Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-02-04
Accident on The Central Vermont.

i occurred near ateThury, Saturday al
|. ternoob. in the breaking OF the wesier
J, span of tae new iron bridge of the Cen
tral Vermont Railroad over the Wrnoos
= XII, by which two men. who fell with tn
bridge. miraculously escaped with thei
r lives.
) The bridge consisted of three spans, o.
/ $50 feet each, and was of the ratierr
) known as the Pratt plan. Tie contract
or. Mr.. Ilewins. OF Boston. had just com
pletcd putting tie structure up, aud Sat
urday was the day appointed for testing
it by the officers of the Central Vermont
i There were present Gov. Smith, Presideu,
| OF the road; Hos. W. @ Smith Gcner.
al Superintendent Hobart; Divisios Su.
perintendeuts Arnold and Stone; Chief
Engineer d. q. Lin>ley; J. NJ. Foss,
Master Mechanic; Hon. 10 ID. Hatch.
Edward j. Phelps ESQ, and his son Ed
ward II. Phelps, of this city Hon. John
l.. Mason of Richmond, besides hundreds
of people from Waterbury and vicinity.
The testing of the bridge commenced
between 10 and II a M, by running 10.
comotives aud loaded cars over it. at va.
rlous rates of speed, and everything passed
off well, apparently. until about l.30 p.
M. when four cars loaded with iron,
weighing in the aggregate 2l3 tons, were
run on to the bridge, and placed in vali-
Gus positions upon it. As the last of the
four cars came on to the western span. it
gave way near the western end Of the
bridge, precipi'aiing these cars. with two
flats, into the river below, a distance of
about thirty feet. Two aborcrs. one
on the car. and the other upon
the bridge, went down, and marvelously
escaped serious injury, one having his
coIIar-bene broken, aud the other suffer-
ing some slight Commissions.
The young eng neer Of the locomotive
which was attached to the cars, showed
wonderful presence of mind. As suon as
he span began TO fall, he opened the sand
opeS, reversed his engine, gave her steam
md with tremendous jerk, sent ter for.
ward, pulling the draw.btr out aud thus
breaking the connections with the cars, and
ayins himself and engine. The span fell
quickly and with considerable crash.
reatlng great excitement among the
noEcrS.on, as it was feared that many
ives had been lost, and thar the bodies
'cre buried under the debris or submerged j.,
TIE river. Gov. Smith, Superintendent e.,
hobart, and i. i. Phelps were standing 4
n The abutmcnt within tcu feet of the
pan when it broke. The latter gentle.
ian had hS hand on the post of the =
ridge, and hearing the chord snap had &
iSt time to step back, when the platform I
airs were 'naked over the spot where he
ad been standing. Il
The accident was occasoned nv th,. II
rcaking Of tension in the lower chord i,
hch is supposed to be due to some dc er
ct in the iron. The loss. which is tcavv pl
lis as we understand upon The confrac. of
r, Mr.. Hewins, the bridge not having IN
zen accepted by the railroad company. ::
1t Is fortunate that the rigid and thor. h,
gh crucial test insisie, on by the officers II
the Central Vermont before acceprinc 70,
bridge discovered its weakness, far of
d II not taken place, it would have been pr
copied and perhaps before the close of 80
winter some terrible calamity might
We occurred The rule Of the company Pr
relation to bril- ges has been from ,b, Ri,
~ ~ nave none nut those 80 substantial. cl'
constructed as to secure perfect safety .''t
trains passing over them sud thus 49,.
lbtIcss many accidents have been pre. f.,
'ted. The bridge had been in use sew. r.
u weeks, but had never been fully W,
ted, being considered saf, for the ord. J
y 'ravel OF the road The accident I
occasion delay in the running Of 'sf
IN" but few days, it being necessary 7
larry passengers around the break - TN,
re Press. Law
-. - scoop ---------.--- Dan
The will of The late Lyman J Mc!ndoc Mu'
windsor was admitted to probate. A
week. The Rev Franklin Butler VT
Mrs. Mclndoe are the cxecu,ors mo sum