The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-01-03 00:00:00

We take the following detailed particulars of the
disaster from The Times of Tuesday :

DUNDEE, Dec. 29.

"The rumour of the disaster quickly spread last night,
but, owing ta the tempestuous weather, comparatively few
persons were out at the hour when the intelligence reached
the town, and it was not until this morning's newspapers
were issued that the calamity became generally known.
Then thousands of persons, anxious to learn all they could,
proceeded in the early dawn to the Esplanade, eagerly scan-
ning the side cf the wall in search of washed-up bodies.
Tee news was first conveyed to the town last night by
J• "2- Lawson, of Windser.place, who left his
own house witn e-tend a few minutes after seven.
Naturally enough their COt.ln turned on the
Inn; of the gale, which was blowing from me SU
They began began to question whether on such a night the. Edi-
nburgh train would venture on the bridge. To satisfy their
cariosity they went to the block telegraph signal-box at
the north end of the bridge, where they found a number
of men also anxious for information. Some of these as.
sorted that about a quarter-past seven they had seen the
lights of the Edinburgh train enter on the bridge. They
followed the lights across the lower spauseand into the
high girders and then saw a sudden shower of fire. This
shower, with, the lights of the train, seemed to descend
to the river, and then there was nothing but dark-
ness. In consequence of this alarming statement, loud
appeals were made from the Esplanade to the signalman,
who in reply said that the Edinburgh train was signalled to
him from the south end of the bridge at 9 minutes past 7,
and entered the bridge, according to signal. at 14 minutes
past. He had looked out from his box for it, but had seen
nothing. Until thee (7.30) he had been unable to learn any-
thing of the train. Finding that the train was not in sight,
he endeavoured to telegraph Co the signalman on the south
side of the bridge, and then discovered that between 7.14
and 7•17 the means of communication had been interrupted.
The very serious intelligence was at once conveyed by Mr.
Lawson to Mr. James Smith, master of the Tay Bridge
station.
"The news spread like wildfire, and a crowd soon began
ere Newport,
fortog
whichatheratti
tickets
s bad
T sy b ri d
beenge
sold,
meantime
mew
detained. The facts, so far as they were known, having
been conveyed to Mr. James Roberti, locomotive superin-
tendent of the North British Railway Company at Dundee,
he, with Mr. Smith, went up to the north end of the bridge,
but could learn nothing more than had been reported by Mr.
Lawson and the others, who, as it now turns out, had seen
what must have been the descent of the train in the river.
In spite of the violence of the gale, which was such that
no foot passenger could enter on the bridge except at
thelrisk of his life, and after great exertion and lacera-
tion of the hands, caused by clinging to the rails, Mr. Smith
and Mr. Roberts were able to go far enough to see with
certainty that a gap had been made in the structure. The
first evidence of this duster by which they were startled
were the clouds of spray from the overflow of the broken
piping of the Newport water supply, which, as the local
public know, was laid along the railway. Further, they
could see that a number of the high girders had disappeared,
but, as the driving of the spray and the fitfulness of the
moonlight prevented them from perceiving to what extent
the structure had been destroyed, they returned to Dundee,
and the worst fears of the crowds that had gathered
on the Esplanade and at the Tay-bridge station
were confirmed. These crowds had been forming from
the time when the rumour of the descent of the train began
to spread, and it is needless to say that the public excite-
ment, which had at first been suppressed—partly by the
judicious silence of the officials and partly by what seemed
to be the improbability of the rumour—rose very quickly
after the receipt of the sad intelligence brought by Mr.
Smith and Mr, Roberts. There were still, however, those
who believed that, although part of the bridge had fallen
before the pressure of the gale, the Edinburgh train with
Its living freight had either been saved from catas-
trophe, even within the high girders themselves,
by the sudden action of the Westinghouse brake
or that, fearful of the wind's violence, the official;
in charge ot the train had brought it to a stand at
Wormit Junction. A multitude of persons clung to these
slender hopes for a long time, and as no communication
existed, either with Newport, to which the steamer from the
Tay Ferry harbour had not ventured to sail, or with any of
the stations in Die, to which the telegraph connexion had
been broken by the fall of the bridge, it was natural that
they should so cling. By and by, however, news oame up
from Broughty Ferry that two of the mail-hags had been
picked up on the beach there. This news having been
verified, also spread with electric rapidity, and every doubt
of the truth of the disaster, not to the bridge only, but also
to the train, was thereatter dispelled.
