Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-04-09

oNSAN VI tA1 hlahhABIs hCCOulphllbu Dy DnNAl=
clans, section men and few citizens On
arriving at the wreck horrible sight was
witnessed. The darkness Of night had set.
tied over the spot. Far down on the river
bank there glowed the smolderng embers Of
the holocaust II was impossible to tell who
was hurt and who was killed. Stout. hearted
trackmen were lowered cautiously down the
treacherous height and the work Of rescue
began.
How the Train Went Down.
Another account says;
"The scene Of the disaster il two miles east Of
BardWells Ferry. The track there twists about one
o. the preclpitous mountains. 90 the north side
rises perpendicular ledge Of 50 feet slopng of to
lofty hills on the south side Of the track there is
2OOfoot escarpment, covered with ragged lodges 10
tue very bottom where the swollen Deerheld river.
turbd from the foods PUSHES roaring down the rap
Ids The train stopped at Bardwells Ferry, and get
ting under full headway sped along at the rate of 80
miles an hour. Al three men the engine saw
clear track ahead. The train rushed upon a gentle
curve. The track suddenly gave way and tue whole
tram save the engine fell down the yawning gulf
There was no warning The north track rested upon
shelf cut out Of Aolid rock. The south track on
which WAS the train, built upon blasted pieces Of
rock and earth hed in. The rains loosened this en-
baukment, It slumped and the most horrible railroad
accident since Ashtabua Ia the result. The waters
swollen by the recent rains, poured into the cars.
Three care Immediately caught IRE. Then came the
struggle to escape. Some we're choked by water and
persisted; others were crushed under the whees and
Knocked about In the fall till they were dead The
names spread and completed the horror
Engineer Herbert Littlejohn Of North Ad-
ama, Fireman Charles Richardson and Fred
Streeter, all in the engine, escaped without
serious injury. Conductor John Foster pulled
himself from the wreck, cut about the head
and nearly senseless. Two little children of
II. Littleiohn OF Shelburne Falls were taken
out of the flames, one dead and the other dy-
ing. Two dead bodies, horribly mangled,
Out Al nj a. a
titled by papers on him a. that of q. A. Ten
pie Of Wakefield, commercial traveller. The
other was that of Charles ii. Dugan Of Bos-
ton. One Of these bodies had the head
crushed in and the legs badly burned, and
the other was probably drowned Two other
bodies were dug out little later
d. l.. Crandall of Athol, postal clerk, had
been making out his daily report, and had
sealed it when he felt the car tip and realized
that the engine had been reversed. As the
car rolled over on its first revolution he struck
on his feet on the car and lost consciousness
as the car continued revolving. He found
himself plunged into the icy waters OF the
river, and got ashore with difficulty, wound.
ed about the head and with his arm fractured.
Another OF the injured was H. c. Couillard
OF Charlemont, under sentence to Jail for il.
legal liquor selling, who had been to Charlie
mont in charge Of the sheriff to arrange
some OF his affairs.
The Conductor story.
Conductor Foster tells this story of the
wreck There we're ~ train men on board
and 80 passengers, a. we Rfterward found by
comparing notes, 40 souls in ALL | went
through the train after it left Bard wells, and
sat down at the west end OF the Fitchburg
coach, two seats from the stove. We had
not then regained full speed after stopping at
the station, and were running at lG or 20
miles an hour. l had hardly sat down when
saw the engine topple down the bank and
the other cars follow one by one The east
track slumped right down toward the river,
leaving the west track uuimpai The cars
were hurled down the bank, a distance Of 100
feet l should judge, some in one way and
some in another. One car landed with the
east end in the water and the other lying on
the bank. | found myself wedged down
with cushions so that l could not move at
first. With the help OF q passenger freed
myself and we crawled out at the rear door
Very soon the flame from the stove burst out,
and as soon as it struck the vanished wood.
work the whole car was on fire. There were
about 10 people in it. As soon as was we'll
out began, with some Of the others, to help
the injured from the wreck. l also sent Ii.
G. Little john back towards Bardwelps Ferry
AOt thp niA VI Nho hAhto COnblIuCtlOu Train i
had seen standing on the siding. 1t came
back to us in due time and 10 Of the dead
and wounded were taken to Shelburne Falls
between and 10. Three men and another.
who declines to give bis name, were playing
whist in the smoker, all being killed but the
latter. The smoker and the FitchburP coach
we're the only cars which took fre.
Between ragged rocks, tumbling debris,
tre and water, it is a wonder any escaped.
1t is more than probable that some were
killed outright, and their bodies carried of
by the swift current of the river. Remnants
of the wreck are to be found for miles below.
The Dead.
The following is list of the dead:
Engineer Herbert p. Littlejohn, North
Adams.
Brakeman Mark F. Spencer waltham.
Merritt Seeley, Great Darlington, superin-
tendent OF the New England division OF the
national express company.
Edward f. Hayden. travelling salesman.
Springfield.
E. f. Whitehouse, travelling agent of the
Atlanta and Chicago railroad, Boston.
Charles A. Temple, New England agent of
Sylvester Hilton u Co., of New York, Wake
field.
Charles II. Durgin, travelling salesman for
Fielder, Mooldner a. Co., Boston.
j. Il. Gould, Millbury, Mass
Viola G. and Otis H. Littlejohn, aged re-
spectively years aud l year, Shelburne
Falls.
The Latest.
The Springfield Republicans summary of
the results of the accident this, Friday,
morning is as follows Twenty. four hours
after the plunge of the FitchbuTg railroad
train down the Bardwelrs Ferry bank.
Wednesday evening, found 10 of the 40 pas.
sengers dead, 81 wounded and five unharmed,
the loss to the state present and TO come,
being estimated at over $50, 200. or the
wounded the greater part have reached their
homes with favorable chances for recovery,
while few are seriously hurt. 1t is possible
that the conductors estimate of people on
board the train is not complete, and that one
or two victims may yet be added to the list
of the killed, but it is believed that the whole
number who were imperiled are accounted
for although there are, of course, plenty
Of rumOrs concerning unknown dead. The
distance which the cars fell down the bank IL
a disputed point, but it is claimed that the
descent is 1870 feet by actual measurement,
aud that some of the cars must have been
projected 200 feet from the point of derail-
ment. 1t is estimated that the cost TO the
state Of Massachusetts,, which owns the road
from Gre enfield to North Adams, may reach
$3.50 900 TO S250,000 on account of loss of
life limb and nronarfv in tho dfsaptar