Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-09-06

all oyer and he found himself in the midst
of the wreck. Whether the shock caused
by the quick application Of the brake
threw him out of the cab, or whether he
jumped or staid till the crash came he
cannot tell. He escaped with few
scratches. As he told his story he sat by
one of the fires that had been kindled on
the knoll, taking care of Fireman Perron,
who lay groaning on an improvised bed
of car cushions. This was Robeson's
fourth wreck and he declared he had had
enough of railroading.
Mr.. Luman A. Drew of Burlington was
in the smoker. He felt the brake go on
and put his head out of the window. The
train had nearly or quite stopped, he says,
when the stock train struck it. Ex-May-
or Calvin Blodgett of Burlington and
others insist that the excursion train was
in rapid motion; but the condition of the
passenger cars tended to show that it had
almost reached standstill. The stock
train was in all probability under good
headway, as it was going down the grade.
There is no intimation that the engineer
or fireman of the stock train did anything
to stop it, or that they had time, after
seeing the other, to make an attempt in
that direction.
AFTER THE COLLISION.
The shock of the collision put out the
most of the lights. In the darkness a
confused mass of wreckage could be made
out and from it issued the screams of the
injured and the frightened, while the
shrll squealing of the mangled and terri
| fed hogs added to the horror of the scene
The surviving passengers quickly rallied
and procured lights. They found the body
of Conductor Blodgett under that of sey-
eral hogs, and not far from him were the
Hunt boys and their uncle. Engineer
Chilson and Fireman Perron were not a
great way off. The brakeman of the ex-
cursion train ran to Middlebury and gave
the first news of the disaster. He was
too excited when he got here to make
anything Ineligible, except that some
thing terrible had happened and that doc
tors and other helpers were needed. An
engine, bound north, stood on the siding
waiting for orders. The Messrs. Mar
shall were informed of the situation and
at once summoned Drs. Sutton, Eddy,
Smith, Sheldon and Seaman, the latter a
guest at the Addison House, and took
them to the wreck on the engine. DR..
Hooker of Waterbury was a passenger
on the excursion train, and DR.. Bogue of
New Haven had reached the place when
the Middlebury doctors got there. The
injured speedily had all necessary atten-
tion.
In the meantime fires were kindled on
the hill and in the field to the westward
The light thus obtained revealed shape.
less heap of broken engines and cars
piled together in fashion impossible to
imagine or describe. The two engines
had reared up as they struck. Both lay
with their front ends to the east, theil
lower sides close together, the big driver:
all the wheels remaining-almost il
contact. All around them lay the smashed
smoke-stacks, the pieces of the broker
cylinders, wheels and fittings. Hardly
anything remained on either engine eX
cept portions of the massive wrought
iron frames, which were battered anG
twisted, and the drive-wheels. At the
back of the engines were the crushed ru
ins of the tenders, and close upon anC
around these last the remnants of the
cars. One passenger car-that immedi
; ately following the engine-was stove in
to kindling-wood. Part of a stock cal
apparently jumped over the PROSTATE Ell
gnes and went through it bodily, ia
king out and crushing everything be
tween its floor and its roof. The latte
was on the side of the track near at hand
Eight of the stock cars went to pieces
All the wreckage did not occupy spac,
of more than four rods lorg by two wide
1t was piled 10 or 20 feet high. In it an,
around it in all conceivable places wer
the hogs-some of them jammed into jel
+ ly or cut in two, Others mangled but ye
living and hundreds more alive and active
They were under the engines and car
and in among the mass of broken irol
and tlmbers. How some of them go
where they did and survived is mystery
A man cropping about in the ruins dis
covered under the tender of the Crombi,
the head of man. 1t could just be seen
the body was out of sight and reacl
beneath the debris. At first 1t was sup
posed to be that of Engineer Embery
who was missing; it proved to be tina
of Mr. Allen.
By this time large crowd had assem-
bled, coming from Brooksville and tn
surrounding country and from Middle
bury. The report of the collision wa
heard at the Belden's Falls pulp mill
which shut down in order that the me
might go to the wreck and help. Tn,
: earth was Jared by the awful force o
II.