"The officials at the North british station were not
wanes 2. .12A.1. n. "P
and it anything had been needed to increase their activity,
it would have been supplied by the spectacle of the desolate
people waiting in vain on the platform for their frienJs.
They were, upon the whole, calmly dignified in their great
sorrow; and when the news was borne home to them with
certainty that none of the passengers in that hapless train
could have escaped, there were few such scenes of woe as
those which oftentimes follow a mining accident. The officials
did what they could for the unhappy people, but, beyond
seeking for information, there was little that they could
do. Finding that communication by the bridge was
gone, they sought assistance at the harbour, and upon the
arrival from Newport:of the steamer Dundee, which, shortly
after nine o'clock, when the gale had somewhat abated, had
at last ventured to make her trip, they, in concert with
Provost Brownlee, who had arrived early at the station,
engaged her to convey them to the scene of the wreck.
Provost Brownlee, along with the station-master at the
Tay-bridge station; Mr. James Roberts, the locomotive
superintendent; Mr. William Murray, inspector of
permanent way' Mr. David Deuchars, goods manager
of the North British Railway; Mr. Robert Taylor,
Mr. James Watson, water manager • Mr. William
Drew, Mr. James Russell, Mr. William Gibb, Mr.
Thomas Kinnear. and a number of other gentlemen went to
see whether the Tay ferries steamer could be got to go up
to the bridge In a lull of the gale. Captain Methven had
gone across the river with the Olewport people and his re-
turn was anxiously looked for. There was as yet a doubt
that the train had gone over. The traits arca 4tted with
the Westinghouse brake, and, as it would not be going very
fast, Mr. Smith, the station-master, believed it could draw
up in a few seconds. The night was clear, and the moon
shone mat brilliantly; and the hope was entertained that
the driver had noticed in time to pull up that the girders
were gone.
"About ten o'clock the ferry steamer Dundee approached
the pier. The Provost shouted to Captain Methven whether
anything was known at Newport, and thou on the pier
seemed to hold their breath that they might catch the
reply. Above the roar of the wind, which was still blowing
strongly, the captain's voice announced that no informa-
tion had been received at Newport. In the meantime
Mr. Gibb, the postmaster, had received a telegram
from the postmaster at Broughty Ferry stating that
several of the mall-bags, which should have been
brought to Dundee by the train, had been picked up
on the beach there. Mr. Clibb at once informed the Pro-
vost of the contents of the telegram, which left no room for
hopes for the safety of the train. There was last the chance
that some one might have made an effort to escape death
and been successful, and that, if assistance could be at
once afforded, some explanation of the catastrophe might
be obtained. To afford such aidrseemed to be the most eager
desire of all. The Provost asked Captain Methven 'Will
you go up?' Captain Methven, to the intense satisfaction of
all, replied that he was ready to do so and instructed his
men to keep up steam. The passengers from New-
port were speedily disembarked, and the Provost and
his succour party quickly got aboard. While this
was being done, Mr. Kinnear went to get some
brandy and other restoratives, as if any one could
be found still with life in him he would be in a most ex-
hausted state. Mr. Gibb, medical student, son of the post-
master, and Mr. Russell, druggist, also formed members of
the party, and showed great willingness to do all in their
power should their services be required. The Dundee leit
the Craig-pier shortly after ten o'clock, and, after steaming
out to the deep-water channel, the steamer's head was turned
to the wisid,
"Considering the force of the gale, which, however, had
abated considerably, the vessel made good headway.
The moon was somewhat obscured by clouds, and
although all eyes were strained to see where the break
had occurred, it was with the utmost difficulty,
owing to the force of the wind and the driving
spray, to make out anything until the vessel got.
quite near the bridge. By that time the moon was less
obscured and it became painfully evident that the whole
estirraellefiVe likeeFtreerse UP.7.5,14c. . neared the wrck
the remark ot the late Mr. Patrick Matthew came forcibly
to the mind—namely, that an exceptionally violent gale
might blow the structure into the Tay. There, sure enough,
was a wide gap where the high girders, the most conspicuous
feature of the great bridge, spanned the navigable channel.
