The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-09

OF passenger Tram
who did not get out of the wreck
without assistance. There were but
few lights, torches and lanterns,
available and the steam from the ex-
ploded boiler and the ruptured pipes
hung over the wreck in cloud,
A fortunate instance was the fact
that the 7.30 trolley car running out
of Bennington for Hoosick Falls was
a few minutes late. 1t reached the
scene just before the two trains
came together and was therefore
available for the transportation of
the dead and injured. The tracks of
the steam line and the trolley line at
this point are only few yards apart
and the wrecked passenger coach lay
partly across the trolley rails.
Some OF the injured were found
wandering aimlessly about in the vi
cinity of the wreck completely be
wildered Chief of Police Patrick
Brazil found one man walking toward
the Hicks farm. The dazed fellow
thought he was walking toward Ben
nington and insisted that he knew
the way home. Who the man was or
how much he was injured the chief
never learned.
AS quickly as possible the injured
were gathered together and placed
on the trolley car. The car was run
at top speed to Bennington, crowded
to the running board with men and
boys, and the injured were carried in
TO the physicians Offices. The car
then returned to the scene of the
wreck for the bodies of the dead en-
gineef and fireman
A big crowd had collected in front
of the Norton block before the trolley
car with the injured arrived from the
scene of the wreck and as the news
OF the tragedy became more general
ly known the number of people In.
creased The crowd behaved admir-
ably. The people were excited and
many of the nervous ones got In the
way to some extent, but with the ser
vices of officers Hurley AM Murphy
good order was maintained.
One OF the actual witnesses of the
collision was Miss Ruth Hicks, daugh
ter of w. ]. Hicks who resides near
the scene of the wreck. Miss Hicks
sat on the porch of her home and
was writing a composition when she
looked up just as the two trains
came together. There was terrific
crash then the explosion of the
engine boiler, which was accompani-
ed by a huge flame which lighted up
all the surroundings. w, ]. Hicks
went at once to the scene of the
wreck with hot water and bandages
and other aids for the injured. A
trolley car passed the Hicks house
less than two minutes after the crash
but was prevented from proceeding
farther by spectators at the wreck.
Otherwise in the darkness a second
collision might have occurred.
Immediately upon the receipt of
the news Rev. A. ]. Barron rushed in
his motor to the scene of the wreck
and searched the great entangled
mass with the aid of an electric
pocket lamp in the chance that some
victim might be imprisoned in the
wreckage and in need of the last sac
raments of the church.
II will be difficult to fix the respon-
sibility for the accident upon any in
dividual. Both trains are understood
TO have been running on orders. The
milk train running south has the
right of way and the local train out
of Bennington is understood to have
had its orders to go out from this
station on its regular time. AS the
telegraph Office in the Bennington
station is closed Immediately after
the departure of the els train il is
impossible for the trains leaving af-
ter that hour to receive later or
changed orders.
The milk train was late out of Rut-
land, according to reports circulated
among train men nearly two hours.
In all probability, however, the train
could not have been behind its
schedule much more than one and
one-half hours. as the engineer is I'M
der orders to keep his locomotive at
as high a speed as IL can be run with
safety, and the two trains came to-
gether about one hour and 35
train is scheduled to arrive in Ben
nington
That the milk train was running at
the rate of at least As miles an hour
when il hit the passenger is the
statement of one of the train crew
who was in a position to know II any
one was. II is fair to presume that
the engineer Of the milk train realiz-
ed that he did not have more than
time to make the trip between North
bennington and this station before
the passenger train pulled out. AS IL
happened. he was less than a minute
too late. In a few seconds after the
instant the two trains came together
the milk train would have reached
the long sliding and the collision
would have been averted.
Tie real responsibility for the acct.
dent rest on the company itself for
falling to provide any way FOR the
train crew Of the passenger rain to
get orders on departure OF to know
where the milk train was. With the
local station cut Of from all commun.
ication with the despatchcr's Office OF
North Bennington the possibility OF
collisions must continually exist.
The accident has thoroughlv
aroused the people OF Remington and
a movement Is already on foot &c
protest to the public service commits
sion against the continuance Of the