The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-05-20

So that this fearful loss Of life can only be
charged upon a criminal recklessness on the n
part of the engineer which.is almost without
a parallel.
So terrific, indeed, was the speed Of the q
train that although the gap or opening in the c
bridge was sixty feet wide, the engine LITERAL
" overleaped it and struck the nbutments on
the other side, very little below the level OF ,
The line, before IL fell into the water. The
tender followed the engine and fell upon it.
The first baggage car fell partly across the
tender, and the second, in which was a smok-
ing room fell close to it. Two Of the pas
So niger cars were precipitatcd upon this mass,
and all were submerged, the engine and bag
gage wagons being deeply imbedded in the
mud. 1t was high tide in the river, and the
water was about twelve feet deep. The
bottom Of the third car broke in two, and the
fragments hung suspended on the edge of the
stationary part of the bridge. Some of the
passengers were thrown into the stream
distance Of about fifteen feet.
No pen can describe the scene that follow
ed. We copy, however, the narratives OF
some who were eye-witnesses of this fearful
disaster.-Ndt Intel.
| STATEMENT OF AN EYE-wITNEssE.
Mr.. JAMES A. RENAup, engineer of the
steamboat Pacific, makes the following state
ment, which is also signed by Captain s. 8.
BYxBEE, of that boats
"I witnessed the terrible accident on the
s New York and New Haven railroad which oc-
CURED at ten O'Clock this morning. The
y place where it happened is called South Nor
4 walk Village, where there is a drawbridge
O across the Norwalk river. The drawbridge
a had been raised to permit the passage of the
IF steamboat Pacific. l am the engineer of that
d boat, and was on board her at the time the
1, accident occurred We had got about thirty
h or forty yards from the draw when we heard
to the cars coming. Immediately walked of
I and stood on the guard, where | could see
re every thing that happened. The cars were
to then coming at full speed. The draw wai
IS. wide open and the ball was down. This bal
20 is used for signal. When it is up it signifies
e. that all is right.
ISL "The locomotive was under such headwa,
ait when It ran off that before it reached th'
nv water il struck the abutnent on the opposif
de side-a' distance Of about sirty feet. Th
tender, baggage car, and two mail cars cam
"; next. Two passenger cars went into tn
To-. opening on the top what had preceded them
6c the third broke in the middle, and half Of
10 went down. In this third car two were kile
ow instantly, and many more were hurt. Ho'
A. many in all were killed do not know, bl
the before left, at twelve O'Clock noon, betwee
cur thirty and forty had been taken out dea
ms They were horribly bruised aud mangle
the One beautiful young girl, about sixteen yea
hat old, had the back of her head knocked il
lied There was one child about four months old
,ow many other children killed. The engine
nm. and fremen Of the train, when they saw u
,ci. ball down, jumped off before the cars reach
of the bridge.
ave "When the cars ran off those in the re
rol. ones screamed terrifcally. We put right ba
de. and rendered what assistance we could. Pc
ant pie went to cutting the cars with axes al
es. taking out the dead. Not one that vas taxi
Ter, out of the second car was awe. Inc
inn citement was intense; woman were rushi
oh. down with quilts to cover the dead; othe
bu, were vainly striving to restore to life the pc
his victims as they were taken out"
by THE KILLED.
as We have the names of forty-one Of {
'ich victims of this melancholy disaster ,and fite
ext bodies still remain at Norwalk unrecognise
The wounded, SO far as reported, numb
eat, twenty-four and one hundred and eighte
ure escaped without injury. These form an O
"a gregate of one hundred and ninety-eg
,eds leaving eighteen persons to be accounted q
age to make up the number of two hundred a
s a sixteen passengers, registered as being in t
lsh- cors. The missing, however, may have
of capped and continued their journey.
re- INCIDENTS.
= The express agent was sitting upon tru
= in the baggage car, and escaped by !orci
,I". his way through the broken roof. He W
n"i, severely wounded.
~ A newsboy, who fell through the floor
. y. the car which broke in two, escaped unhu
w Mr.. Trotter, Mr.. G. F. Spear, and Mr..
,ar. @ Bishop, Of New Jersey, and Dr. Pierson,
,nJ Salem, were in the first passenger car tn
n .nI went down. The first three escaped by fol
'"I ns ing themselves through the window Of t
,t ~ car, although it was full of water. Dr. Piers
~. was drowned.
,a., Mr.. G. w. Pomeroy, of New York, h
~ placed his wife and little child in the care
,,,', Mr.. Spear. The child was saved by strenuo
y n"s efforts on the part of Mr. Spear, but althou
-. o.' that gentleman returned several times und
b., water, in order, if possible, to rescue Nj
y Pomeroy, all his efforts were unsuccessfl
49,. He rescued two other boys.
w The citizens of Norwalk evncet the utmc
...,, sympathy and kindness toward the sufferer
hsa The medical gentlemen, who were travelli
.oa homeward, and the three resident physical
,ua ~ Of Norwalk, were unceasng in their atte
'" tions to the wounded.
4; Among the names of the dead Is that
~, Mrs. Fluent. She was married on Frid
morning, and was starting on short to,
Mr.. Fluent escaped. though not without sol
" injuries.
Mr.. Allen Goss and his aged maiden sist,
nty from Poughkeepse, were on board. He W
Ion' dangerously wounded in the head, and 81
the was killed by spnters of the broken car.