In the uncertain light, some on board the steamer thought
they saw human beings op one or more of the piers. This
was soon seen to be an illusion dug to the remains of the
ironwork left standing on the stone portion of those piers.
One vainly strove to conjecture how the 13 massive girders;
could have been blown so completely down without leaving
some trace. Various premises were hazarded, the most pro-
bable seeming to be that the train had gone well on to the gir-
ders when a gnat of greater strength had caught the
structure. 'More would thus be, in addition to the
ordinary vibration cf the train an enormous lateral
pressure from the wind; tho c.erriages of the train
would, of course, also feel the full feral of the blast,
and, once the weakest part yielded, the whcie would
go with a sudden crash. The astonishing thing is that the
fall of such an enormous mass of iron was not heard in the
of
etv4eernsdvby persons who were on the watch
town. It would appear that no noise beyond the roar of
aet rdtpahari neto
stretching
bridge
hdi
ngth
eheg
ewaDfraonotl
sde
sane
tee
hpe
eeeo.vngt daetpdh, Of a
rft
og
at
lhbteee.
forthe thegal e crossing
r sea ihner
bbA
arr lodktgehene.
water
aThise steamerr wina is t snoeebal
: lree
leg, it was presumed, the submerged girders and train.
"It wee seen that it would be hazardous to approach too
near the wreck, cod g boat was immediately manned by a
bold crew, Captain Reberts.en, the harbour master, taking
the helm. They then pulled away o:it Into t;...!e darkness, and
were soon lost to view. While the boat was iWsent ehere
were those on board who still expressed hopes that a few Of
the in-fated passengers might be found clinging to the piers.
The boat was: pulled as close to the bridge as was deemed
safe, and then her heal. was turned towards the north
shore. She was pulled acrort t4.e whole open space
to the first pier intact, then tis.rough .bet7een the
piers and back again along the west aide 011 thio
standing piers on the south side were reached. The
tack 78.. e a difficult and hazardous one, and the gen-
tlemen formieg tta crew deserve great credit for their
gallant exertions. Thee owe occasionally within a boat's
length of the remains of the pawl, w:tho,7t seeing a vestige
of the wreck. On the stone portion of one or two o them
a few iron bars still remained; it was those which iii the
anurtain light led some on board the steamer to imagine
that they attar human beings. In regard to the others the
whole of the ironwork had been swept away, leaving the low
stone foundation standing above weter, The boat having
been picked up without difficulty, the steamer' head was
turned homewards. At this time the moon was shining
bright's, and the full extent of the disaster, so far as the
bridge was concerned, was pretty distinctly visible. The
vessel was lying a short distance from Pier 28, and frolfl that
pier to the Fife shore the bridge was -evidently intact. Thee
Pier 29 showed a small portion of the ironworl; for prip.
Porting the girder. From that to Pier tl nothing was vial-
ble save the stone portion of the piers, over which the
storne-driven water was breaking. The weird aspect which
the remains of the bridge presented in the moonlight deep-
ened the impression that to the passengers the end must
have come with terrible swiftness. It would be the work of
MoMent a sudden crash, and train and girders would

fall to the bottom of the storm-tossed estuary in a common
ruin. When it was seen that nothing could be done, the
steamer proceeded to Newport to land several passengers
who were on board. This done, she steamed across, reach-
ing the Craig-pier about twelve o'clock. It was impossible
to do more than was dove, and Provost Brownlee, Captain
Methven, Captain Robertson, and all who exerted them-
selves to ascertain the extent of the calamity are worthy of
all praise.
"The submerged train, which was composed of four third-
class carriages, a second-class carriage, a first-class carriage,
a brake-van, and an engine—in all eight vehicles—left Burnt-
island at its right time. Stoppages were made at all the
roadside stations, and at some of the principal ones several
passengers were taken up. The train was telegraphed from
the different stations well up to time, and when St. Fort
was reached it was only five minutes behind the advertised
time. From there the train was signalled on to the south
end of the bridge, thence to the signal-cabin at the north
end, and ultimately to the Tay-bridge station. At this
time a perfe4 hurricane was blowing. The following are
the names of the officials on the train :—David Mcßeath,
guard, 38 years of sge, residing in Castle-street,
Dundee, unmarried; David Mitchell, driver, Dondee,
married, and leaving a widow and six children, mostly
young; John Marshall, stoker, aged about 24 years, residing
in Dundee, unmarried.; Donald Murray, mall guard, about
45 years of age, residing in Dundee, married, and leaving a
widow and two or three children. A North British Railway
guard named David Johnston Ls also suppwed to have been
a passenger by the train. Some weeks ago Johnston came
from Edinburgh to reside permanently in Dundee. ,
Yesterday he went to Edinburgh to see his wife, '
intending to return to Dundee by the evening train.
