Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1887 — A BROKEN RAIL. [ARTICLE]

A BROKEN RAIL.

Part of a Train Plunges Down a Vermont Gorge to a Frozen River. — A • Nearly Fifty People Meet a Frightful Death In Its .Host Agoniz■i ing Shape. [White River Junction (Vt.) special.] An express train, tound from Boston for Montreal, met with a leirible accident near Woodstock, on the' Central Vermout Railroad, early Saturday morning. The train started from this city ou time, but was detained at White River .junction, so it was about an hour and a half late when it left there. It consisted of a locomotive, bag-gage-car, postal-car, two passenger coaches and two sleeping cars, and was running at the usual rate of speed. When about two hundred yards south of the end of the Deck bridge, near the old Windsor . Station, a broken rail was struck. The locomotive,-baggage-car and postal-car broke away from the rest of tho train, passing over the bridge in safety. The rest of the train was thrown from the rails and continued on the road-bed until it came near the end of the bridge, but there it ran over the abutment, and all of the cars fell into the White River, some fifty feet below. The gorge at this point is frightful, and when the cars went down there was a terrible crash. As soon as possible the detached part of the train was stopped and ran back to the scene of the disaster. The screams of the injured were heartrending. Assistance also came from people living in the vicinity, and everything was done to rescue and relieve the injured. Boon after help arrived it was discovered that fire had started in the first passenger coach, and soon the entire train was ablaze, thus adding a new horror to tho already frightful catastrophe, Those present were powerless to * stop the fire, and devoted themselves entirely to attempting to rescue those imprisoned in the wreck. The rescuers met another and an unexpected obstacle in the heat, which had become so intense that they were obliged to relinquish their efforts to save the sufferers, and were compelled to retreat to a place of safety for themselves, and to become unwilling and horror-stricken witnesses of thff awful holocaust. In addition to this, and to add to the terrors and sufferings of the passengers, the weather was intensely cold, and the rescuers were hindered thereby in their work. No water could be obtained with which to check or to extinguish the flames. There were between eighty and ninety persons on the train. Of these thirty-five are-accounted for as among the wounded, thirty-three are dead, four are uninjured, leaving only four unaccounted for. It is utterly impossible to identify more than ten or twelve of those recovered, the clothing being entirely gone and the bodies burned to a crisp. Every article of clothing, scrap of paper, or other thing found is being carefully saved for the purpose of identification, and parties having friends unaccounted for will be afforded every means or clew to the identification of lost or- unknown.

STOBY OF A SUBVIVOB. Mr. Henry W. Tewksbury of West Randolph. Vt., the lecturer, states that he was in the first day coach. He was dozing at the time of the accident, but was aroused by feeling the jumping up on the railroad ties. He had been in two railroad accidents before this and be knew what the sensation portended. Realizing that an accident was about to occur he jumped from his seat, with the intention of making his escape. The trainßseemed to come to a standstill or go very slowly. He thought it was all right, and so sat down again. Then, without a moment’s warning that anything further was to occur, the car seemed to leap into space and then came a terrible crash." For a moment he was stunned and scarcely knew whether he was dead or alive. He tried to move, but found he could not budge an inch. He noticed with great alarm that fire had broken out at the further end of the coach. He struggled with all his strength to free himself and screamed for help, but there was no one at hand to help him. It was a time of mental torture, but still he could not help noticing an old couple who were & few seats above him. They sought to get out, but they were hopelessly tied down by heavy seats. The flames approached the couple with frightful rapidity, and the aged pair seemed to feel that there was no hope for them. The last he saw of them they were locked in each other’s arms and in the act of kissing. The smoke and flames now enveloped them, hiding them from view. Mr. Tewksbury then gave himself up for lost. He seized his fur cap and wound it around his face so as to cover the eyes and hide the dreadful view of approaching death. At this time (he railroad bridge above him was one mass of fire, and heavy burning timbers were falling ail about him. Having leaned back resignedly to meet what seemed to Be his fearinl fate, his hopes of life were renewed by hearing voices. He unwound his fur cap and saw the engineer and fireman close at hahd. He called to them frantically for assistance which they preferred at once. Seizing hold of him his rescuers sought to pull him out, but failed. Thinking that his was a hopeless case they were about to leave him to help others, but he begged them to try again and to break his leg if necessary. They did so and managed to get him out, breaking the leg and an arm in the effort.'-”* The flames were so close upon Mr. Tewksbury that his clothing was burned from his body.