Monongalia mirror. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1855, 1853-05-14
v holesale Murder!

day morning, says:
The city was startled ut u "'cl"ck
YESTERDAY morning, by tho vague RI.
nor of terrible accident on the New
Haven Railroad. IN few minutes
i, was asceIraiue,l that the s o'clock
Express train for Boston, had run
through the drawbrilge eust Of South
Norwalk, Connecticut, aud that many
lives were sacrificed.
The excitement spread like wildfire,
The train had taken largo number
uf passengers who were residents Of
This city, and the anxiety Of their
friends was most painful aud intense.
The newspaper aud telegraph offices,
and hotels. were at once besieged with
seekers for information, and all bust.
mes, seemed to bo suspended.
The first reports were thought to
I've exaggerated, aud modified state.
mrnts afterwards came which seemed
TO prove the gratifying conclusion;
but late aud authentic accounts only
confirmed aud increased the most Of
the earliest rumorS.
The latest facts received last might
prove shat MORE THAN FIFTY
LIVES WERE LOST; and the
conclusion is forced upon the mind.
that the carclcssness of the Engineer
was the sole cause of this terrible aE-
fiction.
We lave hastily thrown together,
such ,rpol,s as our ,clegraphic and
special reporters have been able 10
furnish as.
Frcsr nc Hw Turk N-rdA1.
The Express train for Boston, on
tho New Haven Railroad, lct, the
Canal-slrect station i'll this city at :
O'Clock III the morning, aud u, the up.
per station tho locomotive was attach
ed, making the train then TO consist Of
two bags age cars. aud thee Grst,class
passenger ca's. The baggage cars
preceded the passenger cars, aud in
the rearmust baggage car was the
smoking apartment. The number Of
passengers. in the tain was about
1850.
The train proceeded as usual. until
1t reached Nnwalk, IS miles distant
y, half past ton o'clock. Half mile
east Of the Norwalk s,a,ionis a bridge
across the creek. md over the clan.
mel there is draw in the bridge six
" feet in width. The rules Of the
roud require tina, the speed ofthe trai,
should BE- checked al the Nurwalk
station, and the train held we'll in hand
until the engineer obIains sight Of d
signal-a red hall upon pole some
thirty feet high. which is visible near.
iy hali'a mile from the bridge. The
signal is only displayed when the draw
i, closed aud the track clear. Both
these precautions were neglected up.
on this occasion; the speed was not
slackeucd at the station; the signal
fol- safety had been Withdrawn full
ten minutes before the train approach
Ell, but heel!ess Of the warning III"
engineer dashed OH at the rate ofnear-
,y Mirty mites an hour, until he reach.
ed the open draw. when such was tho
momentum that the engine sprang Il.
cross the cllusm Of sixty feet, dashing
acains, the abu,meni On the opposite
sii. hut little below the level Of the
line Of the rails. The draw had been
opened to perm, the steamboat Pa
ciGc, from Ncrwalk for Now York, to
pass Through. and she had barely pas
scd as the train dashed in. The en-
rinc was followed by the tcnderl which
rested upon it, the first baggage car
went partly upon the tender aud part.
" alongside, the second car, contain.
ing the smoking apartment, went a.
7ungsihe:tl,e first baggage car, and two
of the first class cars were dashed Il.
mopg the wreck of those which had
preceded them, while the bottom Of
The last car was broken in Two cross,
wise, the forward part being dragged
into The submerged ruins. leaving one
half the bottom aud the entire sides
aud roof upon The track. Tho water
in the channel over which the draw is
placed is trem ton 10 twelve feet deep
ut high water.
The liighfnl scene that c,,sucd ma!
.l,o conceived, but neither those who
witnessed the occurrence, nor those
WIN escaped with their lives, can give
any adequate description. Tho cars
we're SO broken that those who had
M. sustained any injury from the COL
.lission. Instantly strovc to escape
;,hroaght the windows and broken roofs,
aud il is wonderful that, under the
circumstances so many succeeded in
their eilarts. |, is supposed that all
in tho last car escapcd-those who
were dragged forward on the broken
floot being thrown on.or oftl'e wreck
escaping with few bruises. Those
who were in the two cars preceding
the last, we're all immersed in the wa
Ter, but as far as eau be ascerta'ned,
most Oh them vel rescued. The mo-
H. ,,,;j.ut ocrurral there