The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-06
ENGINEERS ERROR
CAUSED COLLISION
Finds the Vermont Public Service Com
mission on Accident at East Swan
ton on December 10, 1911.

Newport March 6.--The Vermont pub
lie service commission finds that the coll
lision between st. Johnsbury and Lake
Champlain r. Il. freight train and a
passenger train on the Central Vermont
railroad at the diamond" crossing in
! East Swanton on December Is, 1911,
was due to the error in Judgment of
| the engineer of the freight train.
"The commission finds the immediate
cause of this accident. was the failure
of the freight train to stop before ira
versing the crossing, as the law re-
qltires. The night was dark and stormy
ana the engineer of the St Johnsbury
& Lake Champlain locomotive says that
he made the usual service application of
his brake at the usual place in order
to make the required stop before cross
ing the diamond" but that owing to
tho snow getting between the brake
shoes and the wheel. the brakes did not
respond; that he then made the emer-
gency application of the brake, but for
the same reason was unable to stop the
train.
"The commission finds that the brake
mechanism of the train in good
working order and that the accident
was caused by the error in Judgment
of the engineer in making the service
application required to stop the train
under conditions with dry wheels and
rails, and did not appreciate the exact
situation until too late seasonably to
stop by even the emergency applica-
tion that he made. The rules of the
company required him to test his air
brake one mile before any stop, and the
commission states that if he had obeyed
this rule, he would have discovered the
difficulty or the failure to work by rea-
son of the interference Of the snow"
The commission has issued its report
and certificate authorizing the Claren-
don & Pittsford Railroad company,
railroad corporation organized under the
general laws of Vermont, with its prin-
cipal Office at Proctor, to increase its
capital stock in the sum of $4,000, for
the purpose OF obtaining funds to pay
for the roadbed. rolling stock and all
other property of the Pittsford & Rut-
land Railroad company and the Bran
don & West Rutland Railroad com
pany, which it has purchased. and for
the purpose of raising funds to extend
its line and improve its roadbed and
equipment. A hearing wus held on
THE petition at Burlington, February IL,
1912.
A hearing was held at Burlington. on
February II, on the petition of the
Central Vermont Railway company for
authority to issue equipment notes in
the sum of S9s0O0O.
On February IA, a certificate was is
sued authorizing the petitioner to issue
its equipment notes in the aforesaid
sum. in denomination of 81 900 each. and |
payable in semi-annual installments of
$4,000 on the first day of August and
the first day OF February in each year.
The petitioner is purchasing 900 steel
under-frame box cars; 200 all steel hop |
per coal cars; 2 standard baggage ex-
press cars; standard first class coaches; |
, standard first class parlor cars; l I
standard first class dining car; stand |
ard switcher locomotives; and 4 Pacific /
type locomotives.
The above notes are given in part pay I
ment for said equipment.
With reference to the certificate issued |
to the Lake Dunmore Power & Trae- /
tion company, giving it authority TO is
sue $4,000 of 6 per cent. first mort
gage bonds, the company has fled with |
the commission its sworn return, setting |
forth that the entire amount of said I
issue has been sold for cash for the I
sum of S24 900 and that same has been
expended in paving outstanding bonds
of a previous issue. certain promissory
notes and accounts, and the sum of So
500 has been expended on new PEN