New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-11-02
THE GREAT RAILROAD ACCIDENT
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
From Tn Dstyeis Frss Pres y

the spot--s distance Of 81 mues-et ap'ut 1.
NJ. Here was presented to the eye one Of the most
apparg scenes which il has ever fallen TO oar lot 10
witness The torn and mangled bodies OF the dssa
had been dug from the heaps OF ruin when Jay on
either side of the track, and number Oh coroue1ss
were in the act of examining them for the purpose Oh
Identification. Here lay the mutilstsd body oil
mother, With young child resting upon her bosom,
both quietly sleeping in death little farther co.
man with his head completely severed from bis body;
and stu further, man with his legs crushed as
if in huge vice, and his body horribly mangled
On the other side OF the track was the body OF
man who bad been cut completely in two directly
across the bowels. We nigh, so through the whole
cat sloe of bodies in this way, but desis SUI
fee il 10 cay that the wss suf ient TO wiring
tears from the most callous hearted. There Was one
scene which struck US as peculiarly affecting
young man just in the prime of life who was asecond,
clsss passenger, but who had miracuOusly escaped
urhurt by being in one Of the hrst-class cars at
tie tine Of the collision had lost his whole family
father mother, brother sister, and two cousss-slE
in all Their dead bodies were found and ldenhhed
by him, although horribly msngled and disdguref.
They on their way to Galesburg, kalamazoo
county. This was the only passenger whom we met
who had friends among the dead, ell Of the occupants
of the secondclass cars having been either killed or
seriously injured.
At the place where the collision occurred there is
al embunkment some fifteen feet high, On each side
Of which The land is low and marshy. The engine of
the express train thro IN off the embankment by
the shock, and the engineer was thrown some dis
tar further and escaped without serious injury al
though be somewhat scalded by the hot water
from the engine The fremen on the express train
alec escaped with slight injuries.
A brakeman on the express train stood At hs post
and in his efforts 10 stop the train, was crushed be-
tEeen two cara. To the repeated inquiries OF Mr.
Nuuer the conductor of the train as 70 whether any
thing could be done 10 relieve him, be eGid, NO.
"Nutier; pay no attention TO me, but DO all you can
" 10 relieve your passengers. All wish is that may
- die easily" The poor fellow fingered some four or
five hours and died while he, with the ether wounded
vas being conveyed TO Chatham.
ThOs Francis hesgher was sitting in about the mid
die of the forward fret eass and narrowly escaped
with his life receiving scratch on the face and his
coat being torn in two or three places by the spnters
All in the forward part of the same we're badly
wounded. As soon a. Mr.. " could extricate himself
from the ruins be pulled of his coat and went TO
work with q manness worthy OF the highest praise;
did he his efforts behalf OF the sufferers
until every person. both dead and wounded was ex
trieaied from the ruins Another frat class passen-
ger, who was in arear car, and escaped unhnrS APP
piled himself earnestly TO the task Of berating the
unfortunate victims. He helped to place the wounded
in cars vent with them to Chatham. aided in dressing
their wounds, &c, and then returned n the scene OF
oisaster where he stad until Dightfall, rendering
what assistance be could His name Is Edward A.
Skeele, Of 81. Louis. To him and to Me- Meagher ~e
are indebted for many particulars concerning this
dreadful casualty. Mr.. ). informs US that, at the
tine the collision occurred, the fog so dense that
be could not object two feet from him In go
ing forward tow ard the engine, he stumbled over
dead BODY; and the way he ascertaioed II to be
corpse was by the sense Of feeling. This sas the
first evidence he had that any one was hurt by the
collision He ext heard some one near hia cry for
help and, by feeling he found a mans head protrui
ing from the ruins his body being buried IN the rubbish
DIR. Brode OF this city went to Chatham on re-
cevDg the first intelligence Of the disaster, and on
his return in the evening he informed us that he had
himself ampuafed three legs, ami dressed many other
wounds of less serious nature. DIR. Ii. thinks the
majority Of the wounded will recover.
As to whom the blame attaches concerning this
l. .ka thara in Ngf min
but there different rumors concernngit. One ru.
nor IT, that the Waterman fell asleep on HIS post.
and on waking informed the engineer Of the gravel
train that the passenger train had passed by. An
other IT, that the contractor ordered the engt
OF the gravel train to go o. much agains, his
rhe epgire.rs) wishes that he expostulated against
IL, and amost refused TO go, but the contractor
ordered bin, in peremptory manner to go OBJ, and
tolc him that he would bear the blame We have
heard no attach blame 10 the engineer Of the
gravel train 10 the engineer conductor Of the
passenger train. The conductor, Mr.. Nutter, had
taken particular pains TO run his train slow as the
Dght was very dark and foggy, and he was consider.
ably behind time.
The causes of the disaster should be thoroughly in
vestigeted and the guilty parties whoever they may
be, should be made heavily to feel the consequences
OF dealing thus trt!ngly with human life
From The Detroit ddrer.iser. Oct So
The appearance of the wreck-the Mingled mass
Of brok en- cars and crushed bodes-is declared by
eye-witnesses to have been perfectly ndescribable
The engineer of the gravel trein which had caused
the ees,ruotOn ghter ed almost out Of his at
The ruin, ted fast possible from the scene. The
darkness of The night was intense, Tut by stripping
boards from a DeighbOriDg fence, and taking frag-
meDts of the cars, fires were kDdled which threw a
lurid glare the revealing and adding TO ts
horrors. Axes procured az speedily as possible
and the work Of rescuing the dead and wounded COM
menced. But az the very sight Of the writing mass
almost all the uniDjured passengers sickened and
grew faint IL required far more tnan ordinary nerve
tn susta N % n
mapgled and bleeding BODIES. Some, however there
wert-csn we believe j, who at the very first mo-
meDt Of assured safety for themselves beg anxious
~ inquiring and searching among the rubbish for
cerpei.bsgs and trunks which they had lost A few
among which are those whose names were mentioned
in eur last applied themselves TO the work Of deliv-
ersnce and toiled for FIVE hours before assistance
came. The patriot Meagher distingus shed for
his zeal in the work. His escape was one Of the
rovtst. The sole Of one shoe was taken off CON
pletely and his coat torn from his back, yet he was
scarcely percep,ibly bruised, His hat and shaw he
sfterwsrd gave 10 some of the wounded, and when
he arrived with whatever substitute for his lost gar
neIis he could procure, covered with blood and
clay, be looked as though be had come from veil
fol u ii.d.
IRE g, ad as fast as extricated were lain together
I'D covered with canvas. Their loes seemed happy
compared with the wounded, who were yet waiting
death aid agony. Boards were laid upon the top Of
the car seats and the cu,bops placed upon them<or
the wounded. Thither they were conveyed, easily
es possible. Some who were 50 mangled as not TO
hope, and hardly to de-ire life resolutey stiaed any
expression OF pain and sought to give their deverers
their haLks and gratitude while Others, scarcely per
ceptiby injured, both loud in their complaints,
al difficult 10 please.
A young man from the East, whose leg was terribly
broken, uttered sigh while waiting his turn,
aud moaDed but once when being removed Must
81 lose it !" sad be- in sub iued voice, he gazed
the shattered limb; and that was all. An elderly
lady Of great sire crushed beyo hope Of recovery
wsbed not 10 be taken into the cars. but calmly
Al. ath here sha atEenflamen aid al