The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-05-09

cnoiy catastIopoe:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAwBRIDGE.
The bridge is about 1870 feet in length, extending
over the Norwalk river. and erected in the most
substantial manner. with very heavy butterme nts
and braces of iron, and immense timbers. The
width Of the bridge is sufficient for trains to psss
each other. The draw portion OF it 10 60 feet in
length. On the eastery aide of the bridge is erected
a long POLE some 40 feet high, upon which is
placed large red ball, with pulleys to hoist and
lower, as the occasion may require. This is the
signal for all trains to stop when taken doom by the
master of the bridge. 1t can be observed for
mile, either on the east west side of the bridge,
by the engineer of any train. Yesterday the mas
ter of the bridge was compelled to remove the
draw to allow steamer to go through. He &C.
cordingly fixed bis sigma, as usual, and then
swung of the draw. On the westerly side of the
bridge lie short curve. but had the velocity of the
train been less or had the engineer been attending
to his duty. the dreadful calamity would have been
avoided. .8e. fiii 5aaa8 5anfa 4a slef
{ nj STATEMENT OF THOMAS HICKS.
7 Mr.. Thomas Hicks, the artist, was in the first
car with Miss King, of this city. They occupied
seat within four of the end of the car, on the
right-hand side facing the engine. Mr.. Hicks de-
scribes the scene as follows: The cars were seem
ing'y gong at the usual rate, when, without
warning or intimation of any kind. he beheid the
front part of the car rushing toward him in frag-
ments, the passengers being tossed in the air like
chan, dashed up against the top Of the car. and
thrown about in a hurricane of destruction. In
an instant he found Miss King gone from his side,
and himself crushed under the partially fallen
roof, and surrounded by choking atmosphere,
IN the nidst Of shapeless mass of ruins, dead boz
dies on every hand, and the darkened car rapidly
filing with water. He began feeling among the
wreck and under the water for bis companion, but
she was nowhere to be found. He continued the
search till the water had risen to bis chin, time
which he judged to have been about ten minutes
when, despairing of her recovery, he looked
about for a mode of escape. Just behind him,
at Inc corner OF the car. he beheld an aper-
ture, through which he crawed to the top
Here be fingered with view to renew the
search for his companion; when he was accost-
ed by some one, who asked him Of whom he
was looking He described the lady's dress, when
ms lnterocutor informed him, to hls indispensable
astonishment and gratieation, that she had just
gone out upon the track. He ascertained after
wards that the front of the car was stove to atoms
by the coacuasion and that the top of it was split
open latteriy on the side where he sat- and this
accustomed that side of the roof FALL 1t also ap
peared that during the instantaneous process of
splitting open the top of the and the fall of the
ceiling, Miss King. without any knowledge or
crtSice upon the top Of the car. And here, without
even having been wet, but with severe wound in
the face, che found herself with another car preci
plated upon 1t, which passed her and tumbled
over into the river beside the wreck of the first
Her escape, and the manner of it especially, was
miracle. Mr.. Hicks called out, when he discove. ed
the means OF escape, to those in the car, if so be
there were any living to hear, pointing to the
avail himself of the notice, to escape in any way
Miss King, while upon the top of the car, am as
cured, thrust out of the water what proved to
be that OF person struggling under the rubbish.
she resoluteiy removed the obstruction and saved
the mans lfe.>
STATEMENT OF E. ]. BROWN,
Mr.. E. J. Brown, (of the firm of E. j. Brown &
Co. OF this city, was passenger in the train, and
at the time of the catastrophe was reading in the
smoking room. He escaped by the side door of
the baggage car The tender and two baggage
cars all passed the gap with such force as to
strike the abutments and rebound. He was much
bruised
4 The second passenger car dashed into the first
nearly hall its length. The death of nearly all
must have been sudden and instantaneous. Our
friend says that there but shrek; then all
was still as death, the surging of the waters as
they first recoiled from the force OF the conclusion
and then closed in upon the car. He thinks none
were lost out of the third car at most but one or
two. DR.. Warren and his family were in that car,
seated about the centre, just on the point of suspen
sion. He caught his child just as it was falling
over among those who were thrown together at the
lower end by the shock.
SCENE In THE BAGGAGE-RooM
The scene at the car-house and baggage room
was most solemn and impressive. Never shall we
forget It, Forty six bodies of men and women and
two little children were laying around! The ago.
nlzed features, some covered with horrible contu.
sions or deep gashes-the foam issuing from the
mouth and nostrls, the clenched teeth and ha nds.
and the wet garments, formed a tableau most hor.
rlole. The friends and relatives of the deceased,
wandering from corpse to corpse, and eagerly
searching for the features of loved one rem
dered the scene not unlike that of field of battle
STRONG TESTIMONY AGAINST THE ENGINEER.
The New York Tribune says: "From the eyi.
dence at the inquest, and from the statements of all
VINO knew any thing of the matter. we learn that
the signal ball bad been lowered full fifteen min.
utes previous to the accident. We could not learn
nr cit Oft ho p1oo
from the evidence adduced at the inquest that the
whistle for Stacking speed had been heard or that
any attempt had been made to break up the speed,
as 10 usual in going through q town; on the con
trary, the spced was greater than usual. This
would seem to countenance the report tina. was
current in Norwak. to the effect that at Stamford
the ductor had told the engineer to drive like
hell through NQrwaik, as two men wanted to eet
OH there, and he would see them damned fret
- THE SCENE AT THE STATION HOUSE,
The scene at the railroad station house in Nor
walk, yesterday afternoon, was appalling. In one
small apartment were ttoenfy eight CHASTITY corpses
rigid in death; and in another .eUenteen-thickiy
covering the floor. Among them numerous sur
wing friends were eagerly scrutinizng each
ountenaGce, with ming led hope and fear, rch-
ing for the lost. As one after another was identi-
he'd The scene was often painfully affecting. In
'ancy, youth, and old age we're all represented
among the dead. The body of beautiful female
child, eeming to be almost animated with life,
elected explanations from many. Almost all the
OOuics were greatly OleuHured with bruises and
cuts, and probably, in majority of nstan noes, |
injuries of ths kind were sufficient cause of dea tn
few evidently died of strangulation by water
Before dark nearly all the bodies were diyested Of
heir clothing put in neat collins of black walnut
md forwarded to their friends. :
HOW SOME EscAPEn
The cars were so broken that those who had not
sustained any injury from the collision instantly
trove to escape through the windows and broken
oois and 1t is wonderful that under the circum. |
stances go many succeeded in their efforts Il ia |
imposed that all in the last car eseaped-those who
we're dragged forward on the broken floor being |
hrown on top of the wreck, escaping with few
,ruises Those who we're in the two Cal preced;np
ne last were all immersed in the wa ter but as far
70 can be ascertained, most of them were rescued
The moment the accident occurred there were |
trong and willing hands which manned small
,oats fortunately laying near and BY their Efforts
he rescue Of the saved was effected Manv of those
these carssustained Commissions of greater or less
severity. =" 'o.'
l. CAPT. RENARD's STATEMENT.
Capt. Renard, of the steamboat Pacific, to pass
which the fatal drawbridge was raised, says We
lad got about thirty or forty yards from the draw
vhen we heard the cars coming at full speed The
RAW was wide open, and the bail was down. This
,a is used for signal. When it is up it signifies
hat all ia right. The locomotive was under such
eadway when it ran off that before it reached the
vater It struck the abutnent on the opposite side-a
ssfonce OF about sirty feet. The tender, baggage
ar, and two mail care came next. Two passenger
ars went into the opening on top OF what had