Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-01-02
THE NoRTHF1ELD ACCIDENT.
Death of Fireman Fred Jenness in a Col.
lision of Engines.


A sad incident Of the snow storm was a
collision OF engines just this side Of North.
field bridge, late Friday night. which
caused the instant death Of Fred Jenness. a
well-known young fireman, and the serious
injury Of Engineer l.. c. Parkess The
thick aud heavy snow bluckaded the New
London Northern road so that the Short
train" from Millers Falls, due in Brattle.
boro at 4:l1, could not make its way up.
and the freight engine Yantic, Geo. Wet.
more, engineer was sent down To its as.
sistance. There was no opportunity TO
turn the lantic around, and the start was
made toward Bratteboro with the Yantic
running backward and attached to the sin
gle combination car of Conductor Wheel.
ers tram, which 1t was attempting to bring
up while the regular engine. Thames. was
coupled on ahead, the two tenders being
thus brought together. On reaching the
Northheld bridge 1t was thought best to I'M
couple the engines and run them across
separately. The Thames crossed over and
stopped about 20 rods this side of the
bridge, the Nantc following with the car.
by some misunderstanding between the
two engineers or through failure 10 have a
complete understanding. the Yantic pushed
along in the darkness through the snow
crashing its tender into that Of the Thames
The tender Of the Thames was thrown of
its trucks and landed by the side of
the track, and the dead body of Jenness
was found under it. 1t is supposed that he
was at the moment in the tender, which
was nearly empty, shoveling coal The
tender OF the Nantic was also wrecked
and both engines were disabled. though not
seriously broken. The car was not much
damaged and the passengers escaped iniu.
ry Engineer Parkess received injuries in
the leg which have proved 10 be very seri
Gus, though no bones were broken The
injury was mostly below the knee, though
the limb has been severely swollen from the
loot 10 the body, causing high fever
Neither Engineer Wetmore nor Fireman
Bolster of the Iantic was seriously hurt
Mr.. Parkess saw the other engine coming
| Just in season 10 open the throttle Of hi.
machine and set 1t in motion before lump.
| ing or being thrown of. and 1t ran some
distance up the track dragging portions of
the running gear Of the tender until stop
ped by this and the snow A woman and
children who were in the car we're taken
down the embankmcnt to the toll house
where they spent the night Engineer
farkess was made a. comfortable As posi-
ble IN the car, but suffered severely befor,
reaching his home and receiving proper
medical Attendance at noon the next dav
The accident happened about II O'Clock
Friday night
1t appears that Parkess un ierstood that
the engines were 20 couple together again
alter crossing the bridge, while Wetmor,
supposed they were To run separately t.
South Vernon. Mr. Wheeler. the conduct
or understood that the machines were L
couple together 1t is case for the Mass
achusetts railroad commissioners to investi
| gate, when all the facts will be brought
out and the responsibility for the seeming
| ly needless accident will be fixed.
/ Jenness the dead fireman. was a Young
mau Of 2G, Of excellent character. and
/ held IN high esteem 10y all his companions
/ lie had been several years IN Brattleboro
and had been fireman ON this train for
about three years His mother lives ir
/ Ludlow, and the body was taken there fol
/ burial 1t is understood that he was soor
to have been married to a young lady Of
| this village
A singular coincidence was the similarit,
OF manner in which Young Jenness and hi,
father met their death The elder Jennes,
was a locomotive engineer. and was kille,
about ~ wears ago near Mount Holly il
/ Rutland county, his locomotive colhdin.
| with another in binding snow storm
/ Patrick Mcguire was the fireman with tn,
| elder Jenness at the time.