In reference to the loss of life Mr. Walker, I
manager of the North British Railway, telegraphing
from Leuchars at four this morning. says :—' I deeply re-
gret to say there were nearly 300 passengers, besides com-
pany's servants, in the train.' From the following facts
supplied, notwithstanding the official statement given
above, there is happily reason to believe that the loss of life
has been over-estimated. List of tickets taken at Si. Fort—
second class, 2 Edinburgh, 1 Glasgow Railway officials'
tickets; third-class, 2 King's-cross London, 1 Burntbiland.
and 1 St. Andrew's, 12 Edinburgh, 2 Ladsbank, 1 Dysart, 7
Perth, 1 Kirkcaldy, I Leslie, 1 Dairsie, 5 Newburgh, 2 Aber-
nethy, 8 Leachers (two are halts), 8 Cupar,' 1 St. Fort-66.
There were besides a number of children with their
parents, and thus some of the single tickets may represent
two lives lost. One man, a third-class passenger, had
with him several children; one in his arms. The
two third-class tickets from King's-cross, London, to
Dundee, were held by two young ladies, both about 18 years
of age. The ticket collector says that several of the pas-
sengers, in joke, asked him whether he thought the bridge
would be all right on such a night. Five tickets (thirds)
were issued at St. Fort for Newport and are not included in
this list. There were also about five passengers for Broughty
Ferry, and a few other through passengers, but their exact
mn.lr isrrinto,htehntiorswcu. riasTpceurre
iwagaessntohefirrest-mcalaysshatvicekebtesecnol-
a
few season ticket neuters, sw... war. noticen s.
third-class earriago.

"About nine o'clock this morning a body was observed
floating in the water near the beach east of Tay•grove, East
Newport. After some trouble it was landed, and was found
to be that of a woman evidently about 65 yeah of age. Her
hair had been black, but was now very much streaked with
gray. She wore a black merino peticoat and a dress of
something like that material; above this was a Jacket,
pretty long, and trimmed with buttons down the back. Her
stockings were dark gray. Excepting a handkerchief there
was nothing in the pockets. She wore nothing.that would lead
to recognition, the handkerchief not having even a mark. The
body was taken in charge by the health °Meer.

[Subsequently the body was ideniitled as that of Ann
Crulkshanks, who was in service at Klimarron Castle, but
who happened to be travelling from Ediubtvgh to Broughty
Ferry with a widow lady named Mrs. Beaton. She was 54
years cf age.]
"Towards the east quantities of dObris have stranded on
the beech. It consists mainly of the planking of the bridge,
greatly wrenched and torn, and portions of the carriages,
portmanteaus, and fragments of wearing apparel.
Nothing has been found at the west, nor had any-
thing been observed near tile training-ship Mars this
morning. Several railway officials walked along
the south end of the bridge in the forenoon and
they report that the fallen girder had made a very clean
break from that which is standing. Almost the only si,gns
of a smash are the ends of the rails on which the trains
ran. These had been torn asunder at the fish joints, and
the rails remaining are wrenched out of the chairs
for a few yards. The Tay - bridge, indeed, pre,
sent a sad spectacle. When the steamer neared it this
morning it was discovered to be only too true that all the
large girders forming the central portion of the bridge had
fallen. The 13 piers on which the large girders had been
placed were completely stripped, and with only two excep-
Hon did any part of the iron columns which had supported
the girders remain on their foundations. On the first pier
from the south side about half the pillar remains standing,
and as it shows no sign of twisting it is believed the iron
had suddenly snapped. On the third pier from the south
side there is a small piece of the iron pillar, but the massive
iron rods are sadly twisted. On the 11 other piers part of
the iron columns lie in a mass of ruins. The brick piers re-
main intact, and the foundations do not appear to have been
In the slightest degree unsettled.
