The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-10-30
AWFUL CATASTROPHE.
Collision on the Great Western
Railroad.
F0rty-Seven Persons Known to
be Killed. -1---
FORTY-ONEpW0uNDED, NEARLY ALL FATALLY.
~~~~~>~~~c~~~>>~>~~~~>>~~>
WOFUL SCENE OF SUFFERING.
]. ~>~>~~>~r~>-~~~~>~~>~~>
LISTS OF TIE KILLED, WOUNDED AID SAVED.
~>->rs>>>~S>~>o~~~~~>s~N~
Safety Of Thomas F. Meag..sr,
&c, &c, &c.
'ORTY- Y-0NEyWOUNDED, NEARLY ALL FATALLY.
WOFUL SCENE OF SUFFERING.

~ q : From the Detroit iribune, Oct 2T.l
Through the kindness OF w o. Ruggles, are able to
give tie particulars Of the most hcarrending and terri
BILE railroad disaster that occurred in America lie
says few minutes after p NJ yesterday left Mia
pAssepssr cs sxprezs and baggage car. After
fsv=x BasuzonNS wsrc astainsi .hsrt msJsight be-
on fhctrsck After delay Of an hour we started and
reached London about six hours behind time. About
three miles west OF London the cylinder head Of
sinc burst, which delayed two hours. We backed
down to London, took Q engine and started again
er Windsor. About one O'Clock and about thirteen
miles west of Chatham, the Baptist Creek Flats,
going about twenty miles hour came in collision
wha gravel train Of fifteen backing east Tho coli
sion frlghtiul in the extreme
Our locomotive was completely thrown over to the
right the express thrown and crushing the first
and second class into spnters demoshing the
and making wreck OF the third and driving in
end of the fourth The passengers in the last
escaped unhurt with slight bruises Almost the
tire load Of the second class cars were killed or wounded
cut completely in two others with manglcd heads
and bodies, and without limbs The screams and groans
Of the mangled awful in the extreme Every effort
made by the conductor and passengers to relieve
the suffering; but notwithstanding the almost superhu
efforts relieve them, all not extricatcd until
more than four hours after the collision. Among those
whose exertions were conspicuous in saving the vic
TINS Thomas f. Meagher and Junk, the baggage
man. Mr.. A. Brownson and others Of the passengers
Heaps Of the dead and wounded found in the ruins
piled together in all mangled shapes.
One poor fellow was cut out of the express car, his
limbs hanging out Of the side fifteen feet from the
ground One OF the srangest features of the accident
H. that all the gravel demolished and piled
upon each other with the Of the engine stove
in The conductor of the gravel train the rear
car with his signal light and negro boy ut his side
The conductor saved himself BY jumping; the negro was
killed.
AT the time Of the collision there was dense fog It
being almost impossible lights Were the blame
belongs in this awful catastrophe, we know not but
there gross and culpabe negligence in the affairs of the
road The conductor Of the gravel train says he was
ordered out by the superintendent Of the gravel pit
We ought to mention THAT the third from the
had no light at the time Of the collision and
in total darkness had anything but pieces Of
candles stuck in tubes at any time Those had gone out
The dead are lying around, AMI baisx mes.ly emf
grants their cannot be readily gSf fyk s5oot
fifty killed outright and many OF the ses1 must
die, of which there about forty alive. Thtfc
buried under of ruins, and lay there
over four hours before she extricated She must
die We we're tbirty-two miles from Detroit and thir-
teen from Chatham, tc silrrpa nieg country FOR miles
vast,ssrnp and no aid phys<t5fs at hand, whicu
it TIE asusesess Of the fog and fghtful screams Of
Appalling scene imaginable. II was heart sickening
let all done that could be during the long Eve
hours that the miserable unfortunaes lay waiting their
turn for assistance. One had six friends with him,
all killed There are whole families killed. and We can
not ascertain Their nance. -
who also passenger the train at the time Of the
collision that blame can be attached to the engineer
Il the train as he had taken nut D @
trains to pass and by the strctest orders to very
slow to avoid any accident The censure, he thinks,
must rest solely with those in charge of the gravel train
and with the watchman left to give notice when last
train had passed. who instead Of attending to his duty
eems TO have fallen aslecp-at any rate he gave false
information to the engineer Why the gravel train
n the track at such time is for those to explain who
have thus caused this fearful loss Of life.
Mr.. Toms informs that when he left the scene of
the disaster it had been ascertained that 25 men, IL
women, and IL children had been killed, and Fl and
20 women and children badly injured-one half probably
fatally II was thought that many Is dead bodies
still buried in the ruins when he left Our reporter
is the spot, and will furnish additional particu
lars which shall publish in extra IOur citizens
will rejoice to know that Mr.. Toms, and son Of g. H.
Holiness ESQ, who were board, have escaped unin-
surod