The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-11-24
Great collision-Miraculous Escape.

About o'clock Wednesday evening the
express train from Buffalo, came in collision
with tree blown across the track. three
quarters Of a mile east OF Springfield, sta
ton - mics west Of Erie. The severe
gale from the Lake had torn up hemlock
two feet in diameter. and cast it sngularly
over the track. The tree struck the rails
about 20 feet from lis roots. Tho evening
was dark and stormy. The accident occur
red in the woods. which rendered objects
less distinct. The traiu had been delayed
some hour and bait at Erie. waiting for the
arrival of the Buffalo train. When the col
lsion happened, it was moving at the velocity
Of FORTY miles per hour.
The crash was awful, The tree, two feet
in diameter. was broken in three places,
and shivered az if struck by thunderbo!t.
The locomotive was smashed TO pieces and
destroyed 1t turned over and over three
times The boiler was broken letting the
steam and scalding water out. 10 add to the
alarm and danger. The tender and two bag
race cars were hurled upon the fragments OF
the locomotive, and smashed into one conn
mon wreck
The first three passenger cars. filled with
people, were dashed upon the ruins OF the
baggage cars and engine. They were
badly broken and turned bottom side up
The last three cars OF the train were not
thrown from the track. nor very badly dis
abled.
The horror and confusion Of the scene
were Undesirable. The train had over
400 passengers. The shock hurled them
from their seats, and piled them up a
mong seats in terrible confusion. The
collision occurred before the engineer had
time to whistle down breaks. let off steam,
reverse the motion, or even jump TOR his
own life lie was pitched out head fore
most into the ditch among the limbs. The
fireman followed suit, and the baggage mas
tiers piled after them. all Of whom received
severe flesh bruises. but strange to say, es-
caped instant death, ana manageable crawl
from under the ruins of broken cars and
fragments of smashed baggage. But more
miraculous still none OF the passengers were
killed or even had bones broken. Many re-
ceived slight injuries, and all were more OF
less shocked and scared.
The train made three or four rebounds
/ and advances, after striking the tree, before
il came to halt. each of which added
confusion worse contounded' to the gen.
cral crash, and panic among the pasSen'
GERS.
The screams, wells and shouts that flied
the night air, after the accident, were hor-
rible. The men behaved with less GOODNESS
and presence of mind, in many cases, than
the women.
/ Immediately after the smash, the condnc'
tor and a brakeman started for Springfield
station to stop the express train going east
which would be due in a few minutes, ans
made no stop at that point. They barely
succeeded in reaching the station, and hold
inc m red LIGHT before the train came
laundering along. Had it not been stop
ped. in IA minute more another and more
terrible collision would have happened
The train left its passengers at Sprlngaela
and took on those Of, the wrecked train ant
proceeded back to this city yesterday morn
inc. Clcrsland Forest city, Nos. 7".
REnAREAHLu CoNYEEsIJN.-Thc New
York Herad is cut in favor OF the Maine
Law. It says-"Ali we ask is that M
time be lost in giving the scheme fair an'
honest trial. TIE hlr ShoUd b. passed q
o1,rr, after the It. gtSlature assemblies, an'
should 90 into effect within as short della!
as possible. II it does work satisfactorily
and check drunkenness, we she'll be salts
fled: and we shah certainly give no conn
teuunce to an agitation for lis repeal until
has been clearly shown to be intolcrhble.
Who will doubt now that the world !:
growing bcttcr!-Ga. ldt.
pho f,llou.incr are the steamboat arrival