The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-03-01
BURNED IN A PALACE.
A Sleeping Car Thrown Down an
Embankment and Destroyed
by Fire.
THE BIssELLs BURNED.

TER AT MIDNIGHT To PASSENGER
TRAIN NEAR RUTLAND, VT.
A New York telegram TO the Chicago
Times of yesterday sfys: The New York
train due to- leave Rutland last night at
10 P, NJ. over the Harlem Extension rail-
road met with q serious accident at SoL tn
Wallingford, which resulted in the death
of Charles Il. Bissell ana son, of Chicago.
The accident was caused by broken rail
a few rods north of the station. The train
was composed OF three cars--a baggage. pas
senger and the "City OF New York" Veg
ner sleeper. The train passed safely over
the break except the rear truck of the
sleeper. 1t sprung of and over an embank-
ment 10 feet high. The coupling hello and 1t
was dragged thus 125 feer, until it crushed
against huge pile OF refase marble,
deposited beside Kelly's marble mill. The
concussion broke the coupling, cast of ne
truck, turned the car upon its side and
threw the rear end several feet across the
mill-race way. and at nearly right angles
with the track. The patent beater was
broken by the fall, and in moment tie
car had caught fire. The wind was blow
ing from the west and famed the flames
through the car, the heater being at the
west end. Mr.. Bissell was the
first of the ten passengers 20 get out. All
had escaped through the windows and
was fastened inside in the debris. He
called to his father, "FOr Gods sake, get
an axep and his father re p 5ated the call.
A by-stander ran for an axe, but Mr.. BIS
sell was impatient and jumped through
one of the windows to reach his son. Not
a sound was heard from either of them
afterwsrd. Tie car was
DEVELOPED IN SHEET OF FLAME
ten minutes after the accident. 1t was i'm
possible to render any assistance. The
smoke was so dense it is supposed they
both suffocated instantly. The position OF
the remains showed that tie rather did
not reach the son. The father was in the
west end and tne son near the center. TIE
chsrred remains of the father were identi-
fed to-day by watch with its chain and
other trinkets, and the son by pistol and
smoking pipe. The remains OF both were
burned to cinder. Mes RS. Bnxby,
Parker, and Gaines, friends from Yer
gennes, secured the remains, and they
were brought to Rutland aud put into
caskets, and will be taken 70 Verzennes
for burial. A. W. GJbers, of Chicago, is
slightly injured about the race
and head. He lost most of his
clothing, F. e. woodbridge, Vergennes;
f. j. Tieraey aud wife, and Mr.. Chipnan,
OF Montreal, are slightly injured, aud also
four others who pursued their journey
names unknown. 1t is supposed that
Mr.. Bissell and his son we're almost i'm
mediately suffocated, and that death en-
sued from this cause. IL is said that the
car was a mass of flame in an incredibly
short time after the accident. The cur
tsins, bedding, and bed were all ot.light
and inflsmmsble material, the car was of
WOOD which was thoroughly seasoned,
and that with the varnish would render
it easily ignited and quick OF consumE-
ton. Alter ignition the heat was intense,
almost
AS FIERCE AS A BLAsT-FURNACE.
The heavy irons were mel ed off and
twisted into all sorLs of shapes; the brass
and copper fixtures of the car wers melted
and run together in masses of large and
small size; gold and silver watches, jew
elry and glass were melted into liquid
form and dropped upon the ground and
cooled of in masses In all sorts Of 1ants.-
tic shapes and sizes. The scene is described
by eye witnesses as heart-rending in the
extreme. Nesrly all those who escs ped
were in an almost nude condition and the
hight was terribly cold. Some of them
were injured, and the blood was stream
ing from their wounds. Mr.. Pitkin OF
Pitkin Bros, Hartford, Conn.,, was one of
those who escaped with nothing on but
part of his underclothing. His head
was severely cut. and the blood
streamed from lwound. He
and warmed, and one man produced
coat, aud another a pair of psntsloons,
and another q pair of shoes, and finally he
was dressed sufficiently to proceed on his
journey. Most of them were in the same
plight. The families living in the vicinity
were promptly on hand, and they. with
the passengers in the coach, soon provided
fheaI HI 70
pr, tect them from the colo. Among the
parsons in the car st the time OF the scci
dent were the conductor OF the train, Fred
Wilder, who had just gone through the
car, and the sleeping-car conductor, Capt.
Moody, who were standing t9gsther near
the for ward end of the car. They were
thrown quite a distance, aud Mr.. Wilder's
lantern was extinguisbed. b tn succeeded
in getting out of the forward door COM
psratively uniDjured. The list OF the pas
sengers was burned with the car, therefore
1t is impossible to know exactly how many
and
WHO THE PASSENGERS WERE.
1t is thought there were IL people in the
car besides the two conductors and the
porter. These were Charles III. Bissell,
w. ii. B sseII, and A. M. Gilbert, Of Chi
cago; the Hon. f. E. Wood bridge, of Vim
cennes; Francis j. Tierney and wife and
Mr.. Chapman, of Montreal; Mr.. PitkeD,
of Hartford; Mr.. Cunningham, of New
York, and two others, names unknown,
who went south on The same train. On
the noon train south came Messrs. W.. q
Bixby, j. K. Roberts, s. s. Garnes and
Cnaries Z. Parker, OF Vergennes, who, in
company with -Supt rintendent Burdett,
DR.. K. A. Pond and several others, went
down to the scene of the accident. On the
same train vera Mr.. Bixby and brother
of Mr.. Bissell's wife, who is
Ellen, daughter of w. r. Bixby, of Yer
gennes When this party srrived upon
the scene the remsins OF the two bodies
had been gathered up and placed in boxes.
1t was thought they might be the remains
of three persons, but an examination by
DIR. Pond proved that such was not the
case. The remains OF father and son were
identified by articles which they carried
with them. Mr.. Bis sell, Sem, carried
watch and chain and seal, which were