Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1853-05-12

AWFUL RAIL ROAD AccIDENr.-Th The
+ New York papers are filled with the details
Of frighlful disaster, which occurred last
FRIDAY on the rail road connecting New
York with New Haven. ltappears the train,
which left the former place at 8 o'clock, A.
NJ, consisted Of two baggage cars, and three
frs. class passenger cars. The baggage cars
preceded the passenger cars, and in the
rearmos, baggage car was the smoking apart
men'. The number of passengers in the
Train was about GIG, as near as can be as
certained. The Courier and Enquirer says :
"The train proceeded as usual, until it
reached Norwalk, as miles distant, at half
past 10 o'clock. Half mile east of the
Norwalk station is bridge across The creek,
and over the channel there is draw in the
bridge sixty fee, in width. The rules Of
the road require het the speed Of the train
should be checked st the Norwsk station,
and the train held well in hand until the
engineer obtains sigh, Of signaI-a red ball
upon a pole some thirty feet high, which is
visible nearly half a mile from the bridge
The signal is only displayed when The draw
is closed and the track clear. Both these
precautions were neglected upon this occa-
sion the speed was not Stacked q. the sta
ton; The signal for safety had been with
drawn full ten minutes beiore the train sp-
preached, but needless Of the warning the
engineer dashed on al rate of nearly thirty
miles an hour until he reached the open
Irau xrhon such tho III
the engine sprang across the chasm of sixty
feet, dashing against the abu'ment on the
opposite side but little below the level Of
the line Of the rails. The draw had been
opened 10 permit the steamboat Pacific, from
Norwalk for New York. to pass through,
aud she had barely passed az the train dash
ed in. The engine was followed by the
tender, which rested upon it, the frs, bag
gage car went partly upon the tender, and
partly alongside; The second car, containing
the smoking apartment, went alongside the
frs! baggage Car, and two Of the first class
cars were dashed smong The wreck Of those
which preceded them, while the bottom Of
the last car was broken in two cross-wise,
the forward par, being dragged into the sub
merged ruins, leaving one-half the bottom
and the entire sides and roof upon the track.
The water in the channel over which the
draw is placed is from ten 10 twelve feet
deep Al high water.
"Fhe frghful scene that ensued may be
conceived, but neither those who witnessed
the occurrence, nor those who escaped with
their lives, can give any adequate descrIp-
lion. The. cars were so broken that those
who had not sustained any injury from The
collision, Instantly s,rove to escape through
the windows and broken roofs, and i, is
wonderful, tina, under the circumstances so
many succeeded in their efforts. 1t is sup
i posed tina, all in the last car escsped-ihose
\ who were dragged forward on the broken
floor being thrown on top the wreck, escap-
ing with few bruises. Those who were in
, the two cars preceding the last, were all
immersed in the wafer, bu, as ia, as can be
sscer,sined, most Of Them were rescued
The moment The accident occurred, there
were strong and willing hands which man.
ned small boats fortunately lying near, and
by their efforts, the rescue Of the saved was
effected Many Of those in these cars sus-
tanned conlusions Of greater or less severity.
Blu, few Of those in the smoking car escsp-
!. ed, and it is the opinion of Dr.. Mclean, Of
Norwslk, who was in attendance, ,ha. most
!, Of those who lost their lives were seriously
injured by the crushing Of the car"
One of the passengers furnishes state.
men, Of this melancholy and heart-rending
occurrence, in which he says:
"As soon as possible The bodies of the
unfortunate beings in the two passenger cars
were fsbed up, and laid on, in the depot,
Those killed were for the most part men-
many Of whom were medical men who were
returning from the convention held in New
York.
"Men were engaged up to late hour thai
r evening in removing the bodies from the
wreck. The excitement in town is intense
and everybody is Of the opinion that the ac-
cijent was caused by the negligence Of the
, engineer, who was properly warned, by the
lowering Of ball, that the bridge was up.
. He, however never needed the signal. The
, passengers in those cars which were no.
J pitched into the river were not injured in
the least
, THE most curious portion of the account
is that only two or three persons were IN
, iured, while no, less than fifty souls were
without any warning, hurried before the
throne Of their Maker. The eight O'Clock
train from Boston passed through abou
four o'clock, the bridge having by that time
been safely repaired. Tho cars from New
. York were crowded with passengers, con.
+. tanning the friends and relatives of the killed
MANY a bitter tear was shed by Them ove
!. the corpses of those who, if not for ih'
csrelessness of the managers of this road
would be alive and happy, but now are nun
- bered with the dead. The indignation o
q those passengers who were saved was be
y yond description, severa. of them alleging
:. ,ba, the eng iueer should be hung, and 9th
;, ers saying he should be shot,