The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-05-10
miraculous Escape from Death.

Inc NccSdtdtcF gives the following thrill
ling account of Il miraculous escape from
death of a Mr.. Chadwick, section foreman
at Hydepark during the fall of 1871:
1t seems that the track had been laid as
far as Danvilc, and one morning the gray
ell train started out of st. Johnsbury with
Il flat car loaded with timber for Walden
trestle, intending to leave it above the
'Pumpkin Ilill' trestle for the next train
which was soon to follow, with a load of
iron, to take along. On reaching the point
designated the car was uncoupled and the
gravel cars backed on the siding. The
brakeman on the train was ordered to put
on the brakes, as the Car had by this time
began to move slowly backwards; but the
man discovered that the car was without a
brake or anything to hold it, so he jumped
off and the men tried 70 stop it by throwing
ties and stones under the wheels, which
however, had no effect Mr.. Chadwick,
seeing this, got on to the car and sgnalled
the engineer to back down and re-couple
it, which attempt was made several times
without success. Mr.. Chadwick having
only one hand to use, the other being re-
CURED to hold himself on the car, and the
engineer sending the machine back with so
much force rs to give tlic'fT1away an I'M
petus that sent it away from the engine
every time. OF course the speed of the
car was increasing Mt very rapid rate and
but once was the engineer with full steem
on, able to overtake it after they got below
the trestlc. The speed was so great that
Chadwick knew that it would be sure death
to jump OIL, and expected nothing but death
by remaining, yet concluded to stay ON the
car, just rs much expecting to die within
the next minute or two, as he ever expect
ed ANYTHING ply In VIM a cliorl,t no 81 .
he might perhaps signal the iron train in
time to save the lives of the men on that.
As the car neared Fairbanks village he laid
down flat on his face, cross-wise the timber
preparing to meet the crash. Two cars
loaded with rails stood on the track at this
point, and the collision took place. The
timber on which he laid shot completely
over the two cars of iron, when he left the
timber and was shot over two piles of rails,
going through the air nearly horizontally
over forty feet and landed in soft marshy
place in field, the timber falling all around
and over him, but not so us to crush him.
Several med who had been loading the rails
Immediately commenced removing the TIM
Der, expecting to find only mutilated and
mangled corpse. In about minute he
was extricated, got up and walked out
alone; then engine then just appeared in
sight, having followed with all the speed
1t could command. Mr.. Chadwick soon
began to feel "faint,' but was able to ride
home in carriage, and in a few days was
again on duty, fully recovered. The run
away car ran distance of four miles and
occupied only three minutes in making the
trip from the time the car was unc upied
to the collision, averaging over ninety miles
an hour for the whole distance, and the
speed of the car at the crash can only be
likened to that of falling ball. The time
stated is not matter of guess work, only
that part of it occupied by the men in re-
moving the timber from Chadwick, for the |
engineer looked at his watch when the car
was uncoupled, TO see how long it would be
before the other train would come up, and |
again on arriving at the wreck.