Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-01-20

of the Wagner cars, who had realized large
fortune from his invention. Senator Brown
ing, who was in the next TO the last car, said {;
"a short time before the accident occurred
Senator Wagner came through our car and
said, laughingy, All, here are all the anti
monopoliBts.' He added, Il am opposed TO
monopoles myself, for sometimes they smash
my cars The party laughed at this sally,
and Senator Wagner passed forward into the
coaches.
Major A. b. Valentine, father of Park Val
entine, said, Saturday, to Troy Times re-
porter "Soon after we stopped in the cut
went to the rear car and stood. | say a
brakeman standing on the track within ten
feet of the end Of the car, holding red and
white lights 1 did not apprehend any dan
ger until l saw the brakeman run toward the
approaching Tarrytown express and wave his
lights. He had been stationed at the rear Of
the car to signal the train. He ran about two
rods towards it. As II dashed upon us jump
ed of. l didn't hear an cutlery from the Idle
wild. The locomotive slid partially under the
car The Idewild seemed to be on fire almost
Immediately. l think most Of the passengers
in the car were killed by the collision. l be-
lieve that my son and daughter were killed in
stantly. The story that they might have been
rescued if they had not chung together is un-
true. They were dead when first seen after
Aht hNNluNAAs Duiho 1hon0hbNAn hAteAbhNNAJ
were burned to death, but more were killed
by the shock Many of the newspaper &c
counts have stated that Mrs Valentine could
have been saved, but that she refused to leave
her husband, who was caught fast in the de-
bris 1t was also said that the young couple
slowly burned to death before the eyes of tho
father of the groom.
The Mrs Brown named in the list Of killed
was native Of East Poultney, in this state,
where she had been ON q visit to her mother,
Mrs. Winchel Her husband is mining
stock brok r in New York city. His wife had
teegraphed him to meet her at the Grand
Central depot, and the first intimation he had
of the disaster was when the forward portion
of tho wrecked express train rolled into the
depot
THE FUNERAL OF THE VALENTINES.
The funeral of Park Valentine and wife was
held at Bennington Monday afternoon from
the Second Congregational church. There
was a very great assemblage Of relations,
friends, and citizens. The exercises were
conducted by the Rev. L. G.. Reed, Mr. Val
entines pastor, assisted by the Rev. j. b.
WATSON, of North Adams, Mass, and the
Rev. DR.. Garfield. These last were the cler-
gymen who offciated at the wedding last
Thursday. OF the eight bearers four were
ushers at the wedding. Various organiza-
tons to which Mr.. Valentine belonged were
present-the Park Guards, the bennington
Social Club, the Alumni Of the Bennington
High school, and others. The parents Of Mrs.
Valentine were also present The calRmitous
ending Of their lives has left deep impress
ion upon the community.
The funeral of Senator Wagner also occur
red on Monday. Mr.. Wagner was born at
Palatine Bridge, N. Y, in 1917. In early life
he was a wagon makers apprentice after
ward he was a railroad station agent, aud in
1858 he put on his first sleeping-car.
Among the Vermonters passengers on the
Inflated train, besides the Valentines were
Lieut.. Gov. John l.. Barstow and wife, whom
he was taking to the South on account Of her
impaired healthier two sisters and her
brother and his wife. They we're all saved.
They had intended to secure apartments in
the sleeping-car Idlewild, but gave up the
idea at the last moment, and secured seats in
the second car from the locomotive.
THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCIDENT.
Primarily the responsibility rests on the
railroad company for not adopting some sys-
tenn by which two trains, on road where
there is so much traffic, could not approach
within certain distance of each other, as is
done on the Pennsylvania road, between New
York and Philadelphia, under the block sys-
tenn" That the TaTrytown train was not
signaled is the fault of the brakeman on the
rear car of the Albany train, who should at
once have started back distance Of COO yds.
with his lantern, and have placed percussion
caps on the track as warning. Maj. Valen-
tine, who was standing on the rear platform
Of the Idlewild, says the brakeman, with a
red Light in one hand and a white light in the
other, was standing not 10 feet distant look
ing up the track toward tho Sputen Duyvil
station, when of a sudden the head light on
the Tarrytown locomotive doomed up in the
cut 200 yards away. The brakeman started
on a run toward it and began to swing his
lanterns. Mr.. Valentine had Just time to
leap from the platform and run across the
track when the locomotive plunged into the
Idlewild. The brakeman, Melius, has been
arrested aud put under $1,000 bonds. Frank
Burr, engineer Of the Tarrytown train, which
collided with the Atlantic express Friday
night, made a sworn statement TO the coron-
err Monday. He said he did not start from
Spuyten Duyvil until three minutes after the
express left, and entered the cut at the rate
Of eighteen or twenty miles an hour There
was no danger signal there. When he en-
erged from the cut he saw the hagman swing
ing his signal, and at the same time saw the
red light on the express train, about two or
three car lengths ahead. He pulled the throt-
tie wide open, put on air brakes and blew
the whistle, but could not stop the train He
remained at his post until after the collision
The New York Board of Aldermen has or
| dered that hereafter the cut at Spuyten Duy-
vii, which is within the limit Of the city, be
lighted and patroled, and that a Aagman be
stationed at each end.