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- Title
The Wrong Rail in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time: The 1887 West Hartford Bridge Disaster.
- Authors
Ferguson, J. A.
- Abstract
The article discusses the derailment of a Central Vermont Railroad (CVRR) train known as the Boston-Montreal "Night Express" off of the railroad's West Hartford, Vermont, bridge over the White River on February 5, 1887. The article describes the bridge, the speed of the train at the time of the derailment, and rescue attempts by train engineer Charles H. Pierce, fireman Frank Thresher, and brakeman George Parker. It also discusses the use of nearby buildings that were used as staging areas for the victims and survivors of the crash. The article also details the investigation of the accident by the Vermont Railway Commission, the perspective of Dartmouth College civil engineering professor Robert Fletcher, and criticism of the reaction of CVRR president J. Gregory Smith.
- Subjects
WHITE River (Vt.); UNITED States; RAILROAD accidents; CENTRAL Vermont Railway (Company); PARKER, George; PIERCE, Charles H.; THRESHER, Frank; FLETCHER, Robert; SMITH, J. Gregory; VERMONT state history; VERMONT state politics &; government, 1865-; NINETEENTH century
- Publication
Vermont History, 2013, Vol 81, Issue 1, p52
- ISSN
0042-4161
- Publication type
Article