The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-01-11 00:00:00

THE FEARFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT
IN AMERICA.

A telegram from Westfield, in the New York Herold of the
25tn_.nit., gives the following detail of the recent railway

accident :

" A frightful accident occurred on the Cross Cut
Railroad at Prospect Station. between Brockton and
Maysville, at three o'clock this afternoon. AN the ex-
press train going north, leaving Corry at one p.m.,
consisting of the locomotive, a baggage and two pas-
senger cars, was crossing GOOFII3 Creek, the engine
left the rails, and the cars went through the Trestle-
bridge, • distance of forty feet below. The cars
were completely overturned, and had no sooner
reached the ground than they began to burn.
It is supposed there were about 60 passengers in the
trsin. None escaped unhurt. Twenty-seven were
rescued alive from the burning debris. Four of the
latter are women. Two of the dead victims have been
identified. It is supposed that 35 persona have been
killed. At present every assistance that can be ren-
dered on such an occasion is being given, but owing to
the fire and the fearful wreck of the cars, the work of
recovering the bodies proceeds hut slowly. The cause
of the accident is not positively known. The train
ran slowly down the heavy gradient, and the general
opinion at present is that the brake whesl of the bag-
gage ear gave way with din horrible result above.
named." .

A telegram from Corry at midnight adds :—" When
the train was thrown off the track at a trestle-work the
passengers and baggage cars 8114 tender fell a distance
of 26 feet, while the engine passed over unhurt. To
the present time the dead bodies of 19 persons have
been reoovered, some of which are fearfully burnt
The cars fell bottom upward, and the weight of the
truck, crushed them in. There was no water to ex-
tinguish the Haines, and only two axes could be pro-
cured to chop the cars to piems. In this situation
some 25 persons were roasted lithe, filling the air for
nearly an hour with their dying shrieks for ski It is
believed that several of those rescued will die of their
injuries."
American papers to hand, give further particulars of the
al...excel lent, sad they also cor talu an account of the falling
of the floor of a Sunday School:—

The scene raw the burning carriages was agonising.
The victims were dragged from the flames by means
of ropes, and the limbs parted from their bodies while
they were thus drawn out It was stated that the
immediate cause of the accident at Prospect Statiou
was a broken flange on the tender wheeL About
60 rods west of the station is. a trestle work about
20 feet high, over which the engine and tender of
the express moored in safety ; but the baggage and
passengers Cars (only two coa s being in the train) were
thrown from the trestle and struck top downwards.
The weight eif the trucks crushed in the cars, closing up
the window.; and to render the situation even more
terrible, a passenger coach was partially te I ted on it s side,
so that there were absolutely no means of escape. Al-
most immediately the cars talc fire, a passenger coach
burning at bath ends. Some six persons waiting at the
station were soon at the scene of the accident, but
worked at immense disadvantswe. No water could be
had, and snow that was scraped up had little effect in
staying the flames. Only two axes we re available, and
the woodwork of the cars VIM bolted together so firmly
and intricately, that little headway c .uld be made with
them. All the time these efforts were being put forth
the flames were steadily increasing, and the shrieks of
the imprisoned victims, as the worchine heat enveloped
them, was appalling to the stoutest heart. Now and
then arpe was put through a crevice, and the sufferer
pulled out by main strength. Sometimes it would be a
lifeless body, and charred arms, legs, or head would
drop off in the struggle. In three or four instances the
head wee thus separated from the trunk, and in as
many more cases tbe body vim bereft of it, limbs. The
body of a lady was thus reamed from the flames, when
the head and one arts snapped off like a piece of char-
coal ; the other arm was untouched, a kid glove cover-
ing her hand and her rings on her fingers. The body
will doubtless be recognised by aid of the rings.
But for these it would have been impossible to
identify it. The bodies of three other ladies were
taken out, neither of which it is believed can be
recogniseel. In all, it is estimated that fully 10 of
the 10 bodies removed from the burning car are since-
cognisable. It is supposed that in addition to the
bodies recovered a number of others were consumed
in the burning car, and that nothing but the charred
bones will be discovered when the fire is extinguished,
and the ashes raked over. Adding these to the number
of injured that are not expe ited to live, it is estimated
that the total number of lives will not fall short of 30.
The whole number of persons in the two care at the time
el the accident was about 45. After the accident,
Frank Taylor, of Corry, one of the rescued, WM lean-
ing again -t some object, and seeing an aquaintance
passing, called him by name. The friend turned
round, and Taylor, who was apparently unin-
jured, suddenly said, Tell my wife," and fell over
dead. He must have died from internal injury; but
the inmates of the burning cars were shrieking for ail,
and Mr. Taylor's friends did not see him again until
hi, corpse was brought in and placed with the others.
After the groans of the dying were stilled in death,
the stench from the burning bodies is said to have been
sickening. With no means of extinguishing the
flames, and the heat being too intense to admit of all
the bodies being taken out, nothing more could be
done by the spectators. Several of the passengers
were killed outright; some were writhing about until
suffocated, and others were unconscious and burned
to death.

The floor of the Sabbath nh iols attached to the
Baptist church at Newberry, in which were some 300
persons celebrating the ceremonies of Christmas night,
gave way, precipitating the whole aseemblage to the
cellar below. When the craih came heartrending cries
arose from the congregation ; children shrieked wildly
for their parents, and the groans of the wounded and
dying filled the air. The oil lamps of the edifice,
to the horror of all, ignited, and bade fair to destroy all
in the general conflagration. The church took fire, but
the flames were speedily extirguiiihed. Btfore the
floor fell, many of those within were able to reach
windows and leaped to the ground, a dietoneo of fifteen
feet. In the panic several were wounded by being
ti ampler! on. Upwards of fourteen persons were
killed, and from forty to fifty wounded.

A great storm of wind and snow broke over New
York on the 10th of December, the severest which WAS
felt there for 20 years, causing a complete surpuision
of businest All trains were blockaded, as well as the
streeta of the city. The roofs of several establishments
fell in, through the weight of the mow, injuring many
persons severely.