"After reaching Dandee from the scene of the wreck ,
early In the morning Captain Robertson promptly made
arrangements to have the Harbour Trustees' steaming Fair
Weather ready for use at the bridge as soon as it was day-
light. A numleer of the workmen employed by the Trustees
were apprized of the unfortunate event and requested to be
ready to go with the tug whenever she ehould Bail. They
at once offered all the assistanee in their pewer, and
on reaching the harbour they immediately set abOut
making the necessary preparations. A large number
of life hooks of various sizes, coils of rope, diving
apparatus, do., were put on board a crane barge, which
was made fast to the steamer Fair Weather, and towed round
to the west protection wall. At this place Mr. James
Yeaman, M Captain Robertson, the harbour master, Mr.
James Watson, the water engineer, and others, went on
board the steamer. Everything being ready, the Vale
Weather, amid a downpour of rain, left the harbour about a
quarter before eight o'clock, and as a strong wind was
blowing from the west the steamer's head was kept due south
till the middle buoy was passed, when she was turned ,in a
westerly direction, and going along the File shore arrived on
the scene of the wreck 35 minutes after leaving Dandee. Be
this time the wind had somewhat moderated; the rain had
ceased to fall; and daylight sot in. On approaching
the scene of the wreck the steamer was slowed, and
those on board observed for the first time part of one of the
the &dere above the water. The girder was lying about 20
yards to the east of the base of the second bare pier from
the south, and at the spot where a number of persons on
motoarno. Dttriae• 4,-
some obstruction. When the first. visit was made to the
bridge the steamer was mancouvred very cautiously a
little to the south of this girder, and as there was some fear
the vessel might suddenly come against the sunken girder
and be damaged, the ceepth of water was ascertained
by soundingetne poles every few yards the kairweather
proceeded. A small boat manned by five men now
left the barge, and with considerable difficulty the fallen
girder was reached, and a rope made fast to it. By this
means a tow rope was got from the barge, which
was then hauled alongside and likewise made fast to
the girder. Three men, after providing themselves
with -boathooks, leaped !rem their boat on the girder
and commenced grappling underneath the fallen girder.
For some time nothing rewarded their search, and in
answer to all inquiries they replied that their hooks
were only touching iron, they believed a part of the
girder. At last one of the workee.en seed he had a hold of
something soft with his hook, but it wee so heavy he
could not bring it te the surface and requested the aid of
some of his comrades ; this request was readily' complied
with, and after much exertion the men brought a number
of telegraph lines to the surface. Some wood, which Mr.
Watson recognleed vp.i part of the box enclosing the water.
pipes, was afterwards lound,
"Diving operations were begun abotet heif,paet pine
o'clock this morning, a diver named FOY going down into
about 20f I. of water, when the tide was about out. After
two descents, however, during which time he surveyed the
bottom underneath the girder, he reported that there
were no signs of the wrecked carriages or of any
of the bodies. captain Scott, who was out with a crew of
the Mars bon then ezcartained ty means of sounding poles
that something like the broken carriages wae lying between
the third and fourth fallen piers, but by thet Utz° the tide
had begun to flow and the current was so strong that the
diver could not go down. It was therefore agreed to sus.
pend the diving operations till high water In the afternoon.
Sir Thomas Bench, Mr. Walker, gr. Itl*Laren, and a number
, of other officials inspected the bridge this forenoon."
