By Thomas D’Agostino

Sometime between 2 and 3 in the morning on Saturday September 5, 1887, Vermont’s worst railroad disaster took place in Hartford, a few miles from White River Junction as the Vermont Central Railroad express train from Montreal jumped its tracks and plummeted onto the frozen White River below.

   The train had been carrying a full load of passengers, many traveling from Boston to Montreal. The engine was towing a baggage and express car, a mail car, two ordinary passenger cars, the sleeper car; St. Albans from Springfield and the Pullman sleeper, Pilgrim out of Boston. Most of the riders were on their way to see the circus in Montreal.

The 650 foot long bridge spanned the White River at a height of 50 feet. At the time, subzero temperatures had formed a two-foot thick surface of ice on the river. As the train sped down the tracks, a broken rail about 200 feet from the viaduct caused the cars to slam into each other then pull apart breaking the coupling between the forward sleeper and the other cars. The engine, baggage and smoking cars passed over the bridge safely but the other cars, striking the ties came to the end of the bridge and completely wiped out the heavy beams resting on the abutment sending cars and bridge toppling onto the frozen river below.

The coaches and bridge then exploded into flames before the stunned onlooker’s eyes. 40 people died in the wreck and another 40 were badly injured or burned. The intense heat melted the ice in some places making rescue efforts all the more difficult. It is estimated that 50-60 people perished from the result of the wreck. According to legend, 13 year-old Joe McCabe was able to free himself from the burning twisted debris, but watched helplessly as his father burned in the inferno. 

The inefficient wooden bridge was later replaced with a steel overpass making it much more sturdy and safer. In time, people passing by began to notice a little boy near the river below. Many thought nothing of it but, others noticed something was not quite right about the young man. His translucent appearance may have been enough to hint that he may not be of this world, but the fact that he is seen hovering above the water gives away his presence as being ethereal. Countless witnesses have seen his apparition wandering the site below the bridge. Even paranormal investigators have had experiences with the ghost. There are a few more spirits that linger in the area as well. One is believed to be the conductor of the train who was also one of the casualties on that fateful night. Many claim his ghost meanders along the tracks making sure they are in perfect order as to avoid another deadly wreck. There are also claims of a ghostly locomotive silently rolling over the bridge with no cars attached to it. 

Why the spirit of the young man lingers in the spot is a mystery. Some say it is the place his ghost has returned to after he died due to the traumatic incident that he was part of, while others tend to think it is a residual entity moving about the scene of the wreck. He is seen a few feet above the water which would account for his being on the ice that was about that height in the winter according to paranormal investigator and dowser, Stephen Marshall who once actually felt the presence of spirit energy while dowsing at the scene. Either way, there are a few ghosts roaming about the White River. Take a trip to the bridge, but beware of the phantom train that might silently steam by, or the countenance that might be spied hovering above the rocky stream.

The Woodstock Bridge spans the White river and Route 14 in Hartford. Take I-91 to Exit 11 and follow Route 14 to bridge.