The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-10-20
One Killed Outright and
Other Drowned When
Auto Fell in River
FOUR OTHER PEOPLE
WERE INJURED
Clayton Tillotson and Cecil
Clark, Montpelier Semi
nary Students, Victims

Litleton, N. H., Saturday evening, two
Montpelier seminary players were
killed and three other players and the
coach were injured when their automo-
bile crashed through the side of Gov
cred bridge between East Montpelier
and Plainield and fell into the Wi
nooski river.
The Dead.
CLAYTON A. TILLOTSON Middle
sex, captain and right tackle.
CECIL c. CLARK, Moretown, substi-
tute right tacklet.
The Injured.
KENNETH WARD, student, strained
shoulder
HENRY WOODWARD, student, bad
cut on head and face bruised.
CORNELIUS GRANAI, student, bad.
ly shaken up.
Prof. CLYDE W1THAM, injury
about chest.
The accident was started by COLI
sion with the car of Richard Coping
Of East Montpelier at point 10 feet
from the easterly end Of the bridge
about a mile from East Montpelier viii
lage Mr.. Coping, accompanied by his
wife and son, was driving slowly, while
the other car, driven by Kenneth Ward,
is said TO have been going faster as the
party neared Montpelier from the vic.
torious trip to Littleton, although some
reports said they were not excessively
fast.
As the cars passed, the rear wheels
locked, causing the Ward car to strike
against the side of the bridge. 1t is
said that the car hung on the side of
the bridge for a few seconds and then
toppled into the stream. The car must
have turned end for end, because ii was
lying with the front in the opposite di-
rection from which it was going. Ii
landed bottom up, but it was pulled on
one side in order to release Clark, who
was pinned under one of the bows Of
the top The rescuers could not release
him in time to prevent drowning. 1t is
q wonder that all IN the party we're
not drowned.
Both. of the automobiles were left
where they were during Saturday night
and States Attorney E. r. Davis went
10 the place in the morning, after
which permission was given to have
the cars removed. During the evening
| it was estimated that about 100 cars
visited the place. An hour after the
accident took place there was large
number Of cars in the locality, while
many came and went. At one time
there were over 80 ears counted on the
side of the bridge next to East Mont
peler, while there were also many at
the other end Of the bridge. The acci-
dent received wide publicity, and many
went TO the place Sunday.
From what could be learned from
other members of the football team, it
appears that the Ward automobile was
closed, by the curtains being down ex-
cepting those beside of Tillotson and
| Ward, the latter of whom was driving.
This fact had great deal to do with
preventing the man getting out of the
car. 1t also perhaps saved some of
their lives, for Prof. Witham says that
the air in the top seemed to hold the
car up for a time, and then it seemed
to give way and the machine com
menccd TO settle. Probsbly Woodward
owes his life to Granai, who pulled
him out of the place 1t appears, that
Granai, after several efforts, had al
most given up and when he concluded
to make one more effort and gave
mighty heave, with the result that he
suddenly went fyom the car into the
water He then reached back and
pulled Woodward out of the car. 9th
ers in the car, who survived, tell the
same story about giving up, and then
making a last effort which was sue
eessful.
/ Mr. Coping, as soon as he found
| that his family had escaped injury,
went TO the assistance of the boys.
Louis Sibley was probably at the site
as soon as anyone outside the acci-
dent, although another son of Mr.. Cop
ping, who was riding in a team with a
friend, and Robert Leslie and his broth
er were also there about the same
time.
They went into the water in an eff
fort to get the boys out. They were
delayed a little from lack of light to
work by, and the fact that they did
not know what the conditions were as
TO getting into the stream. However,
the four boys who survived were soon
out of the water, and then they went
after Clark He had been calling for
help and suddenly this ceased and it
was realized that he had gone under
the water When the top TO the auto
mobile hit the bridge, it was pushed
back, and his head was caught between
the bows so that he could not release
himself
Other members of the football team
arrived soon, while the third carload
did not get along for about As minutes
Pulley blocks had to be secured to
\ tip the car on one side so that Clark
could be removed. He was taken out of
the water about the time that the
third car of the party arrived. The
boys in the third car helped in getting
Tillotson out of the water Tillotson
probably never knew what killed him.
for he suffered fractured jaw and a
| fracture of the nose, and, according to
the death certificate, fractured skull
while his face was badly marked from
the bruises
The wounded, in the meantime, had
been taken to the home of Loren Weav-
er, some 25 rods away, where they were
made as comfortable as possible. DR.
Frank Wheeler of Plainfeld was called
fContinued ON eighth pape.)