Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-01-23
Another Railroad Wreck.

n 0lOOD1 AM OhNhi A~'c ~
HARTFORD-TERRIB SCENES AT
THE WRECK.
HARTFORD, Jan. 16.-The Tuesday
night special train over the Connecticut
Western Railroad for Millerton and
way stations, carrying people from the
Moody and Sanky evening meeting at
Hartford, had about 500 passengers in
its nine cars. About half mile west
Of Tarihville it had to cross the Far
mington river on Howe truss bridge,
$50 feet in length, with a single central
pier, and running from a solid earth
abutment at the eastern end to trestle
work nearly quarter of mile long
beyond the western bank. Two engines
were attached to the unusually heavy
train. Just after passing the central
pier, the engines sank down through
the weak bridge. The foremost turned
over on its side. The second was COM
pletely reversed. Behind these the
smoking car settled down, the passenger
coaches crashing upon its root as it fell,
and crushing it to fragments. The flrst
passenger coach was thrown parallel
with the river. Upon it dashed the
second and third, their rear ends cling
ing down upon the partially submerged
mass of wreck and struggling humanity
beneath. Shrieks OF terror, cries for
help, and agonized screams from the
wounded mingled with the echoes OF
the crash of the falling train. The
alarming noise was heard in Tarihvi!le,
and in a few moments many sympa-
thizing neighbors were present to and IN
withdrawing the sufferers from the
wreck, and removing them to places oil
shelter.
Where the bridge gave way the tracks
were only about twelve feet from the
water, which was on that side OF the
river not suore than four feet deep
Shallow as the water was, it was deep
enough to drown the undermost Of the
passengers hurled in a jam into the
fronts of the cars, even had they not
been stunned by the force OF the col
lislon. Many WHO were not very
seriously injured were thrown into the
water, where the ice had been broken
by the weight of the cars and the shock
of their fall, and were dragged out in an
almost freezing condition. The residents
in the vicinity improvised sledges OF
saplings and boughs, with cushions from
the wrecked cars laid upon them. and
thus dragged the victims Of the catastro-
pie to the eastern bank and up the
slope of the bank, where those least
seriously injured were put on board
return train for Hartford to be trans
ferred to their several homes by another
route, while others were carried tender
" to the houses Of kindly people in
rarifville. About thirty persons, more
or less INJURED and half drowned, were
carried to the house of Mr.. Ges Sibley,a
master bridge builder, employed on the
New Haven and Northampton Road
Among them were Mr.. Scott Goodwin
and wife of New Hartford. Mr. Kellogg
and wife OF Winsted, Miss Barker and
Mrs. Camp OF Visited, the latter sister
of the President of the road. Other
lctims were carried to the houses OF
Mr.. Adams, Phile B. Cole, Ed. Flynn,
Porter White, and other citizens. AT
least one hundred persons were thus
.iyeu shelter IN Taritiville. The others,
Who were put upon the return train for
Hartford. were in many instances very
seriously injured, but exhibited rare en-
durance and courage in bearing tie
unavoidable pain transportation.
The excitement caused by the acct
dent spread rapidly, and by the time
DAYLIGHT dawned had received a fright
lui impetus from the rumor that num-
Der Of dead bodies had been found in
the car Mr.. G. W. Reed and Consta
bic Bell of TarriGvillc found four bodies
of women IN the second passenger
coach, and two mems corpses were
dragged from the muddy and halt-irozen
water in the first coach.
Several hundred people gathered
about the scene Of the wreck i'll the
early morning, a few eagerly assisting
the train men in tearing up the wreck
and looking for bodies. The wreck IL
selfwas strangely chaotic. The second
and third coaches stood like an inverted
Y. resting on the pier at one end with
the shattered frame Of the first beneath
them, while the fragments OF the smoker
seemed like nothing less than parts ola
railroad car, so small and distorted
were they. 1t seemed impossible that
anv one could have come alive from
that destruction, yet, in point OF fact.
only about six out of thirty were ins tam
taneously killed in the smoker.
The wreckers worked emerge tically.
more earnestly tnau dainty, 1t seemed,
when they dragged one body out by a
rome about its neck. The bridge above
the field Of their operations looked tat
tered and torn by the strain Ofthe break
even for couple ofspaus back OF where
its timbers were splintered and scatter
ed.
In all probability forty were more or
less injured. 1t is generally believed
that there are bodies still hidden in
those parts of the wreck sunk in The
water, bu. there are no names OF miss
ing persons reported. At 8 O'Clock
last evening the search was temporall.
Nv abandoned, and the wreck left in
charge Of two men, who shiyered mis-
erably over a fire built Of car fragments
in the meadow near the bridge.
The cause of the accident is by no
means clear, and a number Of thories
are already ready to be pressed upon
the Coroncr's Jury which is to meet
on Saturday next. Some practical
bridsc engineers say that the accident
was caused by the PARALLEL rods OF the
Howe trusscs being made brittle by the
frost. and 50 caused to give way under
the unusual strain. Others aver that
the bridge and all the trestle work were
ALWAYS insufficient in strength, and even
director. Of the road are said TO admit
that thcy never considered It's bridg-
ipoparicrt.n Citizens ofthc neighbour
hood say that the bridge was good
one wnen constructed seven years ago,
bni economy has prevented ithe use Of
uant upon IT. aud became so rotten that
chunks could be easily kicked, even 10y
4 tender boot from lis timbers.
As to how the catastrophe happened
there IS nothing. seemingly. to tell. Mr..
Joseph {. RIGS Of Norlold says he first
became aware Of the accident by a
gradual sinking Of Inc car. which sud-
4 Il, l. 4 4