The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-07-20
From the New York Tribune
The Susquchannu Railroad Catas-
truphe.
TU-ENTY-NINE LIVES LOST.
FIFTY OR SIXTY PERSONS WOUNDED.
STATEMENT OF Mr.. BREWEETON.


| five thousand Native Americans left Bali
more. by way OF the Susquchamah Railroad,
for Riders Grove, about ten miles distaritE.
The number at the grove has been variouslv
estimated ut from five thousand to ten thousand
persons.
After listening to addresses from various
speakers, some Of them from different parts of
the country, and partakng Of a dinner, they
set cut on their return home.
| In consequence of the immense number of
people there, three special or excursion trains
were provided to convey them back to the
city One of these trains left the grove and
arrived safely in baltimore. The second of
them was run into by the regular accommodate
ton train for York. Pa. This train, consist
ing Of five large cght-wheeIed passenger cars.
left the Culvcrt Station in Baltimore, at %
minutes past four o'clock. This train had
about two hundred persons on board, and was
in charge Of Mr. William y. Scott, conductor.
accompanied by Mr.. II. s. Iollins, the treas
urcr. and other officers OF the road, who pro-
cccdrd oct for the purpose Of assisting in the
management Of the return trains from Riders
Grove.
The accommodation train, above referred to-
proceeded out carefully at moderate rate Of
speed until it reached the Relay House, where
it was duly switched off Oil the Green Spring
branch, in order to let the down trains pass
The express train from York. due early in
the day, which had been thrown out of time
was waiting at the Relay, and after it had
passed down toward Baltimore the York train
waited for one excursion train. of about sew
cnteen ears. crowded to excess, which passed
down without giving any information to the
conductor that other trains were to come
VA ham, 70, al,
the York train again took The main track. and
proceeded on, and had scarcely got fully under
way, when, about three quarters of mile from
! The Relay and about mile from Riders, a
terrible crash, accompanied by rush Of steam.
brought all who We're uniniured to their feet
and on escaping from the wrecked cars, a
most hcart-r2ntiny scene presented itself the
details Of which we give from the lips Of Mr..
George Douglass Brcwcyton, of Brooklyn,
New DrA, who had been to Riders Grove as
one OF the speakers OF the day. and was return
ing to Baltimore on the second Of the eXcur-
sion trains at the time Of the collision.
Mr.. BGEWEHToN's ACCOUNT.
IN company with others called to the men
in the third passenger Car to pass out their
women and children, which they did, end We
helped all that we could to escape. My at
tention was next called to the body of a man,
50 crushed as to have no identifying mark
The body WIS jammcd between the broken
! floor Of the car, and his legs dan@cd down
! tempted to assist the wounded WHO were Jam
med down by the tmbcrs. and shricking for
! aid. Many Of them were still in their seats.
but injured about Tie head, and some of them
appeared to be insane. They began to cry
ont for water upon which | called to the per
sons standing by to get water for these people.
| Water being obtained, it was supplied to such
as were within reach. Upon looking further,
| observed men writhing in agony between
! Fragments Of the cars. Some were pinioned
! By a single arm, others by Il leg and one seem
! cd to be damned across the hips. Another
was pinioncl by his arm, near the shoulder,
/ between tie tender Of The locomotive aud the
/ following car lie cried out For God 5
sake cut off my arm, can't bear this agony
ANY longer anything" is better than this SUI
ftring.' \ man was chorping the car away
with an Ak, and to him was addressed Tie rc-
quest to cut off the arm. During all this
time. the passengers who had been but slight
! ly injured, were raining hithcr and thither in
the widest confusion, seeking for fathers
mothers and children all seemed, however,
paralyzcd in so far as the rendering of effect
i've assistance to the sufferers. There We're
none to direct or give orders. No person BE-
longing to the Company could be found. IN
the midst of this excitement and death, men
cried out in the widest excitement for the con
ductorS. that they might be Iynchcd, and arg
ing that lie track be torn up. Many charged
it to the ltoyication of the railroad employ
ccs. Another man, who told ne he was in
the employ OF the Company, and was seeking
CT friend claspcd his hands and said''
hope to God the grass will grow over this
track. When the terror had in a measure
worn off from the minds of the injured pas
sengcrs, it was succeeded by the most furious
| Indignation.
At length something like reason returned to
the passengers and they set to work with will
to rescue the wounded from their fearful posi-
tions. Rails from the snake fence were used
as levers and by the aid Of these and one or
two pieces Of railroad iron, we managed to pry
the broken fragments asunder. by this time
The track was ankle-dccp in hot mud, caused
by the boiling water escaping from out of the
disabled locomotives. This rendered tho tasl;
Of rcscuing the wounded still more difficult
After nearly two hours Of the scverest toll
most of the wounded We're rescued, but in
many cases life was extinct. Had we but had
half dozen crow-bars and axes, many more
/ lives might have been saved. AS it was, they
were sacrificed by the crushed and helpless po-
sitions in which they were confined, aud by
/ the scalding water, and heat from the loconlo-
tives.
One of the employees of the Company was
crushed on the top of the locomotive, and his
body was 50 confined as to force his head with
in few inches OF the boiler. His features
were so blaclsencd by smoke and cndcrs that
he was at first taken for a negro. TO prevent
his head from roasting, while efforts were be-
ing made for his release, cold water was con-
stantly poured upon it. But before he Wa;
rescued, life was extinct, his brains being lite
rally parched up in his head. A few axes hay