St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-08-30
SLEEPER WRECKED
Early Train From Portland Thrown
From Track and Badly Smashed
But No One Seriously Injured.

Running about 20 miles an hour
through the village of East
ST. Johnsburg about two o'clock
Tuesday morning, the west bound
Portland Montreal sleeper struck
some dirt on the track at the cross
ing and the engine was thrown from
the track. 1t ploWed along the track
about $50 feet and plunged down
the bank and nearly buried itself
in the earth. The tender had it's
trucks torn off and was turned
around beside the engine. The bag
gage car was torn from it's trucks
and slid it's length beyond where
the engine stopped. The first sleep
er slid top of the other trucks and
was about one third tipped over but
did not go down the bank. The mira
culous thing was that no one was
seriously injured.
The dirt had been washed on the
track by the heavy rain in the eve
ming but the engineer, E. "A. Hump
hrey of Lunenburg, did not notice
it in time to check the speed of his
train. The fireman, H. w. Jackman
of Lunenburg, said it seemed as
though the engine flew into the air
they were thrown down the bank.
Mr.. Humphrey was under the wreck
age but was able to crawl out of
the tangled machinery. His should
er was quite badly bruised but he
was not otherwise hurt. Fireman
Jackman landed beside the engine
and was badly shaken up but not
otherwise injured The engine was
badly smashed and the tender was
torn from the trucks and rolled
partly down the bank.
There we're seven cars in the train
and aside from the baggage car and
the first sleeper they were not in
jured. The first sleeper made
terrible crash as it tore along on
top of the broken trucks but the
floor held and the interior Of the
car was not much damaged. The
front end was broken somewhat but
none of the breaking was in the sec
tions occupied by the berths. The
passengers in this car received a
terrible jolting but were not thrown
from their berths. After getting up
and finding no one was killed many
of the passengers in the rear cars
got into their berths ad slept until
a train came after them,
The baggage man was G. F.
Wright of this place and he was
thrown down by the shock but not
hurt The fact that engineer Hum |
phrey was on the lookout for mud
on the track and running slowly
probably saved more serious results.
The station agent at East ST.
Johnsbury was called and notified |
the headquarters of the accident |
and calls for aid were sent out. A
train was made up here and Super
intendent Mayo went to the scene of
the wreck While on their way |
there they found that washout |
in the highway near Mark Hovey's
place had come down on the track
and they were obliged to remove the
dirt before they could pass over it.
Had the wreck occurred here the
rain would have been thrown in the
river. After inspecting the wreck
md finding that everybody was safe
he train ran back here and got cars
% handle the passengers and bag
gage and went back. All the pas
Ind brought here in time to catch
he north bound Quebec sleeper.
A Workman Hurt.
The most serious injury in con-
lection with the affair came while
he wrecking crew were removing
he wreckage in the forenoon. Some
,art of the derrick broke and let
ONE of the wreckage strike Joseph /,
of Lyndonville on the head. /,
lis head was badly bruised and his ;
ips cut. He was brought to the ST.
ohnsbury hospital where his ,
Wounds were dressed, four stitches
eing necessary to close the wound ..
n his lip. 1t was reported yesterday :
fternoon at the hospital that his
INJURIES were not dangerous. :