The Portland daily press., 1873-07-29
Tornado on the PenObscOt.

lion WHICH mas Drought Ills HdIHe W poStHu-
nous dishonor. YARMOUTH
Tornado on the PenObscOt.
The Bangor Wing gives the following graphic
account of the terrible tornado which last Sat
urday swept over that portion of the State, do
ing large amount of damage:
"Between seven and eight o clock on Satur-
day evening, there was all at once dead calm
the heavens having peculiar brassy look, indi-
eating that heavy wind was to follow. The
wind soon came and blew for the space of fif-
teen or twenty minutes with terrific violence,
SO that persons who happened to be on the
street were obliged to rush. into duorways 10
prevent being blown away, and everything out
of doors seemed to be in the air.
A barn on Saltwater avenue, belonging to
w. Dougherty, and filled with hay was blown
down, trees were torn up and sheds demolished
in the city. About eight o'clock, Superintend
ent Angel Of the p. & n. A. Railway, received
telegram from Orono announcing that the
railroad bridge at Milford, had been blown
down by the tornado, and that an engine had
gone down with it, killing the engineer.
Word was Immediately given that all passen-
gers destined beyond Oldtown, would have to
stay in Bangor as the train would go no further
than the tOrmsr place. Superintendent Angel
accompanied by Mr.. f. W.. Cram, General
Freight Agent, the Master Mechanic of the
Road, Mr.. Nathaniel Sweet and others, imme-
diately took tho train for the scene Of the dis
aster. The telegraph lines being down, Mr..
Cram Immediately set up telegraph office at
Milford and communication with trains from
ST. John was established. Our reporter who
visited the scene of the disaster Sunday gather
cred the following particulars
About five minutes before seven O clock Sat-
urday evening, a terrific gale came up and the
air appeared 20 be filled with smoke and dust
so that it was impossible to see even a few feet
before one. just at this time, some passengers
who had crossed the bridge connecting Milford
with the Island heard a terrible crash and sup
posed that the bridge just crossed had blown
down. This bridge runs parallel, or nearly SO
with the broken railroad bridge, and is few
rods below it, but owing to the darkness the
party did not see the latter. They met an en-
CINE coming toward Milford but did not think
there was any necessity for stopping it.
This engine was No. Z, on the way to Milford
to wood up, and there were in the cab, George
A. Mcclellan, engineer, Edward Stafford, who
was running for the regular fireman, who had
stopped at Orono, Eugene f. Elder, baggage
master. James Elder and Cyrus Mischue, brake
men. The engine passed over a short piece of
trestle work and the short uncovered span of the
Milford bridge, but as they reached the pier
where the west end of the covered bridge rested
the forward part of the engine settled. The tor
nado struck them just as they emerged from
the Oldtown bridge, and Mcclellan had just
said "We must run slowly, so as not TO run into
any one in the dark" The air at this time was
SO full of dust and fog that nothing could be
seen in either direction. When the forward
part of the engine settled, Mcclellan reversed
his engine and gave it a full head of steam; but
it was too late, and with its passengers was
precipitated into the river, as is supposed turn
ing oyer and the tender coming down on top of
it. The distance from the top of the pier to
the water is about twenty feet, and the depth of
the river at this point is between twelve and
twenty feet The rear end Of the tender was
about three feet above water, all the rest being
out of sight and surrounded by the debris Of
the fallen bridge. The place is at the outlet of
suice way. and the water runs very swiftly.
The bridge seems to have fallen in, that is. the
two sides fell upon the track so as to lay on it,
as the structure fell into the water. The first
person able to get out of the wreck was E, +.
Elder, who fell just above the engine and was
borne by the current against the the tender, and
managed to crawl out on the debris of the fall
en- bridge. He heard some one groaning, and
soon found his brother James under the ruins
with only his head out of the water. He sue
ceeded in getting him out, after which they
heard calls from below, near the pier of the toll
bridge, and it was soon found that the person
calling was Cyrus Mischue, who had been
borne completely under the ruins of the bridge
and had swan to the shore, and shouted for
help Edward Stafford was also carried under
the broken bridge, These men miraculously es-
capped without any broken bones. James Elder
was badly cut ON the left arm. and received nu-
IA.
back, and legs Engene's seyerest wounds are
the cuts on his legs. Mischue and Stafford
were bodily cut and bruised on various parts of
the body.
The wounded men were getting along well
Sunday and it is expected that they will re-
cover readily from their injuries. After they
had extricated themselves from the wreck,
they Immediately sent word to the engineer of
the engine Androscoggin, which had crossed
the bridge about ten minutes before. The
force of the tornado was such that boards from
tue wrecken bridge were blown against the toll
bridge with force that broke holes through it.
One piece that struck with its nailed surface
against the side of it, remains firmly attached,
the nails being driven as firmly as with ham
mer. Large portions of the railroad bridge
blew twenty feet up the bank on the Milford
side.
Sunday morning the favorable localities for
obtaining a view of the ruins were covered with
people, and the train from this city brought
large numbers more, who were wild with the
excitement attendant upon the disaster.
The debris of the bridge remained as it fell,
completely filling the river, and was SO firmly
held together that large numbers took positions
on it to overlook the scene of the accident The
body of Mcclellan had not been recovered up
10 this time, and as Capt. Sullivan OF the
schooner Stella, now in this port, and his at
tendant came up with diving apparatus, the
crowd rapidly increased, and the number on
the ruins was more than doubled. Capt Sulli-
van went down twice without finding the body.
On going down the third time he worked his
way about fifty feet below where the engine
lay, and under shelving rock found the body
of the unfortunate engineer.
On the left side of the back of the bead there
was deep cut about six inches in length, and
an examination of this showed that the skull
was badly fractured. There was also bad
bruise and cut over the RICH eye, and slight
cut on the lip The body remained in the same
position as it must have been when with the
right hand, Mcclellan, for the last time, threw
the reverse lever back and opened the throttle
valve to save himself and his companions from
a terrible death.
Mcclellan was about Sc or 81 years of age
and leaves wife and three young children in
OldtOwn, where he resided. He was born in
Upper Saltwater, where his parents are now
living. During the war he served as Sergeant
in Co. K, I'd Maine Infantry. Besides being
the oldest engineer on the E. & N. A. Railway,
he was very highly esteemed BY the officers of
the Company, being man of the strictest fl
deity and integrity. He was member of Star
of the East, F. A. NJ, of Oldtown, and will be
buried with Masonic honors.
From all directions, in the vicinity of Bangor
and up river, the reports so far as heard, are of
damages to buildings, and the destruction Of
fences and trees Eg
At Pea Cove, barn owned by Gilman Davis
was blown down and his horse killed.
In west Bangor, on the Carmel, road Frank
Rogers barn was blown down and the frag-
ments scattered in the orchard A part of the
roof on 5. ID. Ames' barn, just beyond, was
blown off, and load of hay standing in the
floor was blown out through the doors and
scattered in all directions. Lyman Tyler's
barn, 40 by so feet and filled with hay, was
blown severa. inches from the foundations.
Scion Leonard who had started with load of
hay, had his horses and rack blown several rods
and the hay blown away
At Costigan, on the E. & n A. Railway,
car loaded with bricks was blown along the
side track on which it had been left. to the end