"The weather was remarkably squally during the after-
noon, with a heavy sea runnlng, anti no success atte4ded
the operations of the divers at the bridge. We are still
quoting from The Times.] The opinion of Sir Thomas
Bench and the other engineers who visited the wreck to-
day is that the disaster occurred in this way :—The train, in
their view, had entered within the high girders intact about
20 minutes past 7. The gale was at its height, and the
supposition is that ono or two of the end carriages
had been blown off the rails. If this had occur-
red, the carriages would have been dragged along the track
and would have torn against the lattice work. Most of those
who had witnessed the calamity spoke of having seen ehowers
of sparks ; and if the conjecture of the engineers Is the true
one, what did happen VMS just what might have been
eepected. Had the train kept the rails, they say, no damage
would have been done to the bridge and the catastrophe
would have been Avesta"

The following is a statement as the accident by an
eye-witness
I was seated by my fireside last night, listening to the
clamour of the storm without, when a blast of wind more
furious than bpfore caught the chimneys of a house almost
opposite and brought them down to the ground with a
crash that startled every one of us to our feet. gtepping
over to the casement I gazed out upon the street, and just
then a blaze of moonlight lighted up the broad expanse of
the Tay down below, and the long, white. sinuous line of
the bridge came into view. I don't know how it was,
but I instinctively took oat my watch. It was exactly seven
o'clock. The l'Alinbargli train will be due immediately,'
I exclaimed to my wife, come and let ne see whether it
will attempt to cross on such a night.' So saying, we
- ions aown the gas in the parlour, and with many ex-
press of
so far as we nowmirro cross the rifelar"at that OM,
prepared to await the appearance of the expected
train. The light by this time had become most fitful, great
masses of cloud vfewe scou;:ing across the expanse of the
heavens, at times totally obscuring the light of tha fall
moon. 'There she comes i 'cried one of my children, and at
that moment the slowly moving lights of the Edinburgh train
could be seen rounding the curve at Wormit. Then it
passed the signal-box on the south side, and entered upon
the long straight line of that portion of the bridge. Once
on the bridge it seemed to move with great swiftness
along, and when the engine entered the tunnel-like
cloisters of the great chi:lark my little giri exactly
described the effects of the lights as seen through lat-
tice-work when she exclaimed. Look, papa I Isn't that
like lightning ?' All this takes some time to write, but to
the eye it seemed as if, almost simultaneous with the en-
trance of the train upon this part of the bridge, a c met-
like burst of fiery sparks sprang out,as if forcibly ejected into
the darimets from the engine. In a long visible trail the
streak of -fire was soan, till ctienched in the stormy water
below. Then there was absolute wiriness on tho bridge.
A silence fell upon the eager group at the window. Then
with stunning force the idea broke upon my mind,
Heavens I' I cried, I fear the train is over the
bridge 1 ' With a growing horror, I watched the curve
at the north side to try whether I could see the
train paaa that point ; but, as several minutes passed
and no moving object became yipible at that point, I
snatched up my hat and hurried across the Magdalen-green,
to meet several individuals all bent upon the same errand
as myself. The terrific nature of the gale at this
time may be Inferred from the fact that, descending the
slo:o of the green, I had to crouch down upon the grass to
prevent Laing hlcira hodtly away. It seemed as it the wind
had become a solid cohipellirig poker and was actually
attempting to drag one away with a giant's grasp. One
gentleman was blown up against another en the green, and
both tumbled together. The massive signal-post beside the
signal-box on the north end of the bridge was bent by the
wind 11';.a a willow wand. On the Esplanade the sand and
pebbles were (Lashed about With enamerce that my hands and
face were positively sore. Looking'towards the flyer, I could
make out nothing clearly. The water from the broken Newport
water-pipe on the bridge was pouring out into the river, and
being caught in its descent by the wind was lashed into a misty
spray that helped to veil the ghastly gap which had by this
time ,:;een made in the iron highway. A number of gentle-
men having now colleeted helow the bridge on the Espla-
nade, one of them climbed up into the signal box aboye,
and there learnt from the man stationed led than a mlle
from the scene of the great catastrophe, that he 'knew
nothing more of what had happened than that the train slg
nailed to him as having entered upon the bridge fully 15
minutes hefore had never reached his station and that all
telegraphic onrntnunlOation with the other eide had cettia
What bad in reality happened the puhlic know new as w,
as they are ever likely to know."

COMM
't O

One gentleman who resides in a villa at hand, happening to
see the train pass on to the bridge, took his little grandchild
to a window whicb looked on to the river, and he carefully
noted therefrom its progress by means of the side and rear
lights. In spite of the rain which was falling these were
clearly discernible, and continued so until the high girders

were reached, when suddenly there was a great glare
noticeable towards where the front portion of the train
was supposed to be, while simultaneously all the lights
from the white side ones to the back red ones, seemed to
get mixed up, and, in a shorter space of time than it takes
to write, blank darkness supervened. Several other persons
in adjoining houses witnessed what they conceived to be a
similar strange phenomenon, and a number of gentlemen
who were deterred by the rough nature of the night from
crossing to Dundee, either by the ferry-boat or by the train,
and who were driving from Newport to "the cottages," in
order to see how the train fared, were also observers of the
singular jumble of the lights.