The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-19
Scene oftho Dlsaster-.Verdlct ofthe Coroner,s
Jury-.Euneralb Of Some Of the Dead,
Probable Cause Of the Calamity.
&C., &C., &c.

and unusual appearance Most Of the stores were closed
and groups Of tradesmen, railway employees, and La
borers were collected at every corner evidently discuss
ing some subject of sorrowu import Others were hur
ryng 10 and fro from cottage to cottage and all we're
absorbed in grief The cause Of this interruption Of or
dinary occupation and domestic quiet, was
THE ACCIDENT UPON THE ERIE RAILROAD.
This fatal e&saalty occurred at quarter past seven
O'Clock in the evening of Thursday last 1t appears tha.
about seven every evening freight traIn belonging to
the Erie Railroad Company leaves this village of Susqus.
hanna destined to the station called Deposit which Is
seventeen miles distant.
Nearly midway between the two points, eight miles
east is newly formed location called Summit, and SO
named from its elevated situation the
river 1t is Inhabited by large number of Irish arti.
zans and hbOrers, with their wives and children
The members of these families resort daily to susque
hanna in order to purchase groceries, and other neces
sares and permitted by the agents of the company
to ride home upon the tender of q powerful engine,
which used push the above mentioned freight train
up the heavy ascending grading which leads to their
houses No charge made for the conveyance and the
people have advantage in being able to get of easy
as the pushing engine detached from the train just at
their doors.
THE ENGINE AND ACCIDENT.
Upon Thursday evening" the freight train was brought
to the depot by engine htched ia 'front.' in the ordi
nary manner Here engine No. IS, which was an old
eight wheeled driver placed in the rear and whom
the train began to move, number of men, women aud
children, amounting to nearly forty in ALL seated them.
selves upon the tender and around the engine which
was in charge Of Mr. Walter Arnold very experienced
and much respected man.
place called the Rock Gut which Is distant nearly three
quarters Of mile from Susq ard for ms gorge
upon the tight and the abrupt Ssscsnt to ths
river upon the left The ascending arade leading to the
Cut very steep being Of about sixty five inches to the
mile.
In short time after the freight train wa, out of ssht
on Thursday, the Inhabitants of Susquehanna we're
startled by loud and report which shook their
houses to the very blasting was being carried
on n the neghborhood they at first attributed the shock
to the firing of an unusually heavy charge but upon
looking from their windows in the direction the noise
they the air backened by dark and extraordinary
fragments f,iDg in I'll directions some rising to
perpendicular elevation exceeding the top of the church
The awful sur,nse immediately spread ths. railroad
accident hsd occurred. and all hastened to thr
ROCK CUT.
Here dreadful presented itself. Engine No SO
had exploded her boiler and the ground .trewsa With
the dead and wounded bodies those who rad been so
la'ey full of life and hope The presented shocking
appearance twas covered with blood hair endons aud
mangled limbs; whilst the boiler and front part OF the
engine were bosn to pieces and the very iron rail bat
tered into the earth by the strokes the aiming wheels
as they fell down upon it from the air
Every borrifed, aud as soon as their stupor
would permit, they found the following was the
LIST OF THE KILLED.
Walter B. Arnold. engineer of No. S. aged about fifty
years, and a resident Of Susquehanna, Mr. Arnold's
head cut completely off from the throat ths under
jaw leaving nothing remaining but the base of the skull
near the ceIvca yerebra The face not dis6gured
in the least and he head fell heap of wood and
stones with the counenance facing tho DIRE sdfu
Here 1t sat- if he looking the road from behind
aconceamen His little lad Of about ele years
OF age, who ed first recognized it. aud said,
/" Here's my father" at the same moment plsciug his
hand upon the face when horrible to tell the head
ed over and portion Of the unfortunate mans brain
fell out Mr. Arnold was an American, and leaves wife
and six children.
Michael Casey, laborer aged about seventeen was
resident OF susquehanna. His body not much
gled, but he sustained fracture Of his spine which
caused instant death. lie was native Of Ireland and
an II dustrious young man. He uuma arried.
Pa.rick Keerau, laborer resided at Summit His body
was oIeadfuy mutated the head, abdomen, and limbs
Caharipe OLeary wife Of laborer residing at Summit
had her bead blown of and limbs broken The hair lay
seattle ed all around and the bare tendons the neck
we're exposed. she native Of Ireland
CatbariDe Satery, resident of summit had her limbs
broken and portions Of them scattered either side of
the road Her head was also blowa Off
The hesdlrss trunks of the lay but few rod
from the engine the shatteed remains OF Mr. Arnold AMI
the men we've further from it.
LIST OF THE WOUNDED.
Mrs. Ellen Collins aged about Is years wife of John
Collins, nborer. residing at Summit had her right
fractured from the shoulder to the elbos and sustained
besides compound fracture Of the right thigh,
panied with awful aoeraon Of the flesh and protuson Of
the BONE She removed to the Kirk Hanss eusquehan
Field of Fha3el phia. The Doctor entertained soma
slight hopes Of her recovery st that Mrs Collins
is native OF Ireland, and has one child.
Eliza Stoddard-unmarried-bad her left cut off,
near the shoulder; the limb lay near Mr. Arnolds head
When Miss stoddard taken up the first words she
spoke were find nv arm. If YOU can. She was car.
ried to the cottage OF Mr. John Honan by, where
very excellent amputation Of the stump performed
the same evening, by Drs Jackson and smith of Sus
quehanns. She easier last evening Miss Stoddsrd
from the county of Clare Ireland and resided with her
brothers, at Summit.
Gilbert Hill, the fireman. was badly scalded but had
Of his limbs broken He removed to the house
Of the late Mr. Arnold where he lay last evening in
state of delirium
Arnold son Of the deceased engineer aged about
eleven was slightly scade and appears to have received
ways speaks of fifty cent piece which he lost at the time
1t was thought that he might recover.
Besides this shocking array 1t is almost certain that
many persons blown into the river but it
fully searched yesterday, and none found
However, as the current is very rapid at this pen it
carried away No person came to snsauehanna yester
DAY in search of relatives and this point remain In
doubt until after the Of the calamity is widely ccu
lated.
The concussiop Of the surrounding air caused by the
explosion powerful that three Irish aborers who
were at work near the susquehanna river were hurled
A gold ring was found the river in the evening,
and Mr. Egsrson founp piece Of coin lying upon the road
considerable distance from his body
The people infer from these facts that many have
been xii ed than the number found.
THE NoUEsTs.
Justice Seymour empsnnelled jury at an early hour
in the morning. andI held nquests upon the bodies.
very small amount Of testimony taken and the jury
found the following
VERDICT.
The deceased persons came to their deaths by
cdenta explosion of engine No So and there is blame
TO be attached to the different persons having charge of
her at the time
As scientific s:isstion into the which may
have led to the explosion TO be made the Justice did
not wish to furnish copy Of the depesons recorded
PROBABLE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
No decided cause yet be assigned for this appal
ling catastrophe It the sheet of the engine
which gave way and by II Is asserted that che had
plenty Of water in when At the station few moments
before
If such be the case, the sheet some pipes
must have given way under ordinary pressure No. So
bas in simost daily for the past thros four
tss and had been lately in the shop for repairs Upon
exam ation, IL said that some Of the valves or
found acre wed down and closed which should
have been open.
Exercising an upprejudiced common sense reasoning
u,oL the natter, bSsse tLAs tho 5asqueLaanl t,a
stdy was csused in the folio sing ma nnet:--
When engine No. GO wsa At the depot she may have