Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-12-21
THROUGH 4 TRESTLE.

GRESHAM.

DUNKIRK. Dec. 1,.-Five people were
killed and six injured 10y railroad disaster
on the Western New York and Pennsylvania
railroad, three miles east of this city. Friday
night.
The dead are: Jesse Hodge, conductor.
Brockton: William L. Mccain. baggage
man. Buffalo: Oscar Porter, messenger.
Brockton; Mrs. j. y. Porter, mother of Os-
car Porter, passenger Brockton: George
Ryman. passenger, Fredonia.
The injured are Charlotte Friedholm.
Dunlirk scalp wound and Internal injuries:
Mabel Williams daughter of j. r Williams.
Dunlrk not seriously: Mrs. Oscar Porter.
Brockton, severe cuts ON head and right
ankle fractured; Byron r. Barton. MAY
Vile, seal wound and cuts on arms: A. W
Mclhnc. Brockton. engineer, head cut and
bruised; Barney Moss. Brockton. fireman.
left arm nearly severed, seriously injured
about the head.
The train went through the trcstlc that spans
Hcrriclls creek, about three miles east of
here. Ordinarily the creek is a harmless
little stream, but owing to the heavy rains
of the past few days it rose rapidly. and
yesterday afternoon it poured down a flood
of angry water against the trcstle The
force OF the flood wa, so great that the
rocks supporting tn" undcrsills were washed
away and the trcstlc's back was broken.
When the train dashed on to the struc-
ture at 6:41 o'clock. running 10 miles an
hour. the trr>tlc gave way and the cars
crashed into the gorge The train was a
local to Brockton. 1t was made up of
three cars, baggage, smoker and day
coach, and there was not over dozen
passenger The engine had crossed the
bridge, when it gave way. The tender
broke its coupling and with the cars fell p
feet into the rushing torrent beneath. The
engine rolled over and over down the en-
hankmcnt The baggage car stood almost
on end. it, lower end crushed into a distoIt-
ed mass of iron work and splintcrcd wood
work, with the tender and smoking car
stretched across the stream. The day coach
was turned upward, its upper extremity
resting on the tracks above, and its lower
end buried in the creek There were seven
passengers III the coach and all were either
killed or injured
When the wreck occurred assistance was
summoned and men with lanterns and crow
bars went to work re,cuing those i'll the
cars The dead and injured were taken
from the rear coach. the wounded being
carried to Mr.. Herrick' 5 house near by. and
the dead for the time laid out on the bank
of the stream. Then the search for the
missing was taken up. At midnight an
arm was seen protruding from the wreckage
formed by the tender, baggage car and
smoker. 1t was the body of Conductor
Hodge His head was buried deep in the
debris and tons of wreckage had to
lifted before il would he released. The body
of Baggageman Mccain has not yet been
found 1t was either buried in deep in the
wreck or washed away by the flood. The
engineer and fireman do not know how they
escaped alive.
McLane, engineer found himself laying
the side of the engine at the bottom of
the embankment. Moss, the fireman, also
went down with the engine and came to his
senses not far away from it,
Nickel Plate engine was run up from
Silver Creek with two doctors and a third
came from DunkirS. They gave the wound
ed every attention, but George Ryman. who
was sexton of the cemetery at Fredonia,
died an hour after the accident. The Others
are expected to recover, though Moss, the
fireman, is in great danger Hodge, the
dead conductor, leaves a widow and five
children. Oscar Porter was "A prominent
merchant of Brocton, and supervisor of the
town of Portland
All western New York and Pennsylvania
trains are running over the Nickel Plate
tracks between Silver Creek and Dunkirk
this morning. 1t will take some time to re
pair the wrecked bridge.