Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-03-23
DRIFTS IL FEET HIGH
Encountered on Narrow Gauge Rail.
road.
SNOW Pillow and Two Engines Dersiied
at the "SalmOn HoIe"---Passenger
Train stalled Above Jamaica.

snow PlOw and Two Engines DerRiied
at the "SRlmOn HoIe"---Passenger
Train stalled Above Jamaica.
The heavy snow storm of last Thursday
night gave the narrow gauge railroad a hard
tussle. Traffic on the road was at a stand
still from Thursday night until Saturday
afternoon and it was only by hard work on
the part of the trainmen that connection
between Brattleboro and Londonderry was
established. The passenger train reached
Londonderry Thursday night with little
difficulty, but trouble began when it start
ed for Brattleboro Friday morning. At
Pratts bridge, four miles north of Jamai-
ca, immense drifts were encountered.
Some of the train hands walked to Jamai-
ca and telegraphed to Brattleboro for as
sistance, and the snow pillow and one engine
were at once despatched. The relief train
left Brattleboro about 1920 Friday morn
ing but got stuck between here and
West River bridge, and it was about =
O'Clock before ii got started again. With
the aid of second engine the relief train
reached Jamaica at : o'clock, going through
drifts from eight 70 II feet high.
From to II o'clock was spent in open
ing the half-mile of track north of Jamai-
ca, work finally being discontinued on ac-
count Of the exhausted condition of the
train crews.
The stalled passenger train was reached
about o'clock Saturday afternoon. The
pillow and locomotives then backed TO ia
maica, there allowing the passenger train
| to pass them, and then started to clear the
remaining five miles of track, reaching
| Londonderry at 6 o'clock. The passenger
train continued its downward trip without
further mshap, reaching Brattleboro soon
after O'Clock, over 30 hours late.
| On SUNDAY morning the snow pillow
and the two locomotives started on the re-
turn trip intending to ewing OUT the
road, that is, to push the snow back from
the sides of the track with the wings on
the pillow. This was a slow process as the
track had not been "winged" at all dur
ing the first of the winter, and it was near.
ly 1890 when the train reached Salmon
Hole bridge, short distance below Towns
bend.
AS the train was rounding the % degree
curve at the south end of the bridge
the snow pillow "took to the woods" so u
speak, running about so feet on the tie:
and winding up with its nose in SAND
bank. The engines followed the plow'i
lead and soon came to halt behind it a.
| nearly TlBuL duBlts Win bAlO Nv
pilot of 193 was demolished and brake
beam and some castings broken on No. ,
The derailment was probably caused b.
ice which formed between the guard raj
and one of the main irons. Had tn,
pillow taken it into its head to turn to tn
left instead of the right when it left tn
rails the whole train would have plunge,
down the steep embankment into the rive
and loss of life could not have beel
averted.
Immediately after the accident tel6
phone message was sent TO headquarters
and the one engine left on the rails wa
sent to the scene from Londonderry. MAJ
tiers were finally set at right and the trai
proceeded to Brattleboro after a delay O
IA hours, reaching here at l o'clock MOI
day morning, thus closing an eventfu
three days in the history of the road.
1t would seem that the numerous acc
dents which have occurred on this road I'll
past winter could not be laid entirely
; the large quantity of snow. Passenger
i who have occasion to ride over the roa
complain of the bad condition of the raj
and roadbed.