Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-05-12
The awful Calamity on the New York and
New Haven Railroad.

4Ac awful on the new 7 DIX and
New Haven Railroad.
The New York papers are filled with the details
of the frightful disaster at NorwaIk, Connecticut,
on Friday last 1t appears the tram which left
New York at 8 o'clock. A. NJ, consisted of two
baggage cars, and three first class passenger cars.
The baggage cars preceded the passenger cars, and
IN the fearmost baggage car was the smoking
apartment. The number of passengers in the train
was ABOUT 2l6' as near as can be asccrtained.--
The Coulter and Enquirer says:
The train proceeded as usual, until il ,eacbed
Notwatk, 40 miles Distant at half past 10 o'clock
Hail mile east of the Norwalk station is n bridge
across the creek, and over the channel there is a
draw IN the bridge sixty feet in width. The rules
OF inc road require that the speed of the train
should be checked ut the NorwaIk station and the
tEaln held we'll in hand until the engineer obtains
Signt OF slgnal--a red ball upon a pole some 80
ieet high, which is visible nearly a half a mile
from Inc bridge. This signal is only displayed
when the draw is closed and the track clear Both
these precautions were neglected upon the occa-
sion; the speed was not Stacked at the station; the
signal Tor safety had been withdrawn full len min
uteS before the train approached. but needless of
the warning the engineer dashed on at n rate of
nearly thirty miles an hour until he reached the
open draw, when such was the momentum that
the engine sprang across the chaSm of sixty feet
daShng against the abutnent of the opposite side
9ut niue oeiow the level OF the line of the rails
L
Pacific, from Norwalk TO New York tn noss
through, and she had barely passed US the train
dashed IN. The engine was followed by the tend
en- whch rested upon II, the first baggage car went
second car, containing the smoking APARTMENT
went alongside the first baggage car, and two of
the hrSt class cars were dashed among the wreck
OF those which preceded them, while the bottom
Oh me last car was broken in two crosswiSe the for
ward part being dragged into the submerged ruins
leaving one-half the bottom and the entire sides
and roof upon the track. The water in the chan
mel over which the draw is placed is from ten 10
twelve feet deep at high water.
The irlghtful scene that ensued NAV be conceiv
ed' but neither those who witnessed the occur
renee, nor those who escaped with their lives can
give any adequate description. The cars were So
oroken that those who had not sustained any in
jury from The collision, instantly StToye to escape
through the windows and broken roofs and If is
wonderful that under the circumstances so MANY
succeeded in their efforts. 1t is supposed that ali
IN the last car eScaped-those who were dragged
forward on the broken floor being thrown OF, ion
OF the wreck, escaping with few bruises trboss
VINO were IN the two Cars preceding the last were
all immersed i'll the water but as far as can be MS
certalned, most OF them were rescued The mo-
ment the accident occurred, there were strong md
"ililhs hands which manned small boats FORUM
ately lying near, and by their efforts the r,scue Of
the saved was effected Many of those in these
cars sustained Commissions of greater or less sever
W. nut lew "t those IN the smoking car escaped,
ana IL Is the opinion of DR.. Mclean, of Norwalk
VINO was IN attendance, that most of those, who
ioSt tneir lives were seriously injured by the crush
| ing of the car.
STATEMENT OF 4 PASSENGER.
Inc conclusion in the last car was very violent,
and 1t was not until leaped out of it that knew
| description. Without any delay, hurried 10 The
edge OF the bridge, and there. to my horror Isbe-
held scene that shall not forget until The ,lov
u .L nc engine was stuck deep into the mud on
Lhe iat sue, and was followed by the baggage,
smoking anu two passenger cars, all of them being
totally submerged beneath the surface of the water
The engineer, Mr.. Tucker, had a most miraculous
escape with his life, but the conductor, MIR. Com
| slocN' uiu not iare so we'll. He was in the smok-
ing car OF the time and escaped out OF the door in
10 the river: there he was pulled down urder wa
Ter three lines by the drowning creatures but
eventually succeeded in reaching the shore in
sei! exhausted condition, his head being severely
bruised, his face dsfgured, and his wrist disloca-
| ted.
The melancholy and heart tending portion of nv
story Yet remains 10 be told Both OF the passen-
ger cars as sad before, were wholly submerged
IN lhe water, the tide being full high al the 1,me
and the loss of life was of course very great
| mere were, in fact, only about SIX or seven per
sons who eScai ed with their lives; all the rest
amounting to nearly fifty persons, were dlowned
| THESE two cars were the only ones in which any
llFeS were lost. The baggage car and smoking car
were smashed to pieces, and, curious 10 say not
single lie was lost The baggage master. MI
fuiier, who was reported as dead, had a very for
iunate escape. few seconds before the acct
ueht LOOK place, knowing that something was
wrong, he ran 10 the door of his car, but could not
get out. He then braced himself firmly in the car
and prepared for the crash, which took place in n
lew seconds. The car being broken. he escaped
through the wreck uninjured, with the execution
oil deep cut across the nose.
AS soon as possible the bodies of the unfortu
nate beings in the two passenger cars were fsbed
up ana lald out Ill the depot. Those killed were
loI the most part men-many of when were nedi-
cal men who were returning from the eonvent;on
held in New York.
Men were engaged up to a late hour that even
ing IN removing the bodies from The wreck The
excitement IN town is intense, and everybody is of
opinion that the accident was caused nv the neg
| lIgence of the engneer,wh was properly wa1n,d
oy the lowering Of ball, that the bridge was mn
| be- however, never needed the signal. The pas
SengerS SIN those cars which were not pitched into
| the river were not I'M ured in the least
The most curious portion of the account is that
only two or three persons were injured, while not
less than nifty souls Were, without any warning
hurried before the throne of their Maker T6e
O'Clock train from Boston passed thronyh about
o'clock, the bridge having by that time been sa fe
~ repaired. The cars from New York were crowd
ed with passengers, containing the freds and rela-
lives OF the killed. Many bitter tear was shed
ny Them over the corpses of those who, if not for
the carelessness of the managers of this road would
De alive and happy, but now are numbered with
the dead. The indignation of those passengers
who were saved was beyond description, several
OF them alleging that the engineer should be hung.
| and others saying he should be shot.
LATEST PARTICULARS.
On Saturday morning, hundreds of mourning
friends r~ached Norwalkln seach of missing relae
tives and others. The bodies of many of the kill
I'd Were However. so disfgured as 10 render their
identification impossible, During the night two
more bodies, male and fen,ale-making SO in
all-were recovered, but not identified.
Preparations were making on Saturday morning
10 drag the creek, which is very deep, for the dis
covery of the bodies of the missing, and caunons
were fired at intervals for the purpose of disturb
the dead. The locomotive, of which Mt lrw WA.
ter on Friday no traces could be discovered, was
found on Saturday morning, almost entirely buried
in the opposite bank of the creek.
,p The Roman Catholic Blshopo of Connecticut.