Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-09-20
a Thrilling Railroad Accident.

(Wlch is POStmaster.)
- 81 s4 a-fa
A Thrilling Railroad Accident.
The accident on the Naugatuck (Conn.)
Railroad on Thursday, the 9Th inst, proves
to have been an occurrence OF uncommon
ly narrowing interest," as well from the
manner of the casualties resulting as from
the number of deaths thereby incurred
No accident has occurred on an Eastern
road for several years which has created in
its immediate vicinity sensation so pain
full and general. About two miles from the
small town of Thomaston, the Naugatuck
Railroad crosses considerable tributary
of the Naugatuck River. A junction be-
tween the tributary, which is of consider
able width at this point, and the Naugatuck
takes place about half mile south of the
scene of the disaster. The facts of the &C
currence are as follows:
Late on Thursday night, or rather early
on Friday morning, just as the engine had
passed the bridge, that structure, loosened
probably by the weight of the train, and
not having been subjected to critical exam
ination since the heavy rain of a few hours
before, suddenly sank in that portion occu-
pied by the baggage car. The car coupling
was torn asunder instantly, and the vehicle
itself, containing sixteen persons, of whom
fifteen were employees of the company, sank
suddenly into the river, and was whlrled
over and over and away by the swollen
flood. The force of the current acting upon
the baggage car already at its mercy,
swung it round with sufficient momentum
to draw the forward passenger Car from
the track and head it down the stream in
the wake of the vehicle already sub
merged At this point, however, the coup
ling of the passenger car gave way, and
the inmates were saved by fortunate acct
dent from participation In the fate OF the
sixteen who had gone before. The pas
senger Car swung round at right angles
from the track, and in about three feet of
water; and, saving fright and bruises, the
passengers escaped unframed. Meantime
the baggage Car, with its fated sixteen, was
swept down the river with singular veloc-
itY--the stream being swollen to six or
eight feet more than it's usual depth by the
giving way of dam, known as Wilson's
Dam, about three miles above the bridge.
The vehicle, made whirligig of by the
current, in ten minutes had passed the
junction of the stream with the Naugatuck,
and still continued f1oundering in the cur
rent. Two miles further it was swept
along with dizzy rapidity over the dam at
Thomaston, and a mile further after that
leap-and it finally grounded one mile
below the village and three miles from the
scene of the occurrence So rapid was the
motion of the current, and so swiftly was
the car hurried along by the freshet, that
men on foot, with the utmost running,
were unable to keep pace with it, and
horses were impressed into service to ena-
BILE the rescuers to follow in easy wake of
the shrieking sufferers. During the singu-
lar voyage, three persons, all trackmen,
were washed off the vehicle and succeeded
in gaining the shore; and when at last the
unfortunate Impromptu craft was made
fast, five others, also trackmen, who had
chung to the debris throughout it dreary
voyage down the river and over the Thorn
aston dam, were taken of with sundry
bruises, but not seriously hurt.
Only one was hurt out of the fifty on
board the train, and in that single case the
injury was slight, and consisted only of a
harmless cut upon the head. The engineer,
Henry Abel, was considerably though not
seriously bruised, the engine being thrown
from the track and left clinging to the abnt-
ment of the bridge. IL W y p
The immediate cause of the disaster-tne
remote though principal cause being the
insnficiency of the bridge as a structure
for its purpose-was the carrying away by
the freshet of dam known as Wilson's
dam, about three miles above the spot
where the accident happened. At the
| time of the occurrence, therefore, the
| stream, as stated by Mr. A. s. Burs, con.
ductor of the train, must have been some
| eight or nine feet higher than usual, and
had been beating with all the momentum
Of water suddenly let loose and struggling
to find its level against the insufficient piers
| Of the bridge, which, though the newest
and safest on the road, was after all not
safe. The conductor was in the first pas
senger car when the accident took place,
and on getting out and seeing the baggage
car gone, states that he supposed that it
| had sunk to the bottom-it having within
three minutes from the moment OF the &C
cident been swept far out OF sight. The
scene as the car swept down the stream,
the unhappy mariners who chung thereto
shrieking for help, and the fitting OF men
on shore to and fro with lanterns and shout
ing anon one to the other at the top Of
their voices, must have been q thesis for
| pen painting which to have witnessed
| might have thrilled with some sort of SEN
4 CN6u d "a q bAOoNASSS P~AA-oSS-
pher. The dam at Thomaston over which
the car was carried was built upon the
principal of the sloping face, and thus the
vehicle was driven over without being
wrecked in it's descent; though, had it not
been secured before the dam, some two
miles below, had been passed, both craft
and unfortunate mariners must have been
dashed in pieces by the force of the fall
AS it was, the roof and doors of the cal
were forced off by the current, circum
stance which, however, contributed more
to the saving Of those within than all the
frantic hurrying 10 and fro of the intended
rescuerS on shore.
Eight persons were last evening reported
dead or missing, of whom the bodies Of
| four were found in the course of the day
| Every effort has been made to recover the
bodies of the missing four, though it un
fortunately happened that at the time o.
the accident the recent thunder storm hac
SO affected the telegraph wires that couple
of messengers had to be sent off on foot to
convey the intelligence of the affair tt
Waterbury, whence about hafpast clever
o'clock the next morning train was start
ed off to the relief of the sufferers. The
President and Supervisor of the road &C
companied the train.
The following are the names Of those
4 xyhoqe hodies have been found T,uciI1