Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1890-08-28
THE OLD COLONY HORROR.
Some Details of the Terrible Railroad Dis
aster Last Week.

mention in last issue of the TIMES
Some of the details will be of interest
however, even at this late hour.
General Manager Kendrick, when
asked what in his opinion caused the
engine to leave the track, said: ''My
theory, and almost without doubt the
right one, Is that gang of workmen,
who have been for several days in that
vicinity leyeling and tamping the road
bed, were at work at this particular place
when the train came, at high rate of
speed, around the curve the other side
OF the bridge. They probably did not
see the engine until it was close to them,
and then losing their heads they ran up
the bank out of danger, leaving their
tools on the track. One of the nipple
ments used in their work is what is called
a track-iack, used to lift the rails and
sleepers so as to lamp the dirt under
them. There must have been one of
these jacks left between the rails, and
when the forward wheels of the engine
struck it, they turned it under the truck
wheels, throwing them off the track.
The unfortunate express was known
as one of the sumner trains, which
run down to the Cape, that is, one put
in service during the heated season, to
convey the large number of pleasure
seekers and vacationists who seek the
southeastern part of the State for recre-
alton. The train sped rapidly along on
time Brockton being the last stopping
place prior to the disaster. Quincy was
passed like flash, when, just as the
train ran under Presidents bridge, the
engineer sounded three sharp whistles and
reversed the brakes. 1t was too late,
however TO save the train
The obstruction, a jack laid on the
track by careless workman during his
dinner hour, threw the engine, which
was running at a speed of from 25 to 35
miles an hour, from the track and tipped
it over on its left side with its nose par
TALLY into the side of the gully through
which the train was running at the time.
Like flash the tender broke away from
the engine, and, derailed by the shock,
ran nearly 100 yards up the track and
fell over on its side on the opposite side
of the cut from where the engine lay.
The baggage-car, which came next, fol-
lowed its example, and so did the draw
ing-room car Puritan. The fourth and
most Inflated coach of the lot, passenger
car 263, broke away from the three which
preceded it, and running to the. side of
the gully where lay the engine, precipi-
tated itself and its heavy human freight
against the locomotive with terrific force.
The big drivng-wheel, invulnerable to
even such shock, tore the woodwork of
the car and cut swath along the whole
side taking about two thirds of the entire
row of seats and crushing seats and occu-
pants into Il shapeless mass at the rear
end. Following this was another passen-
ger car which was derailed but not in
1rnI thnr a n1yn,. and fI.r0
senger cars which did not leave the track.
The scene which followed was terrible.
The sharp hiss of the escaping steam, the
wild scramble and yells of those who were
uninjured trying to reach place of
safety, mingled with the groans of the
injured the greater portion of whom were
being slowly boiled by the escaping
steam, made an uproar terrible to hear
and never to be forgotten by those pres
ent.
When the wreckers first entered the car
they found two badly wounded men, who
We're at once lifted out through the
to the left hand bank. The
furthest persons back in the heap of dead
and dying were man of about 80 years,
still alive, with his dead wife's arms
clasped about his neck. He lived for
about two minutes after the wreckers
UulClcu3 HIS pOChclDOOh duu OlLcI
valuables to their leader. He was E. P.
he told them that they were doing well,
but that it was no use. He was scalded |
to death and pressed hard over his body |
was a car seat. His wife was crushed to
death in his arms. Over him tapping
over each other, were layers of men, wo-
men and children, crushed by the cruel
car seats. Three of the women were
mangled about the head, one
having her entire scalp pulled off, an
others head being cut clearly in two,
and another crushed in. There were
two boys in this bloody pile, one clad in
a blue knickerbOcker suit, another in a
gray. The first was crushed into jelly |
above the waist. and both feet were bro
ken; the other boys head was mere
ball, wholly unrecognizable. The most
of the bodies taken out looked fright
fully in the face and on the hands. The
blood had settled in them, and the skin
was of dark brown, muddy hue.
The body of James Ryan, the fireman,
had become completely buried in the
debris, and only after half an hour of
hard work digging and cutting was it
possible to remove him. He had been |
pinned close to the earth by the corner of
the car. anu was Scdlueu 10 uedtn. lie
lay on his breast with his arms extended |
towards the bank, and his coat and shirt
were torn to pieces in his frantic strug-
giles to escape. The flesh was peeled
from his back, and he must have suffered
longer than any of the others who died
in the car. He was the only child of
widowed mother, who is nearly insane
from grief.
The saddest story of the disaster is told
by Judge l. W. Edwards of Louisville,
Ky. He was one of the party of nine |
ladies, gentlemen and children, from
who were North enjoying a
vacation, including Mrs. Oscar Fenley, |
Mrs. Mary Fenley and her three little
girls and Miss Susie Fenley. They had /
been spending the past 10 days at Nan
tucket. 1t was their purpose to spend
three or four days in Boston, having en-
gagged rooms at the United States Hotel.
After seeing the sights in Boston, they
were going to Saratoga Springs for
few days, and from thence to New York
city, where they were to meet Mr.. Fen
ley, the husband and father, of Mrs. Mary
Fenley and the children. All were killed
or so badly hurt that they died within a
sh ort time after being rescued OF the