The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-02-06
AEEEDEN's' ON alrE CENTRAL.
WEE 7lOSy.
ssTcRking oG a. Spnu on the NeW
Iron IEridge AT neutrality-suspicious.
cuIOUs Escape OF we Wen from
Dcnth---W OndcrfuI Presence OT
Mind of an Engineer.

W. "N
An unfortunate and UNUSUAL accident oc-
CURED near Waterbury, Saturday after
noon, in the breaking Of the western span
of the new iron bridge Of the Central Yer
mont railroad over the Winooski. by
which two men, who fell with the bridge,
miraculously escaped with their lives.
The Burlington Free Press thus narralc-
the affair The bridge consisted of three
spans, Of 100 feet each, and was of the pat
tern known rs the Pratt plan. The con-
tractor, Mr.. IIcwins, of Boston, had lust
completed putting the structure up, and
Saturday was the day appointed for testing
it by the officers of the Central Vermont.
There were present GOV. Smith, president
of the road Hon. W. {. Smith general
superintendent Hobart division superin-
tendents Arnold and Stone chief engineer
ID. G. Linsley master mechanic j. VI.
Foss Hon. 10 d. Hatch. Edward j.
Phelps, ESQ and his son Edward H..
Phelps, of Burlington Hon. John l.. Ma
son of Richmond, besides hundreds Of peo-
pie from Waterbury and vicinity.
The testing of the bridge commenced be-
tween 10 and IL Il. m, by running locomo-
tiyes and loaded cars over it, at various
rates Of speed, and everything passed off
well, apparently, until about 1.30 y. M,
when four cars loaded with iron, weighing
in the aggregate 2l3 tons, were run on 10
the bridge, and placed in various positions
upon il. As the last Of the fOur cars came
on 10 the western span, it gave way
near the western end of the bridge, pre-
cipitating these cars, with two flats, into
the river below, a distance of about thirty
feet. Two laborcrs, one standing ON the
car, and the other upon the bridge, went
down, and maryellously escaped serious in
jury, one having his collar-bone broken,
and the other suffering some slight CON
t%usions.
The young engineer of the locomotive
which was attached to the cars, showed
wonderful presence of mind. As soon as
the span began to fall, he opened the sand
pipes, reversed his engine, gave her steam
and with a tremendous jerk, sent her for
ward. pulling the draw-bar out and thus
breaking the connection with the cars, and
saving himself and engine. The span fell
quickly and with a considerable crash, ere
ating great excitement among the lockers
on, as it was feared that many lives had
been lost, and that the bodies were buried
under the debris or submerged in the river.
Coy. Smith, Superintendent Hobart and f,
Ii. Phelps were standing on the abutment
within ten feet of the span when it broke.
The latter gentleman had his land on the
post of the bridge, and hearing the chord
snap had just time to step back, when the
platform cars were snaked over the spot
where he had been standing,
The accident was occasioncd by the
breaking of a tension in the lower chord,
which is supposed to have been due tosomC
defect in the iron. The loss, which i,
heavy, falls ms we understand upon the con
tractor, Mr.. lIewins, the bridge not having
been accepted by the railroad company,
1t is fortunate that the rigid and thorough
crucial test insisted on by the officers of tho
Central Vermont before accepting the bridg,
discovered its weakness, for had it no
taken place, it would have been accepte,
and perhaps before the close of the Wintc
t some terrible calamity might have occurre,
The rule Of the company in relation t.
, bridges has been from the first to hay
! none but those so substantially construct
ed as to secure perfect safety for train
passing over them, and ~thusdoubtless man
accidents have been prevented. The bridg
had been in use several weeks, but had nc
been fully tested, being considered safe 70
the ordinary travel of the road. The accI
dent will occasion u delay in the runnin
of trains for a few days, it being necessar
to carry passengers around the break.