Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-07-02
Foreign Items.
IRON PAPERS RECEIVED BIZ THE CAMBRIA

Il Foreign Items.
| iron rAPERs RECEIVED BY THE cAMpRiAl
DREADFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN ENGLAND
On Monday evening, the oath ult., Chester was
thrown into an unprecedented state of excite.
ment and CONSERVATION by the occurrence of a
most distressing accident on the bridge of the
Chester and Holyhead Railway, which crossed
the river Dee, near this city
The train in question leaves the Chester sta.
ton at quarter past six o'clock, taking on mas.
sengers from Br'ienlead and the Northwestern
Line and consisted on Monday evening of a
first class carriage, three second class carriages
and the van, in which were two persons besides
the guard. 1t is rather difficult to ascertain the
number of passengers; but, from the best infnr-
nation we can obtain. it seems probable that
there were about thirty-tivc The bridge is con.
sttucted by the boiling together of iron girders,
which are supported by four stone pers-there
being three girders on each line and four be.
tween each pier. When reaching the division
OF the bridge on the Satney side of the river.
the engineer heard an unusual noise, and felt a
kind of vibratory motion in the girders he i'm.
mediately accelerated the speed to great ve-
locity, but had scarcely brought the engine and
tender clear over the bridge, when two of the
train was passing fell, with tremendous crash,
and the carriages were precptated on to the
embankment of the river below. into which
some of them rolled. The screams of the
slightly wounded, the groans of those whose
limbs were broken, and the terror of all, were
heart-rending. Having got the engine on the
other line. he then Immediately returned and
with degree Of courage and intrepidity which
can scarcely be credited, recrossed the bridge
by the up line of rails which remained standing,
and gave information of the disaster at the
Flookersbrook station in Chester.
In the course Of a short time. assistance was
at hand, and the police and military having been
called out every help was afforded to the unfor.
tunate sufferers, who were lying scattered on
the embankment in all directions, and many of
them unable to release themselves from the in
cumbent weight of stones which had fallen from
the bridge, and fragments of the broken car
-i-E~~ .>hieh ~e'u h-"pea upon them. Fou,
persons were found quite dead, and .ftieen NOR,
or less wounded. Besides the above, many per
sons received injuries which were not of SO Sc
rlons nature as to require their detention il
Chester, and AS these Immediately proceeded
onward by different conveyanccs. we cannot, of
course, give complete list of the passengers.
There seems to be no doubt that the occasion
of the accident was the breaking of the grders
support of the bridge. The fireman, or stoker
who was upon the tender, must have been killed
by a blow received from some falling substance
as the dead body of the poor fellow was iounc
lying on the rails; the three other corpses WERE
taken out OF the van, which had fallen on the
embankinent So powerfully wreDchnp ant
tremendous was the crash, that the strong iron
chains which yoke the train were snapped
asunder like bars of glass; and one of the car
riages was crushed like nutshell BY the fall
This part of the lIolyhead Line also forms a
portion OF the railway from Chester to Shrews
bury, and was opened on the I'd of November
last, when the first train crossed the bridge &c
Ruabon; though some additional works, moi
then completed, have since been finished and
as we hear, inspected by competent engineers
The entire length OF the bridge is $50 feet the
length OF the fallen department is 100 feet, its
width 10 feet and the height above the river a,
high water is - icet-CheSfer Courdm
THE WEATHER. During the past week we
have enjoyed a genial succession of fine grow
ing weather, with now and then refreshing and
feeding showers. The crops still 90 on i'm.
proving, and so far give promise of abundance
in every department. New potatoes have al.
ready fallen to less than half their value abou,
a fortnight ago, and old ones have also declined
in prices. 1t is to be hoped that the prospect
before us will induce the holders of corn and pro-
visions generally to relax in their demands, which
it is generally assumed, have latterly been much
too exorbtant, and not to be justified by any ne
cessity arising from alleged scarcity of stocks in
hand. The country. in the districts around this
town, presents beautifully luxurant appear
ance. In dry, light soils some rain is desirable.
but there is yet no cause of complaint from
drought.-Lirerpool Standard, June ISL
THE IRISH PooG. The arrivals Of paupers
from Ireland continue at nearly the same point
every steamer which arrives at this port being
freighted with hundreds of these destitute human
beings, who have fled from their own country to
escape the horrors of famine. On Tuesday the
number was 800, and on "Wednesday, l42i
None of these were, however, actually suffering
from fever, although many were in such state
of destituion as to render them extremely sus-
ceptible of its influence. We regret to add tina,
two more of the assistant relieving officers, from
the police force, have been attacked by fever,
and are lying in dangerous state. 1t is in
tended to remove number of the fever patients
out of the town 10 the Akhar laZaretto; and
three other vessels, the lavinia, Newcastle and
Druid, will shortly be at the service of the au-
thorities.-Lirerpooi Mercury, 4ti inst.
RELIC OF THE FAMINE OF 1900. On Mon
day last two pieces of Bread made during the
famine of 800, when -four was Is. peck, and
preserved by their owner, We're shown to us at
our office. One is a penny loaf the other a
roll, The loaf, which is in good preservation
is about two inches square, and even when I'M
shryellcd by time, could not have made more
than two decent mouthfuls. The roll is par
tally decayed, but so far as we can Judge, it
could not when fresh, have exceeded the d.
mansions OF a finger biscuit, To which, in shape
il bears a resemblance, Both have hungry,
famine.like aspect, especially when compared
with a roll and loaf of 1888, which the owner
of these relies has also preserved. But as the
present times are, sight of such mementos OF
a bv-gone famine reconciles us to what 1t is
sincerely to be hoped will be temporary Priva-
tion.-Birmngham Journal.
| PATENT GAs-METER. new kind Of gas
! meter has been patented in England, whic .