The worst freight wreck which ever happened on the White
Mountain division of the Boston & Maine railroad occurred
just above The Weirs about 12 30 o’clock last Saturday
morning. Two men were killed almost instantly and four
more of the trainmen were seriously injured, while two
locomotives were demolished -and twenty or thirty freight
cars and their merchandise piled up into a confused heap
on the track.
The accident was said to be caused by conflicting orders
issued to the crews. The north-bound train was the regular
express freight and the down train was an extra with orders
to pass the regular at Lakeport.
The up freight was made up of refrigerator cars loaded
with perishables consigned to mountain and through points.
it was id charge of Conductor W. E. Marston, and was drawn
by locomotive 311, 1). W. Calkins engineer, and L. H.
Lockwood. fireman. _The extra south-bound. loaded with
what is known as dead freight. was drawn by the compound
locomotive No. 460, Engineer E. A. Royce and Fireman A.
C. Gile. W. C. Bradbury was the conductor in charge.
The trains came together, with terrific force In-% rock
cut just above the pumping station at The Weirs. On one
side of the track was a high batik of rocks, while on
the lake side was another steep bank dropping down to
the water& of Winnipesaukee. Both locomotive* were
demolished by the impact, and the care attached to each
were piled up in a hopeless tangle, so blocking and tearing
up the roadbed that until late Saturday night the line
could not be reopened to traffic.
The trains were so close to each other before-the danger
was discovered that the crews had little opportunity for
self- protection. Engineer Calkins jumped out into the
water of the lake, but the others went down with the wreck
and were only extradited from the debris by hard work.
A I soon as the injured men could be gotten out, however,
they were taken to The Weirs, and later were removed to
the Cottage Hospital in Laconia.
Fireman, Loren L. Lockwood of Springfield, Vt., and Brakeman
Joseph Greenwood of Wells River, Vt., were found dead,
probably almost instantly killed. Both of these men resided
in Concord, were about 25 years old, and neither of them
married. The names of the injured are:George Calkins of
Concord, Samuel Wallace of New Hampton, Arthur C. Giles
of East Tilton and Edward A. Royce of Concord. Lockwood
had several bones broken. Mr. Lockwood was the fireman
on train 205, north bound, and he had been employed on
the Boston & Maine railroad for about a year and a
half. He has a brother, William Lockwood, who is a fireman
on the Concord division. When found he was pinned down
in front of the firebox of the engine of the up train.
Brakeman Greenwood of the southbound train had evidently
been riding on the engine, for when he was found lying
by the side of the engine and one of the seats was over
him.
The bodies of Greenwood and Lockwood were brought to this
city and prepared for burial by Undertaker Moore, and
then sent to their homes.Engineer Royce who sustained
a broken arm was until recently a resident of Laconia,
but now makes his home in Concord, where he has a wife
and three children. He sustained a broken arm and internal
injuries. Samuel Wallace of New Hampton, who was injured
internally, is a brother of Miss Eliza Wallace who makes
her home with Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Shannon on Church Street.
All of the four injured men suffered intensely from their
wounds and bruises, but it is expected that all of them
will recover. Drs. Saltmarsh, Quinby, Hodgon, Goss and
Harriman were summoned to the wreck and took charge of
removing the injured men to the Cottage Hospital.
The scene pf the accident was visited by thousands of
people on Saturday. The huge locomotives were telescoped
together, while the freight cars and their contents were
piled ground the spot in almost hopeless confusion. Some
of the cars were reduced to kindling wood, and the ground
was covered with their contents, including lumber, pulp
wood, canned goods, barrels of beer, dressed beef, chickens
and vegetables.
Wrecking trains were upon the scene early in the morning,
but-the track was not cleared for traffic until late Saturday
night, as the narrow cut around the curve where the accident
took place made the process of removing wreckage a slow
job. The train service was interrupted during the day,
but passengers were carried around the wreck in teams
and a few trains run in both directions. it to estimated
that the financial lose of the accident was aggregate
$75,000.
So great was the force of the collision that the locomotives
were simply welded together, and then the forward cars,
impelled by the momentum, jumped onto and over them in
a wild game of leap frog, stripping them of all their
top works and transforming them in a twinkling from powerful
-machines into heaps of junk. When it was all over a car
loaded with potatoes was resting on the back of the northbound
engine, and in cleaning up the wreck both were pulled
away together.
A gentleman who talked with Engineer Royce after he bad
been taken from under the wreckage, and who, by the way,
is most seriously injured, said that Mr. Royce told him
that the first intimation of danger came to him in the
glare from the headlight of the north-bound locomotive
on the rails as he rounded the curve, and the next moment
the engines were together.
Reports from the Cottage Hospital are to the effect that
all four of the injured train men are now comfortable
and on the read to recovery. Engineer George Calkins who
jumped from his locomotive into the lake was but slightly
injured and was discharged from the hospital the first
of this week. Engineer Royce and Brakeman Sam. Wallace
were both very serioulsy injured, nd it was seceral times
reported that Mr. Royce was dead. He is however doing
as well as can be expected and the physician predicts
his recovery. His wife is with him.
The two engines which were mixed up in the wreck were
hauled through here to Concord Sunday afternoon, still
locked together by the force of the collision. The smashed
freight cars and much of the merchandise wreckage was
piled into a heap Sunday afternoon and burned. Considerable
of the perishable freight from the wreck was secured by
resisdents near the scene of the accident and by parties
who came in steamers, row and sailboats.
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