Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-08-27

THE RAILROAD DISASTER.
view Development. u. to n" Cause.

INN Hh IIsHOGD iff0i1 WI
No New Developments 49, 90 lts Cause.
CARRYING PASSENGERS AND MAILS ABOVE THE
BREAK THE CONDITION OF THE WOUNDED
CLEARING AWAY THE WRECK NO DEot.
SION YET Az TO THE REPAIR OF TIE BREAK
AND THE FULL RESUMPTION OF TRAFFIC.
The past week hss developed practically
nothing to add to the story OF last weeks dis
aster. The locomotive j. H. Martin was TAX.
en- safely around over the Vermont Valley
bridge, through the strip Of woodland, and
across the highway TO the narrow gauge
track, this rather novel feat being accom-
plished soon after noon on Friday. The en-
CINE then went to South Londonderry, aud
brought down an observation car and the
'scraper" car, and regular trips above the
break were resumed ON Friday evening. The
mail boxes or racks we're transferred from the
wrecked combination car to the compartment
on the scraper car, aud here Julius Leach
presides over the mails and receives and dis
tributes them along the route with due regu-
larity, in spite Of the not altogether modern
aud desirable oonveniences at his command.
Passengers are transferred in John Rays big
tally no" omnibus, and Taylor's team car.
rios the baggage and express matter. The
accident seems to have had no effect on the
passenger traffic of the road The train loads
have averaged from 30 TO 80 passengers.
More than once there have been more than
could be accommodated in the omnibus.
Both the merchants up the line OF the road
and the shippers Of freight are badly di4oom-
NODDED by the stoppage of the freight traffic.
lu some cases merchants are out Of -four and
have no means Of getting supplies, which lie
in the Brattleboro depot, unless teams are
sent for them. The break is serious one
for Me. Lyons quarry operations. lie was
just ready to begin shipments on an impOr-
tant contract, and would now be sending
down 10 carloads of granite day il the road
was intact.
The wounded victims Of the accident are
all doing well, these including Mrs. lIldreth,
Station Masters Butler aud Ashley and Brake
man OConnor. Much anxiety was felt about
the condition Of the latter on Friday aud Sat.
urday. He was wildly delirious and seemed
to be suffering from a nervous shock which
had affected the brain. His broken leg could
not be kept in place, and its condition grew
to be such that amputation was seriously con.
templated as the only way to save his life. 1t
proved, however, that the young mans par
ents in the over-goodness of the Irish heart
bad filled him chook full of whiskey on the
first night after the accident; his derium
was due to this cause, aud wore entirely away
during Saturday and Saturday night. Since
thph no hho booh ubluB Hbllt huu VIII pfOD-
ably recover the full use of his leg, though it
is still in bad condition at the point Of frac-
! ture.
| The work Of clearing away the wreck has
| gone steadily on, and has now been substan-
italy completed. The passenger car was got
| on the track, taken up to the quarry, and set
of on the siding, where it still remains. 1t
viii not require very extensive repairs to bit
1t for service again, 1t is singular fact that,
in spite Of the shock which smashed car seats,
threw over doors and mi ured 30 many per
sons, not light Of glass in the car WAS brok.
en-. All the freight cars were worthless, save
only some OF the trucks aud other parts OF
the running gear. The two box cars which
were left on the farther side of the abutmeni
were pitched over the bank AZ worthless
The engine was tished out of the river OF
Saturday, all detachable parts removed, anC
the naked machine started up the steep ban
motive power being furnished by the LOHdOH
terry on the narrow gauge track, with com
bnation of big cables, chains and hawsers
which gave tremendous purchase Abou
five O'Clock tho disabled machine had beef
brought within two or three feet of the edg,
Of the bank, aud a final pull was made I,
fetch 1t up the forward wheels blocked afte
starting few inches, the front of the machin
settled, and the cylinder heads began to pull
dead into the bank But stil the locomotiv
at the other end kept pulling il WAS impos
sible to pull this side Of the world over
something had to give, aud presently up b.
the roots came big locust tree around whic
one OF the guy ropes had been passed, Il ca
BILE parted, and back down the bank went tn
engine into the water, right side up with care
We didn't hear any body swear. and our mind
reader didn't happen to be on the spot. o
Monday morning the work was resumed and
after one or two more mishaps, the engin
was brought safely up and finally got on t
the track. She now stands at the engine
house under the bank-a sorry looking sight
but the railroad men say that her mAchiner
is not badly damaged, and that suitable T,
pairs will convert her into a good machin
again. The necessary parts will be brongt
FROM the factory or from ST. Albans and III
. repairs will be made here. The tender ID
|. complete wreck.
= On Monday New London mogul engin
was run up on the Valley track above Ia
. Valley bridge, and hitched to the wreck
the bridge by hawsers, and in this way ii
tangled mass WAS gradually pulled out, ID
iron recovered, and the broken wood work 7,
leased and floated of down the river I'll
a work was done under the supervision of RnaC
t master Bean, and Mr.. Clark, the Central Ne
= mont bridge engineer, was on the groun
|. watching for some development to show III
q cause of the accident but the railroad me
say that nothing has been discovered whic
: gives any clue to the cause. Careful inquiT
. ecits no other reply than this. No weak
broken part has been found, they say, and Il
/ broken wheel or journal, OF indication OF
e truck of the rails to give u sudden blow an
cause the wreck The fact that the bOttol
!, (lron) chords Of the bridge were found III
+ broken causes surprise and increases the my
. terry. With many persons the theory gain
a ground that either the iron bracing rods
i the upright wood braces had become loosene
{ at the top at some point, thus letting II
bridge down out Of Gambler aud destroying i
e sustaining power. But speculation is useless
and it is to be hoped that on the Resumption
: OF the investigation next week some new AL
e determining facts will be developed