The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-05-06
TWO DROWNED IN
ASHUELOT RIVER
Girls from Mortified Hotel
in Midnight Automobile
Accident
CAR PLUNGES AFTER
STRIKING ANOTHER
Six Thrown Into Water in Darkness
II. A. Reed, Driver of Mortified Car
Has Narrow Escape-Other Car Was
Driven by D. A. Mosher of Keene.


Driven by D. A. Mosher of Keene.
Two young women, mattresses in the
Northfield hotel, Mortified, Mass, lost
their lives early yesterday morning bv
drowning in the Ashuelot river in Ash
uelot, n, H, following an automobile
accident as the girls and companions
were returning to the hotel from
pleasure trip to keene, n II. They
were Miss MAY Blance OF Brookline,
Mass, and Miss Bessie Eddy of Proc
torsville (Ft.). each - years of age
Three other mattresses and the driver,
Herbert \. Reed, were thrown into the
river and had marrow escapes
Two automobiles were involved. n
seven passenger Pierce Arrow owned
and driven by Herbert A. Reed, who is
manager of the Northfeld hotel garage,
and fve-passe,.eer Buick owned
and driven by David Arthur Mosher of
keene, n. H., an automobile agent,
brother of Kenneth Z. Mosher of Brat
tleboro. There We're six persons in the
Reed ear and FIVE men in the Mosher
car, which was returning from Green
field, Mass, to Kcene
\ few minutes past midnight the
drivers sighted each other Is cars on
the state road near the Cunningham
place, west of the Martin Savage place,
about quarter of q mile above upper
Ashuelot, between Ashuelot and Win
chester and four and a half miles from
Hnsdale.
The road is of good width and at
the place of the accident curves grad
ually but not enough so that it would
be called turn. The drivers say they
were not going at a rapid rate
As Reed 5 car pulled toward the
center of the road after turning out
the front corner of that car struck the
rear fender on the lefthand side of
the Mosher car, damaging the latter
somewhat, but not IN any way disa
bling the Mosher machine.
The Pierce Arrow continued diagonal
y across the road behind Mr.. Mosher's
ear, leaving the highway on Mr..
Reed S lefthand side about IS feet
from where the machines met. 1t then
went through strip of underbrush
II feet from the edge of the road and
down siXfoot embankment into
Ashuelot river
Immediately after the accident Mr..
Mosher stopped his car and the party
got out to see how much damage was
done and to take the number Of the
other car, but no other car was in
sight The first thought of the Mosher
party was that the other driver had
turned off his lights.
After examining the car the Mosher
party started on and Just then heard
woman scream. Stopping again,
they went back and discovered that
the other car was in. the river and that
the party was in serious trouble.
Mr.. Reed S car had not TIMED over
but the water was well up toward the
top Of the car doors. just beside the
car the water was six feet or more in
depth, setting back from the Ashuelot
woolen mill
The girls, all from IS to % wears old,
had been thrown into the stream. They
were Miss Mildred and Miss Bessie
EDDY OF Proctorsville, sisters, Miss
May and Miss Grace Blance of Brook
line, Mass, sisters, and Miss Marion
Abbott of East Mortified, daughter
OF Charles Abbott of that place. One
of the girls elung to the floating
cushion of the car and reached shore un-
aided. Mr.. Reed succeeded in getting
two girls to the shore Just as the
Mosher party arrived, and the men
helped the two girls out.
Ry this time Mr.. Reed had become
exhausted, and it is believed that he
would have been drowned had not the
men pulled him out of the water Ev-
efVthlng was now quiet. But little
could be seen IN the darkness, and the
quletness was ominous, as Miss Nav
Blanee ana Miss Bessie Eddy were
missing
While search for the missing Young
women was in progress the town Off
cials were notified, and thev took note
OF the entire situation. The rescued
girls were cared for at nearby house
The Mosher party left for Keene
about O'Clock. Soon afterwards one
Of the bodies was recovered, and about
9.30 O'Clock the other body was re-
covered, only few rods below the
point where the car went into the
water.
Medical Referee Frank NJ. Dinsmore
went to the scene of the accident and
gave permission for the removal of the
bodies to undertaking rooms in Keene
and State traffic Automobile Inspector
William w. Burnell investigated the ac-
cident
Mr.. Reed S car was taken out of tho
water yesterday forenoon. The left