The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-28
TRAIN KNOCKED
BUILDING DOWN
Peter Leclair, Buried Under
Ruins of His Shop, Had
a Narrow cape
TOOK HALF s OUR
TO R : EASE HIM
Barre & CHI ! .a'Train Went
on Sidins Jear Kemp
ton s Mill

When Barre & Chelsea railroad loco.
motive with long train of loaded cars
fin its wake headed into siding instead
OF the main line this morning, car OF
grain was shunted along the sidetrack
with such force as to demolish a black
smith shop owned by +. A. Slayton and
to place the occupants of the building in
| jeopardy Of their lives. Peter Iecair. a
we'll known blacksmith, sustained Sc
rious injuries when rending and crash
ing OF timbers buried him in the debris
and George Jacobs. hostler employed
| by James Cow. escaped by grace OF a
quick exit from the smithy. MIR. Le-
clair is Mt the City hospital suffering
with multiple confusion about the body
and lower limbs The building is near
to being in ruins.
The accident occurred around Q O'Clock
and nearly half hour elapsed before
Leclair was released from his precarious
position in a corner of the collapsed
structure near the track He retained
consciousness during the ordeal and un-
less internal injuries develop he will re-
cover. The engine of the B. G. G. was in
charge of L. Nj. johnson, Conductor r. Fl.
Brown, Fireman Leo Whittemore and
Brakeman F Gouldsbury, Lawrence Lew
is and Vinal Arey. With the locomo-
tive headed toward the north end of the
yard, the crew had just shifted a ear
load of grain to the siding at the rear
of Kempton mills. After backing to the
main line the tail end of the train was
somewhere near the South Main street
crossing and as the engineer reversed
his brakes after clearing the sidetrack,
he opened up the throttle and headed,
as he supposed, for the Prospect street
crossing, Somewhere, however, calcula-
tions were missed for the switch was
opened for the siding the switch flag
SO indicated, and when the train came
rushing down at comfortable rate of
speed the locomotive crashed into the
grain car near the mill. pushed the grain
car over the bumper at the end of the
sidetrack and into the blacksmith shop.
At the moment of the crash, the black
smith, Leclar was bending over a wag-
on gear at the rear of the shop. The
hostler, Jacobs, had taken stand near
er the door and was chatting with the
smith when the end OF the freight car
literally appeared through the side of the
shop The collision had the effect of
lifting the entire building, story and
one half affair, from it moorings and pill
ing il up in corner near the Cow liv-
cry barn. Just how he escaped from
the building, Mr. Jacobs was unable to
l.. har
blow on the arm and he left hastily.
STOPPING over the wagon gear. Mr.. Le-
clair was taken completely off his guard
and before he realized that something
that acted like a cyclone had struck his
shop, he was pinned under the gearing
and one corner of heavy timber. Had
he been thrown few feet farther, the
wheels of the freight car might have
passed over his body
In the mill nearby. f. NJ. Kempton
heard the crash and at the same moment
a man employed on carpenter work near
the Slayton property came around the
corner By this time the hostler was
aid and in a few moments
men from the fire station were on the
scene. Jack screws and bars were pro-
cured and detail of volunteers fastened
10 the rescue of the blacksmith. For
few moments his whereabouts was un-
certain but presently his figure was dis
,erned under the northwest corner of the
lattened first story and his rescuers then
vent to work with a viii. There was
ianger that the building might settle
While the efforts to extricate Mr.. Leclsir
we're under way. but the workers stuck
o their task and by dint of much pack
ng, prying and straining the man was
eleased and carried from the building
" Assistant Engineer Carpenter, Alex.
stewart. f. NJ Tobin and John H. John
on. Restoratives were applied before
he man was lifted into the automobile
/ Constable G. /. Morris and hurried
o the hospital. Dr. Joe w. Jackson and
)r. NJ. d. Lamb had been called and the
ormer accompanied Leclair to the hos
ital
Soon after the accident General Man.
ger }. y. Gall arrived to investigate the
ase. directed the work of clearing the
rack and it was thought that the de-
allied grain car would be returned to
he irons by afternoon. Mr.. Gall was
OF ready to make an official report on
ne occurrence, but he said that the open
lg of the wrong switch was probably
,sponsible. The blacksmith shop has
cen the property of Mr.. Slayton for
,me time. Fire got in its deadly work
a the building some years ago, but the
ow il received to-day demolished the
ructure far more effectively.
This afternoon it was stated that the
iured blacksmith was resting comfort
,ly at the beginning Of what appears
IN be soiourn of several days in the
,spitaL DIR. jackson described the most
rious contusions as being about the
ices. Leclair was thrown on his left
lie and points Of contact with the edge
a heavy timber were visible on the in
ie Of the left knee and the outside of
e right knee. The lower limbs, the
ck ard the chest of the man were
mewhat lacerated.