The Portland daily press., 1883-08-02
WRECK AND FIRE.
A Terrible Disaster on the Troy
and Boston Road.
Six Men Imprisoned in the Wreck and
Burned to Death.

Troy, Aug. 1.-Two Troy and Boston
freight trains collided this morning at Pownal,
VT. The trains were wrecked. 1t is reported
that six men were killed, all employ ees. One.
named Sullivan, lived in Troy, another was
named Barrett The wreck is on fire.
The collision was caused by neglect of
I. w. johnson, the telegraph operator
at Petersburg Junction, to obey orders of the
train dispatcher to stop one train at his station
Each train had forty-fve cars. The engines
were driven into each other and the fifty cars
derailed and piled on top of them, while
some cars fell into the Hoosac river.
The wreck Immediately took fire. Five
minutes after the crash, passenger train with
four cars, all filled was due. A brakeman
with hands, face and head bleeding went out
and tagged it. Train men and passengers on
this train at once set about reseuing the unfor-
tunate men under the freight, but it was so hot
they conld do but little. Among them were
Chas. sMarden of Troy engineer of freight No.
/; John Barrett of North Adams, conductor of
freight No. 6, Mark Sullivan of Chatham,
engineer of train No. 8, Fred Emloux, brake
man of train No. 9, and Thomas Lane, brake
man of train No. l.. III. III. Bruce OF Pownsl,
operator of the Troy and Greenfield road at
the State line was also killed The groans of
the men can be heard under the wreck and ON
account Of the fire they cannot be reached. II
tuey nave 6SCdptu uodtu lfOlu idlilug cars tu6y
stand chance of being burned alive. Loss
to the Troy & Boston road cannot be less than
| $4,000.
No. ADAMS, Aug. /.
At four o'clock this afternoon Superintend-
ent Crandall of the Troy and Boston road had
secured two fire engines and both were draw
ing water from the Hoosac river to the fire.
In about two hours they had the flames smoul-
dering and search was made for bodies under
what had been the engine OF the train num-
Der g. There were the skull, ribs and bones of
the extremities evidently of all that remained
of the body of Charles Martin, Engineer. The
debris is not cleared away sufficiently to allow
further search, but probably nothing will be
found but six charred bodies. There we're
eleven men on the two freight trains On
train number one, one brakeman, conductor
engineer and fireman and on train number six
engineer, fireman, conductor and two brake
men.
Engineer Mark Switzerland of Troy, train
number one said TO his fireman II will jump
in minute. you go along" and that was the
last This fireman. George Vance, escaped
with few slight bruises. Thomas Lane,
brakeman on this train was burned to death,
and Conductor George Warren jumped and
saved himself with an injured knee. On the
other train engineer Charles Marden, Conduc-
tor John Barret and brakeman Fred Enlaux
and operator Bruce of Troy and Greenfield
railroad who was riding with them on the en-
CINE were all SKILLED. 1t is thought all but
Marden lay under the engine, and could plain
ly see and ask farmer near by TO get them
out. The farmer went after bed and when
he returned the fire was SO hot and had spread
so rapidly that he could not effect the rescue.
Vain attempts were made TO get at the unfor-
tunate man, but without success. 1t is impos-
sible to identify the bodies. and all the bones
will probably be gathered up and inferred te-
gether with union service,
johnson, the telegraph operator, who is re-
sponsible for the accident, is not SO much to
much TO blame as appeared at first. He had
been on duty all night and at 9 o'clock this
morning had not been relieved. He is young
man, about II years old. A. @. Hoag, station
master, should have been there earlier. john
son had orders to flag these trains and have
them pass at Petersburg Junction and did not
do it. Overwork is his particular ex cnse.
While wreckers were clearing away the debris
today he put up an instrument on the ground
near it and sent and received messages for
train men and reporters.
About twenty cars and two engines of the
Troy and Boston road besides merchandise,
wool and iron were all destroyed and the loss
will figure close to $4,000. At this hour 40
men are working clearing the wreck away,
probably shoveliing the ashes of human bodies
with other refuse, and they expect 10 have the
track clear tomorrow noon. Meanwhile the
Troy and Boston train willrun as usual over the
Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western road,
whose road runs parallel with the Troy and
Boston from North Adams TO Mechanicsville.
OF the dead men, Barrett, Marden and Em-
laux lived in North Adams. The two first had
families. Sutherland and Lane lived in Troy;
both married. Bruce lived in Pownal, VT.