The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-16 00:00:00

DISASTERS IN AMERICA.

The American Correv,mient f The Titan writing from
Pliikulelpltia, the t'stli tilt., Bays

_
A at catalogue of disasters Li the burden of Ame-
rican news to-day. A 1111. At horrible railway accident
is the chief. It in curred in the evening ed August '26,
at Levi re, it station lin the host, in and 11'..ttland
is sit seven inileA north-east of roston. Owing
to he Ivy rains and other Causes, the railway' was in bad
condition, and wane Id the trains, owing to slipping
wheels, had nand, difficulty in making pn,gres.s. This
couArsl all the trains on the afternoon and evening
referred to to be behind time, thus interfering with
the proper working of the railway time-table. An
accommodation train which ought to have left Bow
ton.at 7.F. p.m. was consequently delayed in start-
ing until about 7.45, when the railway authorities,
deeming it nnwi, to delay any longer, started the
train, and it made slow progress, stopping at all the
stations until it reached Revere and halted at the
station about 46 minutes late. It was made up of
four passenger awl one luggage ears, the former
being filled with passeffirrs, the rear one on crowded
that numbers were stain ijug in the aisles. At 8 o'clock
an express train of eight cars left Boston for Portland,
moving at first cautiowily aml stoming at Everet, the
next Anthill south of Revere. It then starteil at full
gpei•,l, rha,:e it evhiently not kitowing that
the ..1,01:11114,1,thal train Wits AZl.M.iing at IZCVI.I.O, ;As
. .

„
a curs o iv, rounded at Revere the iLed signal lights
lore warning. and breaks were put on to stop the
gress of the espre,s. Ent it w 3,. too late. Feople in
the rear 4 4 the accommodation train case the bright
heel light 6 4 the engine swiftly advancing toWan:a
tin in;a cry if danger was raise.l ; the signal v.as given
for .1.3 sting the a...muesli& train ; a few pa,,en-
gerallitrilied tIE; and in an instant the ponderous loco-
motive came smashing jut° the pear end of the hind-
most car, pioni,hing its W:Ly tWo.thirtir, of the distance
through it, J t slid id like the section 44 a telescope ;
the smoke stack was knocked off, the lacier W 3, le, iken
so that scalding water and sterun escaped on all sides ;
the ear ana paa,engers were smashed and mangled,
scalded and lonia ; the wreck caught tire, %%licit
extended instantly to the shattered cars in front,
and the mangled victims of the disaster were burnt,
in additbin to their other misfortunes. Twenty-
one persons were killed outright, their bodies being
so mangled, scalde.l, :aka burnt as in several cases
to prevent recognition. Fifteen were severely, and
in some eases fatally injured, several having since
died ; and alsint 25 or 30 others were injured by
fractures, bruises, and scalds, but not fatally. All
these were on the accommodation train ; the people
on the express ewaping without serious damage. In a
few minutes the survivors set to work vigorously to
rescue the victims from the wreck, while during the
night surgeons and aid were sent from Charlestown
and Boston. This disaster is the most fatal which has
occurred in New England for many years.

Upon the same day a disaster, although not attended
with such great loss of life, occurred on the Phila-
delphia and Erie Railway in Pennsylvania. A
passenger train provers ling west towards Erie " coin-
" with a freight train running east, near Westport,
in Clinton county. The passenger train WWI behind
time, and, to make up the lom, war running ate speed
of :15 MikA an hour. 'lire freight train was running 18
miles an hour. They met on is sharp curve, and were
not visible to each other until they approached within
a hundred yards br so, and although ettorts were made
to stop, the speed was not perceptibly checked when
they smashed together, and the heavy engine of the
freight train drove into and through the head of the
passenger train. 'lle luggaie and snmking cars of the
latter were telescoped, and in theni the injuries were
inflicted on the passengers, no one in the cars behind
them being seriously hurt. Six persons were killed
outright, including the conductors of both trains, the
engine-driver of the frvight locomotive, and the at her
of the other. roltri.,ll persffili were injured, including
driver of the passenger engine, who is or seri.
hurt that it is thought that he will 4lie.
of order, by those hat ing charge of the passenger train
is sail trtirare eausei the calamity.
The heavy rains, alludist to above as having been the
pritnary cause of the railway collision in New Eng-
land, were is portion id the remnants of a cyclone that
. last week raged with severity along the Atlantic coast
Smith of Hatteras, and strewed the coast of Florida
with wrecks. A dozen vessels are reported stranded
' within a space of 100 miles in the neighbourhissl of
Cape CanaVvral, the most serious disaster being the
wreck of the steamship Im4mia. This strainer, an iron
vessel of lit% bins, which left New York for New
Orleans. August 13, was caught by the cyclone and
strandwl six miles north oft 'ape I 'anaveral, anti aliout
75 miles south if St. Augustine. The beach for thirty
miles is strewn with her cargo, for the vessel was
knocked to pieces in a short time. It was if assorted
merchandise, estimated at 200,000 1144, Captain IL
R. Hovey and 20 of the paWiengen were drowned, and
12 of the crew who put to sea in a small boat are the
only survivors. I 'aptain Ii ivey, formerly commanded
a strainer trading between New York and London.
The wrecks by this cyclone involve in some cases
very heavy losses, especially of vessels bringing sugar
and lalartS44,4 from the Went Indies to American
ports. It passed over the track if the West India
trade, and hence the sad havoc caused 4ni, that great
highway f commerce.