The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-05-04
Frcn the Chicago Tribune Of the 9th.
TERRIBLE COLLISION.

Frca the Chicago Tsitune Of the 9th.
TERRIBLE COLLISION. r
Tuo Trains i, Ruins!-Fiiesn or Tuerty
Kaisd-Fron Fifty to SIXTY Injured!
The Express train, which left this city at 9 et
o clock last night, on the Southern Michigan d.
road, came in oDllision at the crossing, about s,
eight miles out with emigrant and fright a,
train coming into Chicago on the Michigan f.
Central Road. 10
The locomotive Of the Express train struck /.
the sixth car filed with passengers, and in a a
moment the locomotive, tender, baggage car e
and I'd class car Of the Express train, together c
with three emigrant cau Of the Michigan Ten.
trail train, weie heap Of ruins.
On the northern side Of the Central track,
one first class passenger car was thrown upon
its side, aud groans and cries assaed the cars
Of those who fastened from the rest of the first
| class cars which retained their position These
| in this were aided to escape from the confu-
sion, and from the danger OF sutfoca,ion, and it
| was found that none were dangerously injured,
though sevenl received severe bruises.
The scene which presented itself upon the
other side ofthe Central track cannot be fully
described, and time will not efface the memory
of that terrible and heart rending spt ctable,
from the mind OF the unwilling beholder.
We saw heap of ruins, from beneath which
shrieked out upon the midnight air, cries for
help, mingled in strange discord with the deep
er toned grams of the dying. One by those
Who were able, crawled out from the rubbish,
while the uuinjured were fully employed in rend
; erng assistance TO those unable to extrlcate
= themselves.
Each moment the scene became, if possible,
more heart rending. Here sat poor woman
3 with broken limb, and her little daughter stood
, by her side, weeping and begging for assistance
There lays young German dead, his sister by
his side wring ing her hands and crying 'mein
Bruder, mein Bruder ~ Here child, crying
S 80 my father" There woman waling for
the loss Of her infant. woman dead, her
mangled features but partially concealed by
cloak, and at her side only faithful dog.
Three children, from three to ten years OF
h age, were taken from the water, and placed
side by side At the head Of one sat the be-
fcaved father. No came to claim the 9th
! er two.
An infant was picked out of the ruins I'M
lhhrmed, but no mother could be found for it.
Those most dangerously injured were con-
Of veyed into the unframed cars, and rendered as
OF comfortable as possible. With some the
struggle between life and death seemed uncer-
tain.
In this place was exhibited the kindness of
u woman nature, and the sympathy OF many a
70 true heartfound expression in timely action.
!; 1t was the general opinion that from IL to
fifteen bodies had been taken out. From 81 10
oh 50 were seriously injured, and some Of these
he cannot recover. The emigrants OH the Central
road suffered the most.
The cause Of this collision, rarely if ever
nc equalle in its fatal and terrible results is be-
1t yond our conjecture The night was brigh,
lr as nearly full moon Il the clearest atmosphere
lis could make it. The two roads cross each othe
at nearly right angles, and run for distance on
a' straight line. 1t if it was impossible
for both engineers not to have seen each othe
e. trains for the distance OF at least half mile
not mile before reaching the crossing. Bl
'i comment as yet on the cause is out OF the ques
nd ton. Let an outraged community, let the sur
en- vvors of the killed let the manned for life holt
nd all those in any way connected with this whole
sale distinction of human life to the strictes
Ills accountability.
m The news of the collision, which occurred
rst about ten clock, was brought to the city b!
the locomotive of the emigrant train. Messen
gers were dispatched to the city from the depot
las and Dr. Palmer and Clark, and one Of the edi
ish tors of The Tribune were soon under way. A
fo, the Central Railroad depot a locomotive an
,r passenger car were in waiting for them, and b,
twelve O'clock they had reached the fatal scene
Nat The phy sicans with admirable self pos ,ssio
by proceeded Immediately to do all in their pow
Tor The groan:ng sufferers. In the course "i tw
hours they had administered more less relic
er to all. A, half past two the first class passeu
w. gers from Chicago were transferred to the Cen
his rial passenger car and brought up to the city
-, Up 10 that time no locomotive had come froI
the city to bear away the wounded and dyir
'he who had been crushed in the of that roat
TVS and yet four hours and a half had elapsed sine
,u- the collision and yet those poor creatures
49,, all the sgonies of broken limbs and smashed b.
dies could not be conveyed ia any house or be
'ho except on that road.
the 1t must be borne in mind that each of tn
ak tracks which concentrate al this crossing al
flanked with wafer on both sides that tn
getting from one place to another, is at all poin
IT, difficult and at some impossible. The ruin
ige the itself terrible sight. Piled up
the water lay an immense heap of wheels, lro
ratings, spiiners, doors &c, &c. On OF
'' side lay the icrushed locomotive, still cmitn
SER ste I'm as late as 9 clock Perched on the to
can Of all, al the height of twelve feet above tn
IS waters edge was the baggage of the EXPIRES
train with one-half perfectly sound, not eve
me the end glass broken. The other end has bur
ed, open and portion OF the trunks had rolled dow
in the heap into the water below.
III, Beneath one edge of the car appeared the Dol
T.. head and one hand of an old man.-The leg
Il one and the body Of anotoher were also visib
beneath the car.
To the east of the ruins burned bright fir
across the quiet forms of the three children, an
he'd shone brightly upon the passengers who gather
,ort ed around it Another fire was also burnn
ian west of the Express train.
= No one in the frs; class passenger cars, W;
I'd seriously injured. The engineer, fireman an
oor conductor escaped as usual.
RAILROAD OLLlSlON-VERDICT o
THEJURY.
n The following is the substance of the verde
m of the Coroners Jury, in the case of the rece,
i'm, Railroad collision at Chicago.
in We the Jury do find and say the same with
named persons came to their death by the co
lision which took place between the Michigu
do Southern and Michigan Central Railroads, @
the the night on the 25th day of April, A. d. 1855
-. caused by the gross carelessness and neglect
'cn Moses Nj. Tyler, conductor on the Michiga
ov c. R. R.; and Thomas Rackham, engineer q
, to the Michigan c. R. R.; also Whiting, eondue
tor on the Nj. S. R. r. and Edward Davis, er
CO. gineer on said M S. r. r.
nal We find and consider themguilty of gross cal
art. ness, and hold them as the cause Of the death
the within named persons whose bodies hay