The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-30 00:00:00

TERRIBLE RAILWAY CATASTROPHE,

LOSS OF NINETY LIVES.

Full particulars of a terrible accident on the Great
Western Railroad, near Hamilton, Canada West, have
reached us. The Hamilton Spectator, of March 13, in an
extra, says :

A national calamity may fairly be said to have befallen
us. Men who have ever stood in the foremost rank—
capitalists the most shrewd, speculators the most keen,
merchants the most far-sighted, clergymen the most
earnest—have at one fell swoop been taken from amongst
us. The brain wanders, and the pen almost refuses to do
its accustomed duty when attempting to describe the
heart rending scenes we have witnessed. The train from
Toronto, due in this city at a quarter before six p.m.,
yesterday evening, had come from Toronto a 8
was usual, and was proceeding at a moderate
rate of speed to pass the swing bridge across the
Desjardin's Canal. Those residing at a distance may not
know that a cutting has been made as an outlet to this canal
through the Burlington Heights, and that the railway crosses
it by a swing bridge sixty feet at least above the level of the
c anal. At this time, of course, the water below is covered
with ice about two feet thick. Just before the train reaclicd
the bridge, the engine ran off the track, owing, it is supposed,
to some defect in the axle. This, however, is a mere surmise,
founded only on the observation of some marks on the road
for some distance on the other side of the spot where the
accident occurred. The immense weight of the engine, cutting
through the timber of the bridge, produced the effect naturally
to be expected. The whole structure gave way, and with one
frightful clash, the engine, tender, baggage car, and two first
class passenger cars, broke through the severed frame work,
and leaped, headlong, into the yawning abyss below. The
engine and tender crushed at once through the ice.
Tho baggage car, striking the corner of the tender in
the act of falling, was thrown to one side, and fell
some ten yards from the engine. The first passenger car
rushed after, and turning as it descended, fell
fell on its roof, breaking partly through the ice and was
crushed to atoms, while the last car fell end ways on the ice,
and, strange to say, remained in that position. The loss of
life was of course frightful. There were ninety passengers
on the train, and the list of those who have escaped only
numbers about twenty. As far as we can yet learn, every one
au the thei, .sae hlllctl tUuSU wet, were not crushed.
being drowned by the water, which nearly filled the car.
About thirty were in the last car, of whom
ten were taken out dead, and most of the
others were fearfu ly mutilated. The conductor
Mr. Barrett, the deputy superintendent of
the line, Mr. Muir, and Mr. Jessop, one of the auditors,
who were on the hind platform jumped off and escaped.
The express messenger, Mr. —, Mr. Richardson, a
conductor on the road, and the mail conductor, were
with the boggageman. The latter jumped over the
baggage he had piled up, ready for delivery, and escaped
with but slight injury, while the three others went down,
but, ;miraculously enough, wore not much hurt. The
engineer and fireman went under the ice with the
locomotive, and their bodies have not yet been recovered.
The excitement in the city, directly the news spread,
was intense. hundreds swarmed towards the Great
Wes.ern depot, and streamed along the line to the fatal
spot. There the scene presented was such as to baffle
description. Large locomotive lamps were speedily
brought. Fires were kindled, and a lurid glare was
thrown over the shattered remnants. Special trains were
dispatched to the bridge, to bring home the wounded. It
was no easy task to descend the steep slope to the canal.
Ropes were lowered, and ladders attached to them, on
which the dead and wounded from the car, which stood
endways were first drawn up. Then the bottom of the
car,iwhieh had partly suck through the ice, was hewn away,
and the unfortunate passengers,
all saturated
sawdliythmuwtailtaetre,dwaenrde
even cut in pieces,
taken out. Many worked with energy ay-rd vigour but
who was that noble fellow, that every one must have
seen, stripped to his shirt sleeies, standing up to his
middle in the freezing water, who, himself a host, did
more than all the rest 1 We watched him long, from the
height above, as he hewed away at the fragments, and
extricated the bodies. If ever man deserved a reward, it
is is he. As sodas the dead were drawn up the slope,
they were either put in cars for, conveyance to Uamilton,
or were laid ite :t small house near the bridge.
It is said that one family were in the cars, eonsisti. g
of a father, a mother, and foot. childeen. Only one of
the children escaped. One of these little ones, a girl,
about four years of age, was brought to the house alluded
to when we were there. The poor little creature was
smiling prettily, as if she had been sleeping and dreaming
of sweet things when the accident occurred, and had been
launched into the long sleep of death before the dream had
vanished from her mind, At the railway depot, when
the sufferers were brought in, crowds assembled anxious
to hear who were dead, and to know if any of their
friends were there, The eorpees were taken into
one of the large baggage rooms, where Coroners
Bull and Roshrugh proceeded to have them
examined, and when possible identified. As
soon as the intelligence of the catastrophe reached
the city, Major Booker and Captain Macdonald's com-
pany of volunteers marched to the scene, and every credit
is due to them for their conduct. The prcesure of the
crowd had all but forced in the strong doors of the depot
when the artillery company arrived. They formed a cordon
around the room which was respected, The rifles marched
on to the bridge. Bnt a few at a time were admitted to
view the bodies. On entering, the first we remarked was
that of poor Donald Stuart. Several of those who have sat
in the City Council with this estimable man were around
him, and in tears. This is stronger evidence of his worth
than anything we could say. Next .lay the Brant.
ford contractor, Mr. Russell, on whose person wag
money to the amount of several thousand dollars,
The Toronto Qlobe saye :—" When our reporters reached
the scene of the accident, they found the workmen hauling out
of the water, with a crane and pulleys, a poi tion of the bridge
which lay upon the sui face of the ice, with a view of reaching
the &rst passenger car, which is entirely submerged under
water. The second passenger car, half broken, lay on the
bank at the base of the bridge, and it was from this that
the dead bodies have been taken, and in the other many
feet below the water lie buried sixty or seventy human
beings, who left Toronto in confidence of reaching the
journey's end. The chain bridge was about 30 or 40 feet
above the water, and the fall meat, have been tremendous.
The locomotive aid tender haie not been seen at all.
Roads have been cut on the face of the bank, and the
passengers and the haggage of the train from the west
were eonveyed by them to the gap. The bridge was on
the main track of the Great Western Railway of the
Toronto and Hamilton Section, as was at the first sup-
posed. The whole train of stilter stone piers has gone,
with some portion of the swing platform,
The latest particulars are contained in a telegraphic
despatch dated Hamilton, 16th inst.: —" Some sixty bodies
have been recovered from the wreck, but it is feared all
have not yet been found. The coroner's inquest eat*
aajeerned until Tuesday. Only three persons, Mr.
'train,
of the railroad audit office, the baggageman of the train,
and the switchman at 'the junction, have been examined.
Exteniive arrangements are making for a public funeral
to-day.r