright and Injured
Good Many Others
BIGGEST R. R. CALAMITY In YEARS
Failure To Send "HOd' Order to Mortified Was Cause
of the Most Frightfu Accident Vermont Has Known
in Recent Years journal Reporter Was the
First NewSpaperman There

, eers. Both trains were running at a
/ high rate of speed when they came
together and the force was 80 great
that the engine running from the
Junction was showed back consider
able distance from the point where
the collision took place Both trains
were going at a rate of about thirty
five miles an hour. Two oil cars near
the front end of the through freight
telescoped the box cars ahead of them
as well as the car said to have
contained several horses with several
caretakers, whose names could not
be learned. Whether or not the men
were in the car cannot be posi-
lively stated. The oil tanks together
with the horse and other cars. in
cluding the oil tanks, car of furni-
ture, car of Georgia pine timber
for the Lane Manufacturing Company,
and several other cars were piled one
upon the other for a distance of 100
feet or more. The locomotive on the
through freight was derailed with
the cars. being turned on its side on
the opposite side of the track. Loco
motive No. 339. which ran from
Montpelier Junction, was not derail-
ed, but the car attached to the ten
der was turned over on the side OF
the embanlSment, but as the coupling
did not give way the car did not roll
down the embanlSment. The trucks,
however, were torn from their fasten-
ings. The water tank on the tender
burst and the tender was totally
wrecked, being torn from the en-
gine.
OH Tanks Burst.
One of the oil tanks burst when
the trains came together, spreading
oil for a distance of 100 feet on either
side of the wreck, and almost at the
same instant that the wreck occurred
the pile of cars and the oil tanks were
in flames. The cars were saturated
with oil and the flames shot to
height of 70 feet. The ground about
was covered with oil and every root
of grass for a considerable distance
in every direction was burned and
the soil scorohed to a powder. The
other oil tank did not burst. but being
turned on its side, the oil poured out
from an opening in the top, making
a continuous blaze which continued
to burn for several hours.
The iron work of the cars was twist
ed and bent into great mass, to-
gether with the trucks and iron work
of the locomotives and oil tanks. AS a
result of the intense heat the rails
were twisted entirely out of place and
the iron work of the cars turned into
a large mass.
Cause Unknown.
The cause of the wreck cannot be
stated with any degree of certainty,
but from reports which appear to be
most likely, the wreck was caused by
the failure of the telegraph operator
at Northfield to signal the through
train to stop and wait for the loco
motive and car from the Junction.
William Thompson, the regular oper-
ator, was not working, as he was to
have left for Pine Camp with the
Northfield militia company. Accord
ing to the report in circulation the
operator working in Thompson's place
received orders for the through
freight from st. Adams, ordering the
train to wait at Northfield until the
arrival of the locomotive from the
Junction. The operator, Phillip Me-
nier, who Is from st. Adams, failed
to put out the signal for the freight,
or either thought it was out, until he
saw the train passing by He then
rushed out onto the platform and
tried to attract the attention of the
brakeman, who was the only one OF
the crew riding at the rear Of the
train, and he failed to see Menier
The conductor was riding in the To-
comotive and was therefore respon-
sible to a certain ertent as 1t is his
duty to ride at the rear and watch
out for signals. The operator ran
down the track for considerable dis
tance endeavoring to attract the at
tention of one of the crew, but his
efforts were useless. AS soon as the
train had passed the station the OIL
cials realized that the wreck could
not be prevented and at once tele-
graphed to st. Albans for the wreck
ing crew.
No Arrest Made.
The operator had not been arrested