Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1837-08-23
From the Norfolk Herald august ia
DREADFUL RAILROAD plsAsrrn AN,

oil our editorial labors there has never
devoiyed on US a more painful duty
than that which now calls upon US TO
announce the terrible and heart. reAd.
ing calamity that befeIl the train Of pas
senger cars which went up on the
Portsmouth, and Roanoke Rail Road on
Friday resulting in the instant death
OF three OF the passengers, and the
manning and otherwise inlaripg Of thir-
ty others, some Of whom so badly that
it is supposed they will not survive. -
The first intelligence Of this disastrous
event reached us on Friday afternoon
by some Of the passengers who return.
ed in the afternoon train to Portsmouth,
but such was the distress ard con.
sternation prevailing at the moment,
that they could ascertain but few mr..
ticuars, previous TO their leaving the
iata! spot; but we have since through
the poii:euess Of Il Portsmouth friend,
who visited the scene, obtained "a more
full and accurate account.
1t appears that the regular daily train
ieit Portsmouth on Friday morning at
3 O'Clock with thirtcen passenger, and
other cars, and neurly two hundred
passengers, the greater portion of whom
composed party Of pleasure from the
counties of Southampton, Isle of Wight
and Nansemond, who had come down
the previous day, and been on a steam.
boat excursion, to Old Point Comfort.
&c., and were rett rning to their homes.
The train having made the usual stop
at Suffolk, had proceeded on to Smiths
bridge, a high embankment over Good.
wins Landing, a mile and half be-
yond. Here there is gradual rise
IN the road, and at the termination
oil the embankment the road makes a
curve. But before we proceed further.
we should state, that there was lum.
Der train then on lis way down, with
fifteen cars heavily laden with slaves.
which must necessarily pass the pas
senger train at one Of the turn. Outs
above Suffolk. When the locomotive
OF the passenger cars had reached the
curve, and while the whuie train was
on the embankment (Which at that
place IS at greater elevation than at
any other on the whole line, beng thir.
ty-tive feet high, the lumber train sud.
denly appeared i'll sight, sweeping down
the curve!
The engineer Of tho passenger train
promptly stopped the locomotive but
he ofthe lumber train was either una.
bic lowing to its being on a descent)
10 stop his, or did not see the danger in
time, for his engine drove flIiously on
against thut Of the passenger train, for.
cling il back upon the first car, which
was driven against the secont, the sc.
cond against the third, and the two
latter were crashed to pieces in the
dreadful concession. The greatest
havoc, however, was in the second car
1.-The first having been lifted from the
rails and propelled orer it, rakng it as 5
t were, fore and aft, and crushing to
ieath or horribly manning tho passen.
gers Who remained within il =!
We must leave to the imagination OF
he reader n depict the petrifying hor.
rors of that aGful moment, and Of the
scene which ensucl! Many who were
young and active leaped from the cars
ani rolled down the enbaakment at the
hazard Of tite and limb. \ gentle.
man who was casually seated next to a
young lady in the second car, saw The
coming death, and warned his fellow !
passengers Of THE could do no moro |
then sprang down the embankment. |
As soon as he was upon his feet he |
looled--jt was all over; and she who |
had sat beside him within the passing
moment, lay mangIod corpse upon the |
seat which he had Ion
Yet only 3 met with instant death
That the number was not greater under
such perilous circumstances, is indeed
wonderlul.-And strange as il may
seem, the first car and the passengers
In It escaped uninjurcd
Five minutes more would have amp.
" sufiiced to have brought the lumber
tram to the Suffolk turn out: had the |
passenger cars, therefore, have been |
detained only that brief space, nothing
would have happened.-Nay, single
minute, either later or earlier, would
doubtless have prevented the collision
for it would have allowed sufficient
time for either train to have cleared
the curve, so that each could have been
apprIsed in time orthe others approach.
1t Is worthy ofremark, too, that at no
other point on the road could such an
accident have occurcd-unless, indeed.
through the intention or neglect of one
OF the engineers.
Those killed were Miss Elizabeth
McClenny, daughter Of ]. McClenny,
Of Nansemoni. Miss Margaret Ro. |
berts, daughter ofDayid Roberts, esq,
Isle of Wight, and Miss Jemima Eiy
daughter Of Mrs. Martha Ely, of the