Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-08-12


OF Col B. P. johnson were on board and
unhurt. and Ms. johnson acted nobly in
rendering aid to the wounded setting an ex-
ample Of energy and judgment but seldom
found in such exciting scenes. A man Of
large size was so tightly wedged in that it
was necessary TO use pieces of the wreck 10
remove the beams that confined him; yet no
bones were broken. and his injuries were on
" from bruises and exhaustion.
The A b. Journal gives further accounts
The baggage-car was broken into Fragments,
and three Of the four persons in it were
! killed.
c. Plvmpton, mail agent.
/ David 5. Russell express agent.
Charles Bartheloug, baggagenan and
! brakeman.
Thomas Mccormick. uewsboy. was also in
| this car, but escaped with "a broken limb.
/ There were forty passengers IN the first
passenger car four Of whom were killed, and
all bat one or two Of the others more or less
injured. The car itself was broken into
fragments We have been able to get the
names Of only three Of those killed 10 this
car
In the second passenger car (Which was
hitched ON at Schaghtcokc) there were bus
eight person, viz.
Mrs. George " Griffin Of this city, and
three children. Wh,n she felt the car sink
ing, she seized her children and sprang with
them to the rear end Of the car. BY this
means she reached the part Of the car which
remained on the bank, and escaped lherself
and one child) uniniured, while two of the
children were only slightly scratched.
AIr. Cooley, conductor, wife and child.
Mrs John Cuvler. mother of Mr.. Cooley.
Mr. Cooley, when be felt the car sinking,
snatcied the child from It's mothers arms,
and pressed 1t to his breast, shielding 1t with
his arms lie was able, with help, 10 walk
% a nelghb1ring house The chilli received
but slight scratch on the neck, while Its
mother and grandmother were both instant
lv killed
N1r Cooley is not the regular conductor
lie is the General Overseer Of the Dad. and
took the place of the conductor Mr.. Gard
ner) who was i'll. His wife and mother-in-
Law went up in the train with hIm fora ride.
II was a sad ride for the family.
At Albany on the arrival Of the bodies
coroners inquest was held. The Engineer
and fremun were examined. The engineer.
Mr.. Charles \. Jones, being sworn. says
The train left Schagticoke at 6.2S o'cluck
last evening; that the accident occurred about
three quarters a mile from the above station,
and the train was going at the rate Of about
10 miles an hour at the time Of its Occu- /
renee. Hestatesthat it is customary TO slack |
up when crossing bridges. but in this in
stance the brakesmen failed to break up, and /
he was obi ged to whistle for brake He |
avs that as the engine crossed the bridge he
{ 1t it giving way, and the downward in |
- g Al J.
lie had hold Of the throttle lever at the time. /
and in falling backward pulled 1t entirely
open, giving the engine full head of steam,
which caus the locomotive to Jump for
ward and clear the bridge. Mr.. jones stat
ai that he sp ke T. another engineer named /
Dyer some tlme since, and asked him what i.
he thought Of the bridge. He said there |
was something wrong about it. Mr.. Jones |
also spoke to Mr.. Hamp, the T ad-master, .
about the matter, but received no satisfaction. !
Timber had been got out for a new bridge, /
and was on the ground at the time of the /
accident.
The witness reported the bridge as being
unsafe, about year ago, and it was repair /
ed 4 Jurvman stated that he had often
heard the bridge reported unsafe.
Edward Burns. the fireman, corroborated .
the testimony Of Mr. Jones in ali its impOr- .
tant points
Coroner Madden of Troy held an inquest .
on the body Of Charles Phmpton, which re- .
suited IN the following verdict
That the said Charles Pimpton came to /
bis death from injuries received by the fall /
n. of a bridge over the Albany. Vermont .
and Canada Railroad. over the lomhanr0ck .
Creek. while engaged N a regular tram Of /
said railroad as Mail Agent, and as said .
bridge was in a rotten and unsafe condition. /
the jury believe that those having charge of /
said road should be highly censurcd.
The Troy Wing remarks with great seyeri-
rv on the condition OF the road which thus
led to the instant death Of nine or more per- /
sons and the wounding Of many more It
says
There was not a man connected with the /
road who did not know that the bridge has
been too rotten to admit Of the safe passage
of train for more than year past. The
idea Of the bankrupt corporation
seems to have been that as it was irresponsi-
bic for anv damages that might result, 1t
would be the cheapest to let the bridge be
till it broke down, and then either rebuild it
lr shut up the road, 1t is, we repeat, dis
grace To the State, that a reckless corpora
ton should be permitted thus to trlae with
the lives Of an unsuspecting travelling com
There should have been power
somewhere to close up the road until the
bridge had been rebuilt, for its incapacIty
was notorious not only among the employees
Of the Corporation, but throughout the
neighborhood Of the disaster.
There are other bridges on the road that
are Just about as dangerous as the broken
one was. and the road track itself for much
Of the distance is about as dangerous as the
bridges. There are many places where the
ties and rails project far over the earth-work,
thus giving the superstructure chance to
tottle off its bed at almost any time. 30 no.
torious is this fact, that when Railroad Su-
perintendent Of this city received a compli- |
mentary season ticket, last Spring, he sent |
1t back with the intimatiOn that he thought |
TOO much of his life to avail himself of the |
courtesy. He would rather walk up than |
ride free on a road where the risk was 90
imminent
GOOD ADVICE. We find the following, |
which is well worth the attention of every |
father, in the American Agricuhurlst
Take care Of the young muSoles.-The sea-
L I l.