The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-31
Two Killed and Four Injured
When Struck by Central
Vermont Train
AT GRADE CROSSING
IN WEST BERLIN
Percy Brown of Mortified
Falls and Peter Gochie of
Sheffield Are Dead

who were struck by Central Vermont
passenger train at Riverton West Ber-
linl late yesterday afternoon died short
ly afterwards and the other four are in
Heaton hospital in Montpelier in critical
| condition.
| The Dead.
PERCY BROWN, Mortified Falls.
PETER GoCHIE, Sheffield.
The Injured.
MRS. PERCY BROWN.
MRS. PETER GoCHIE.
CARROLL GoCHIE, son of the last
named.
WILLIAM DOUGLASS, nephew of the
Browns
Mr.. Gochie died just before the relief
train reached Montpelier and Mr., Brown
died at the hospital early last evening
of broken neck.
The party were going to Northfield Falls
! from Sheffield, where Mr.. and Mrs Brown
and their nephew had been visiting the
Goethe family. They were within
few miles of their home when overtaken
by death. Mr.. Brown was driving the
car
The approach to the crossing near the
| Riverton station is blind, and apparently
Mr. Brown did not see the train until he
was almost upon the crossing. 1t was
too late TO stop his car, but ne endeav-
ored to turn the vehicle to run in the dl-
rection with the train, as was shown by
| the marks of the automobiles wheels.
/ The intervening space was too short,
however, and the train struck the ma
chine smashing blow and carried it
about rs feet before 1t was hurled aside
Both the men were thrown onto the pi-
lot of the engine and there they lay when
the train was stopped, they having been
carried over one bridge
Engineer Allard threw on the emer
gency brakes and stopped his train al
most in the trains length. So violent
was the stop that passengers were
thrown out Of their seats. Considering
the fact that there were seven cars in
the train it is considered that the en-
gineer made a remarkably quick stop.
The passengers, not knowing just what
had happened, alighted from the train
and soon saw the evidences Of the acci
dent. One woman and a child lay on
one side of the track and the other wom-
an and the second child on the opposite
side. while, as already stated, the men
were on the front of the locomotive.
Joseph Cassi of Concord N, H., was
one of the first persons off the train,
and he ran and picked up the smaller Of
the children. Bert Darling, commercial
traveller, was waiting on the West Berlin
side of the crossing for the train to pass,
and he was among the first to help in
caring for the injured. There were no
physicians on the train and an effort was
made to get some from Mortified The
wait was so long, however, that it was
decided to place the injured on the train
and carry them to Montpelier. They
were placed in the baggage coach and the
run was made as fast as possible. Trans
fer was made at Montpelier Junction to
the branch train and at Montpelier three
ambulances were waiting
just as the train was pulling into the
Montpelier station Mr.. Gochie passed
away. DR.. G. II. Burr, the railroad phy
sician, was in charge of the medical staff
hastily summoned, and the victims OF
the accident were hurried to the hospital.
Mr.. Brown died before he could be taken
into the operating room. The other four
were given immediate attention. 1t was
not possible at first to determine the ex-
tent of their injuries, although it was
found that William Douglass, aged seven,
had suffered the fracture Of his right col
lar bone. Carroll Gochie, young son OF
the Sheffield people, had his jaw broken.
All of the four were badly cut and
bruised, and it was feared that they had
sustained internal injuries. Mrs. Brown
and Mrs. Goethe were particularly cut
about the face.
The condition Of the four had not ma
terially changed this forenoon, and at
noon but little hopes We're held out for
any of them, excepting the little Doug
lass boy.
1t appears from what Mrs. Goethe
stated to her father-in.law last night
that the automobile was stopped and that
they did not hear any train approach
ing; but the view towards the track was
hidden by bushes that had been allowed
to grow close to the right of way. The
fireman on the train told the claim agent
of the railroad that the car seemed to
have stopped and then started up again.
Other Accidents on This Crossing.
This is the same crossing upon which
members Of j. M Boutwell's family mar
rowly escaped injury a week ago Fred
Fearing was driving the machine. he
stopped his car and listened, but heard
no approaching train. He stated this
morning that the track is hidden from
view by the bushes mentioned by Mrs.
Gochie. He turned his car to the right
and Just escaped being hit by an engine
backing up and pushing caboose ahead
Of IT, H M. Farnham had narrow es-
cape there few days since. A powerful
car was all that saved him. 1t was re-
ported last evening that four accidents