St. Johnsbury Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-1920, 1920-03-17

The train of 81 cars was approach
ing the station at fair rate of spec
with Wilburt Martin, conductor, an'
Mr.. Hardy as engineer when some.
thing happened and the cars jumped
the rails. The conductor ana brake
man were sitting in the monitor VI
the caboosc when the accident or-
cured and they got the scare of the.,
life when they saw the cars Just
ahead of them starting for the river
and four of them plunging in the
darkness ovey cmbankmcnt. The
caboosc TX, but fortunately
stoppe y,cs. When the train
W. ssiic emergency brake au-
~ set the brakes and the
- cars ahead of the four that
43scht into the river slid by their own
momentum down the ties, tearing ur
the track and never stopping until
they reached the switch just below
the station. The first car ahead Of
the four that went over the bank VIZ,
loaded with Buick automobiles for the
Silsby Garage.
The four cars in the river present
sorry sight, but the railroad will
start Thursday morning to salvage
the property and expect that most
of it can be saved. Two of the cars
arc loaded with lumber and two with
pulp and unless the river rises in the
next "a hours there will be little diff
fculty in saving the property. One
of the cars belonged to the Central
railroad of Georgia. another to the
Canadian Northern and third to the
lntercolOnial. The fourth is under
meath the Georgia railroad car and it
is impossible to identity it. = Thc,.
trucks arc wrenched, from the ca,'s
and the irnnynrle is hAflIy twi iStaa, but
the four box cars above the ironwo'k
arc not badly damaged.
AS soon as the accident occurred
the station agent, +. W. Powell, came
over from his home where he was
to retire. He heard the
crash, but did not anticipate seeing as
much Of Il wreck al the noise did
not indicate what had happened. He
notified th" railroad off.
rials at Lyndonvillc. The milk train
was behind the extra freight and M
This train was Supt. II. r. Folsom on
his way to Boston. Lyndonvillc soon
sent down the wreck train and crew
If about so men and Assistant Supt.
Ahearn came with this train and took
charge of affairs. The track was tom
up for about 10 rods, the telegraph
wires were all down for over 200 feet
and the crew had their hands full the
rest of the night. Rain and slcet
made it a most uncomfortable nigh,
but with the help of tho wrccking
ar from Woodsvillc and with power
full carbide lights The crew had the
rack repaired at s o'clock Wednesday
The night trains from the
north and the morning mail passed
down the line and the night mail from
The south, which was held up at Pom
panoosuc by a freight wreck, passed
through the St. Johnsbury Center
station at $50 a. m.
W. S. Jclfcrs, the claim agent, was
on hand and looking up the
value of the property that is now in
.ho river. He is quite confident that
most of it can be saved, as we'll as
yhc rolling stock, and this will lower
he cost of the accident materially. 1t
IS estimated that the property loss
will not exceed $4,000. Everyone who
has seen the wreck has expressed tho
same opinion that it was providcntial
that tho accident did not happen 20
my Of the passenger trainss tho
loss of life would then have ssnrcly
followed.
Many people visited the scene #
The accident Wednesday moEnin",
though there was nothing to indir"''
u wreck except the four, freight cars
that are in the river
The railroad officials have not de-
cidcd what caused the accident,
though it was rumorcd at the scene