The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-04-17
Station Agent, Conductor
and Engineer Are
Blamed
PUBLIC SERVICE
COMMISSION REPORT
Agents Writing of Train Order Poor
and In Spite of Uncertainty Train
Was Run Past Bartonsville, Where
It Was Supposed to Stop.

Carelesness on the part of the station
agent at Gassetts and the conductor and
engineer uf eA.ra freight No IS was the
cause of lie head-on COLLISION of thu,
train aud a Passenger train northb1und
on the Rutland railroad two miles north
of Bellows Falls the afterno ~ of March
ii, according to the findings of the Yer
mont public service commission. The
| findings are made public today.
George Cady of Rutland, the engineer,
was killed in the wreck, as were four
other members OF the train crews and five
passengers. The conductor OF the freight
train was Charles L. Phillips OF Rutland,
who escaped injury, AID the Gassetts
agent is Elmer A. Spaford
! The commission held hearing in Rut-
land two days afier the accident, and Its
the evidence, in which it appeared that
the station agent handed the members
of the freight train crew an order to meet
the passenger train at Bartonsville. The
Iengineer read the order aloud to the fire.
man, but .he wcri Bartonsvil.e was 90
poorly written that he read it as Bellows
Falls. and did not stop the train at Bar
louisville. The conductor was in doubt,
but he did not take the preeaution to
: stop the train ard make sure what the
: order was
ei Following is the tsxt of the public SER
l vice commissions report:
i From the evidence introduced at the
hearing the following facts are found:
On Sunday, March l4th, 1920, Passenger
1 Train No. l65 consisting of an engine, a
: tender. one milk car, one combination ex-
). press and baggage car, one day coach, one
l diner and one pullman car proceeding
northerly from Bellows Falls, Vermont, at
S point about three miles from Bellows
Falls colided with Extra freight No. g
n consisting of an engine and forty six
u loaded freight cars and caboose, wreck
T ing both trains and instantly killing five
7 of the train crew and five passengers.
y This accident occurred between 4.40 and
IS AS o'clock in the afternoon.
L Before leaving Bellows Falls the con
ductor and engineer of Passenger Trair
No. l65 received the following order:
NO. Ala, March "A, 1920 Bellows Falls
Vermont. To Conductor and Engineel
No. l65
No l65 wait at Bartonsville until As
p NJ for Extra South. S. r. k
Bartonsville is station on the Rutlanc
= railroad, nine and two-tenths (9.2) mile
" northerly from Bellows Falls. and there /
at that station a side-track to aecommodat
le freight train of the length of No. % a
made up at the time in question. Tn
/, said order was delivered at Bellows Fall
- , to the conductor and engineer of No l6
I at 4l0 p NJ on said date and at ALL 7
NJ the same order was received by th
J. station agent at Gassetts, station on tn
Rutland railroad. eight and five-tenth
miles north of said Bartonsville, for deli'
er cry to the conductor and engineer c
y Extra No. %.
C At the time said order was received b
to the agent at Gassetts, Extra No. %. ha
B. not passed that station but had stoppe
few yards northerly of said station
take water Before Extra No. 3 ha
NO started from the water tank, said static
st agent set the order board against sal
lie
Continued on Page 5.)