Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-04-13
FRIDAY NIGHTS HORROR.
THE. TERRIBLE ACCIDENT NEAR
ROCKINGHAM.
Enrine and Two Cars Thrown Down Al
Embankment, and the Engineer and
Fireman Killed-Several Passen-
gers Severely Injured.

the Rutland railroad, leaving Bellows
Falls at II p. M Friday, which was wrek-
ed by the caving of an embankmeDt. one
fourth Of q mile north of Rockingham sta
ton, consisted of three cars. ombination
baggage and express car, passenger coach
and Pullman sleeper. The embankment.
as feet high, undermined by small stream
running few rods along the base, caused
by melting snow from the hill above,
sloughed off under the engine the en-
CINE plunged half way down the
bank and was buried in the
mud. The tender and baggage car
passed over the engine on to the meadow
beyond. The passenger car went partly
down the bank and was left standing ON
end nearly perpendicular. The forward
trucks of the Pullman passed over the
gorge, but the car remained on the track.
Engineer Moses Pratt and Fireman John
Pratt mot related to Noses, both of Rut-
land, We're instantly killed. In the bag
gage car were the eXpressman. baggage
man and a passenger named Michael
Tynen of Bellows Falls, all badly bruised
and shaken up. The passengers in the
coach had to climb to the upper end by
walking on the window castings. The
injured were: v O. Burdick of
Mddlebury, cnt on the head, ankle
sprained, thigh dslocated, badly bruised
and jammed and condition serious he
lost a grip sack containing 800 in cash .
Mary Lovely of Essex Sunction, Mrs
Lewis Moore of Burlington, her child
Anna aged five, Mrs. Clark Gibson of
Sheldon Springs, all slightly hurt. The
baggage and mail car was burned with
the contents.
AT the point where the accident occur
red there is a long EN- Dankment 100 feet
high. Just as the train started over this
embankment nearly at full speed, the left
side OF the single track gave way, and the
engine left the roadway aud shot down the
embankment nearly into Williams river,
followed by the baggage car, which in its
descent turned a somersault over the ell
CINE.
The passenger car, which contained u
passengers, followed and landed on end
half way down the embaukment. Won
derful to relate, the Wagner car. which
was well filled with passengers, kept on
top of the embankmept although the for
ward truck left the rail and came to a sud
den stop at the point where the washout
had derailed the forward end of the train.
As the engine made its terrible plunge
the tiremen attempted by jumping to save
his life, but several hours after the disas-
ter his l,felesS body was discovered buried
IN the mud only leg producing. His
arm was broken, the top of his head cut
Off and his body was sadly bruised. The
engineer met almost as horrible death.
His skull was crushed in two places, and
his body was mangled. He was half Gov
cred in the mire, where he was found by
The trains hands immediately after the
wreck.
The baggage car as it jumped the track
tipped and rolled over and over down the
bank, catching fire from the stove. 1t
was well filled with merchandise which
caught fire and burned until the whole
car was in ashes.
The escape from death OF those in the
passenger coach was miraculous. The
first intmation the passengers had of their
danger, the car gave Il sudden lurCh and
In moment was standing on end half a
hundred feet below the track. The LIGHTS
were eXtingushed by the shock, and thus
the terrors of fire were happily averted
but the darkness heightened the horror OF
the situation. Heaped into the lower end
OF the car was mass of men and women
most of them bruised and manned, not
knowing but that in the next moment
death would claim them all. Then arose
the heart-rendiug screams OF women and
groans and cries of men, as they struggled
to free themselves from the wreck The
awful scene was Undesirable. The in
creasing flames of the burning baggage
car cast at once welcome and an awful
glare over the wreck. a dread OF burning
alive seized upon the helpless sufferers in
the passenger coach, and they redoubed
their frantic efforts to escape. Those
who were not seriously il jured and some
indeed who were badly wounded courage
ously assisted the more unfortunate from
the car, dragging them through the win
dows out upon the soaking ground whe re
they lay until all were rescued and will
ing hands could bear them up the steep i'll
cline and give them the care that was
soon heartily bestowed.
The conductor and train hands had been
noOly seconded in their heroic efforts by
the passengers in the sleeper, who WORK
ed, one and all, rs though their own live,
depended upon their eXertlon. The stay
ing of the sleeper on the track saved many
lives.
News of the accident was sent to Bel
lows Fails bv means of hand Car, Con
ductor Whitney gO!n- win a section
hand for assistance. A CaVendlsh station
for the north hound train. As the
latter did not put in appearance after n
delay OF 40 minutes the conductor of the
south bound train reused up the telegraph
operator at his boarding house and going
back to the station house telegraphed 10
Bellows Fail, and learned Of the disaster
Tue south bound train Immediately pro
ceeded TO the scene OF the accident.
The sight when the wreck WAS reached
was appalling The baggage aud express
car was Oh ii and the flames lighted up
the scene in a weird ana awful manner.
train WA iylng, the railway employ e.
were seeu searching for the dead and
wounded.
Engineer Pratt was found dead near his
engine, his head having been completely
removed His body was paced III the
baggage cat Of II elief tram when had
arrived from Bellows FAIL The fireman
Was found between the tender and burn
ing baggage car. His position showed
that the poor fellow must have beet
thrown completely over the tender in the
fail of the ram. His face was some what
bruised and he was dead. The body wa
placed beside that of the engineer, ant
both were sent TO Bellows Fails aud for
waTded to their homes.
One OF the most fortunate incidents q
the disaster WAS the presence or physl
clan among the unlnjured passengers, a"C
u.o SERVICES we've Of uuCn avail. A bprcla
train WAS made up at Rutland aud sent I,
the scene OF the disaster, and large crow
cOngregated al the depot TO meet friend
In were on the tram and learn the pal
ticulars.
1,