Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-04-16
R0i2To0d Items.


place. in the fall Of 1871, VIC do not re-
member Of having seen in print. and but
few OF the readers Of the NEwsBEALER
have heard Of il. The track had been
Land as far as Danville. aud one Morning
the gravel train started rut Of St. Johns
bury. with Gat ear loaded with timber
for a Walden ircstlc. intending TO leave il
above the Pumpkin Ilill' irestle Ior the
next train which was soon TO follow, with
u load Of iron. to take along, On reaching
the point designated. the car was uncOup.
lei aud the gravel cars backed ON the
siding. The brakeman on the train was
ordered to put on the brakes as the car
hai by this time began slowly to move
backwards; but the man discovered that
the car was without u brake or any thing
to hold it, 50 he jumped olf and the men
tried to stop it by throwing ties and stones
under the wheels, which however had no
effect. Mr.. Chadwick, seeing this, got
on TO the car aud signaled the engineer TO
back down aud re-couple it, which attempt
was made several times without success,
Mr.. Chadwick having only one hand to
use. the other being required tohoId him
self on the car, aud the engineer sending
the machine back with 50 much force as
to give the runaway an impetus that sent
it away FROM the engine every time. OF
course the speed Of the car was Increasing
at very rapid rate and but once was the
engineer with full steam on, able to over.
take it after they got below the trestIe
The speed was so great that Chadwick
knew that it would be sure death TO jump
off, md expected nothing but death by re.
naming, yet concluded 10 stay on Ike car,
just as much expecting to die with in the
next minute or tive, as he ever expected
anything. only having slight hope that
he might perhaps signal the iron train in
time 10 save the lives of the men On that.
As the ear ncared Fairbanks village he laid
Gowa fat Oh his face, cross-wise the tim
Der 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 conplet :
ly ovcr the two cars of iron, when he left
the timber ard was shot over two piles Of
rails, going through the air nearly hori-
zontalIy over forty feet and landed in a
soft marshy place in Il field, the timber
falling all around and over him, but not
SO as to crush him. Several men who had
been loading the rails, Immediately CON-
menced removing the timber, expecting
to find only mu,ilated and mang!ed
corpse. In about minute he was extri
Gated got up and walked out alone the
engine then just appearing in sight, hav'
ing followed with all the speed it could
c,mmaud. Mr. Chadwick soon began tc
feel faint" but was able 70 tide home il
Il carriage, and in few days was agar
OH duty, fully recovered. The runaWa!
car ran a distance Of four miles and occu
pied only three minutes in making thu
trip FROM the time the car was aUcouple(
TO the collision, aeeraging orer ninet1
mites an honr for the whole distance, anC
the speed of the car at the crash can onl,
be likcne1 to that Of falling ball. TIL
; time stated is not matter Of gucsswork
only that part of it occupied by the mel
in removing the timber from Chadwick
for the engineer looked at his watch whe
the car was uncoupled, to see how long
would be before the other train woult
come mp, and again on arriving at thu
wreck. of course the damage to proper
ty was considerable but that no one wa
killed is very miraculous. Another re
markable thing is the fact that the ca
did not leave the iron in rounding the man
curves of this part of the line, and show
that the track is laid remarkably true.
A rather amusing case of absent
mindcdness was related TO us the othc
Jay, that occurred at one of the station
on the line of this r. r. "A man wit
four small children, the youngest baby
and an invalid wife, we're present to TAX
the train on its arrival. The conduc,o
assisted the lady TO get aboard, then hand
ed in the eldest children, wnen The ma
came out on the platform as If looking TO
som sthing left behind, and seemingly II
loss to know what it was, growing NOR
excited as the words ''all aboard" and tn
engine bell sounded in his ears when t
his relief came the sharp words of lad
inside the depot: "Here, amt you goin
to take the baby 2" There. | knew
had left something said the nan, as h
took the infant and went on his way re
joicing.
A river bank wall, above the Gepne