The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-05-12
NoRwALK, CT, May s, 1853.

OHe OF LHc InOSI tcrrlDle ana IaCal ac-
cidents that your paper has ever chroni-
cled occurred here this morning about
fifty minutes past nine, by which no less
than fifty souls have been semitic eternity.
started from New York about eight
o'clock, in company with great many Of
my friends, for Boston; and all passed
off in the usual manner until we neared
Norwalk, where the bridge was left open,
and melancholy to relate, three cars and
the engine were precipitated into the riv-
er, a distance of about thirty feet from
the bridge. The concussion in the last
car was very violent, and it was not until
| leaped out of it that | knew the extent
of the awful catastrophe, which baf1ed
description. Without any delay, [ hur-
ried to the edge of the bridge, and there
to my horror, [ beheld scene that I
shall not forget until the day die. The
engine was stuck deep into the mud on
the far side, and was followed by bag
gage, smoking and two passenger cars,
all Of them being totally submerged be-
meath the surface of the water. The en-
gineer, Mr.. Tucker, had most miracu-
lous escape with his life, but the conduc-
tor, Mr.. Comstock, did not fare SO WE'LL
He was in the smoking car at the time,
and escaped out of the door into the riv-
er; there he was pulled under water three
times by the drowning creatures, but E.
ventually succeeded in reaching the shore
in a very exhausted condition, his head
being severely bruised, his face disfgured,
and his wrist dislocated The melancholy
and heart-rending portion of my story
yet remains to be told. Both of the pas
senger cars, as [ said before, were Who'll
| ly submerged in the water, the tide being
full high at the time, and the loss of life
was Of course very great. There were,i
fact, only about six or seven persons who
escaped with their lives; all the rest, "a
mounting to nearly fifty persons, were
drowned. These two cars were the only
ones in which any lives were lost. The
baggage car and smoking car were smash
ed to pieces, and curious to say, not sin
gle lifewas lost. The baggage-master, Mr..
Fuller, who was reported as dead, had a
very fortunate escape. A few seconds be-
fore the accident took place, knowing that
something was wrong, he ran to the door of
his car, but could not get out. He then
braced himself firmly in the car and pre-
pared for the crash, which took place in few
seconds. The car being broken, he es-
capped through the wreck uninjured, with
the exception of a deep cut across the
nose.
AS soon as possible the bodies of the
unfortunate beings in the two passenger
cars were fshed up, and laid out in the
depot and engine room, where an anxious
crowd of spectators were endeavoring to
identify the bodies. Those killed were
for the most part men-many of whom
were medical men who were returning
from the convention held in New York a
few days ago. Men were engaged up to
a late hour last evening in removing the
bodies from the wreck. The excitement
IN the town is intense, and everybody is
Of opinion that the accident was caused
by the negligence of the engineer, who
was properly warned, by the lowering of
ball, that the bridge was up. He, how
ever, never needed the signal, and drove
the cars, at the rate of about twenty miles
an hour, into the middle of the Norwalk
river. Thepassengersin in those cars which
were not pitched into the river were not in
jured in the least. The most curious por-
ton Of the account is, that only two or
three persons were injured, while not less
than fifty souls were, without any warn
ing, hurried before the throne of their
Maker. A young married couple from
New York, who were proceeding on the
honeymoon, were both drowned, and were
laid out side by side in the depot. The
eight o'clock train from Boston passed
through here about four clock, the brid ge
having by that time been safely repaired.
The cars from New York were crowded
with passengers containing the friends
and relations of the killed. Many bit
ter tear was shed by them over the corpses
of those who, if not for the carelessness
Of the managers of this road, would be
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 would be shot This town is
about forty-four miles from New York,
and stands on the banks of the Norwalk
river, up and down which steamboats, are
continually plying. This melancholy ac-
,ident occurred in consequence ola steam
BOAT being let through the bridge when
he train was about due, thus precipita-
ng the cars right into the bed of the riv-
r. This unfortunate accident will cause {
leep sorrow in many hearts all over the
New England States, as those who were
ost were chiefly persons residing in the ,
Northern and Eastern portion of the I'm :
on. n
Another Railroad Accident
IlLT S1lQSLe0-DI02,2j 91orsO,,c j7,ou,.o1 L,,t r