The Republican journal., 1873-07-31
A Maine Tornado, a Railroad Bridge
Wrecked, and Lives Lost.

The Bangor Wing of Monday gives
the particulars of a storm disaster, with
out precedent in this state, by which the
railroad bridge AT Milford was destroyed,
following which an engine ran into the
| river, carrying the engineer to his death
About five minutes before seven O'Clock
Saturday evening a terrible gale came up
| and the ar appeared to be filled with
smoke and dust 50 that it was impossible
To see even "A few feet before one just
| at tins time some passengers, who had
crossed the bridge connecting Milford
with the Island heard a terrible crash and
| supposed that the bridge Just crossed had
| blown down. This bridge runs parallel
or nearly 50 with the broken Railroad
| bridge, and is Il few rods below it, but
owing to the darkness the party did not
see The latter They met an engine com
| inc toward Milford but did not think there
was amy necessity for stopping it, This
| engine was No I, on the way to Milford
To wood up, and there We're in the cab,
George \. Mcclellan, engineer, Edward
Stafford, who was running for the regu-
lar fireman, who had stopped at Orono
| Eugene +. Elder baggage master, James
Elder and Cyrus Mischue, brakeman
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 cover
ed bridge rested, the forward pant of the
engine settled. The tornado struck them
| lust as they emerged from the Oldtown
bridge, and Mcclellan had Just said, I'VE
| must run slowly, so as not to run into any
! -, L. Il Ne az, ~
was 50 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, rs is supposed turning over
and the tender coming down or top of it.
| The distance from the top OF the pier to
the water i 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
| eluct way and the water runs very swift
| y. The bridge seems to have fallen in,
that is the two sides fell upon the track so
| a. Ia lay on ii as the structure fell into the
water
| The first to get out OF the wreck was f.
| +. Elder who fell Just above the engine
and WAS borne by the current against the
tender, and managed to crawl out on the
debris of the fallen bridge He heard
| some one groaning, and soon found his
| brother James under the ruins with only
| his head ont of the water. He succeeded
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 Stat
| ford was also carried under the broken
| bridge. These men miraculOusly escaped
| without amy broken bones. James Elder
| was badly cut on the left arm, and receiv-
ed numerous cuts and bruises about the
face neck back and legs Eugene's Sc
| NereSt wounds are the cuts on his legs
| Mischue and Stafford were badly cut and
bruised on various parts OF the body.
The wounded men were getting along
Wen Yesterday and it is expected that they
viii recover 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 the wrecked bridge were
blown against the toll bridge with force
that broke holes through it. One piece
that struck its nailed surface against the
side of it, remains firmly attached, the
nail, being driven as firmly as with a
| hammer janS nj tho i1,na a
bridge blew twenty feet up on the bank
on the Milford side
The body of the Engineer was recover
ed on the following day, by diver in sub
: marine armor from the L. $. engineers
engaged i'll clearing the river at Bangor
BURGLARY AT WILTON. On Wednes-
day night OF last week daring burglary
was committed in the above town The
Press has the following particulars
The mystery Of the stolen team from
Mr.. j. b. Green was solved by finding that
the store of K. b. Fuller, esq, had been
= entered by burglers The postotfice is in
/ this store The safe had been blown open
! and postage stamps, money order funds
4 ! and other money abstracted The rob.
t bers gave evidence of their professional
t character III the shrewd way in which they
: performed their work and the great cool
+ ness with which the affair was conducted
: A few rods from the scene of operation,
0 a tailor was at work his light shining
i brightly into the street. Several person.
Y were awakened by the explosion, but gave
it no thought. A neighboring black smith
shop was broken into where the heay,
;. tools for the operation were procured
: Other implements of the trade were lief
e near the safe. 1t is supposed that tn,
d burglars appropriated the team of Mr.
it Green. Vigorous search was at once in
g sttuted but nothing definite has thus ta
e been ascertained. The amount of none,
e taken cannot now be exactly ascertained
:, but must be about $1,000