New Hampshire's 1907 Train Wreck Is One Of The Worst Disasters In U.S. History
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Ken MacGray
Author
In the early hours of September 15, 1907, a passenger train known as the Quebec Express departed White River Junction, Vermont bound for Concord, New Hampshire. The train would never make it to Concord, however, and what happened next is considered one of the worst disasters in the state’s history.
Along the same track that the Quebec Express was using, a freight train had pulled into the station at Canaan, New Hampshire, 18 miles away. Due to the departure times of both trains, it was assumed that the freight train would have enough time to reach a siding in West Canaan. This would allow the Express to pass by safely.
Due to a miscommunication, the Express had already begun its journey westward as the freight crew set out to the east. The two trains approached a long, 3,600 ft. straightaway. The freight train was moving at 25 MPH and the Express at 35 MPH.
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Foggy conditions reduced visibility to the point where the two crews could not see each other until they were about 400 feet apart. Powerless to prevent a collision at this point, both crews jumped from the trains and were unhurt.
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With most of the passengers aboard the Express asleep, the two trains collided suddenly and violently. Both engines immediately derailed and the baggage car kept its forward momentum, careening into the passenger car. The crews who had escaped the wreck immediately jumped back in to assist.
Survivors began trying to extricate anyone they could from the twisted wreckage. Fatalities and injuries were numerous, but there were also miraculous tales of survival. Fate intervened for a few passengers who ended up never boarding.
Rescuers pulled 25 dead bodies from the wreckage in total. A Boston & Maine Railroad investigation ultimately found the disaster to be human error. It was a mistyped telegraph that led to the deadliest railroad crash in New Hampshire history.
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