Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-08
HORRIBLE RAILROAD DISASTER.

which we present below from the pen OF one OF the
Editors of the Baltimore American, who was
in one of the trains which came IN COLI
sion. The inward train, which was the chief sui
ferer, was largely occupied BY citizens who had
been celebrating the day at Riders Grove
At % minutes past four o'clock Tuesday afternoon
the regular train for York left Baltimore consisting
of four passenger and baggage all with the
exception Of the last car well filed with passengers Mr.
william Scott was conductor, accompanied by Mr. Hol
Inns and other officers Of the road vino repairing
Riders Grove to sst in the arrangements for the safe
return Of the excursonsts. On arriving at the Relay
House. the York train according to orders proceeded to
lay off on the Green Spring switch, where the nsruc
tons were that 1t should wait until the excursion train
or trains passed. The express train from York, due
early in the day, which had been thrown out OF time,
was waiting the Relay and after it had passed down
towards Baltimore waited for excursion train of
about sixteen cars crowded to excess, which passed
down without giving any information to the conductor
that two other trains coming, which unfortunately
proved to be the case.
The road being supposed to be clear the York train
again took the main track, and had scarcely got fully
under way, when, about threequarters Of mile from
the Relay, and about mile from Riders, terrible
crash, accompanied by rush of steam brought all who
were unnured to their feet, and escaping from the
wrecked most heart-rending scene presented ITSELF
which it is impossible to describe in all its horrors
Immediately in advance of us was train consisting of
two passenger cars and the ten burden cars which had
been fitted up to carry passengers all OF which were
filed to overflow. This train backing down towards
Baltimore the locomotive being reversed, and the two
passenger at the head of the train. The locomotive
the York train was going ahead in its usual position
and although neither train moving at extra speed
the passenger at the head Of the excursion train
offered but little resistance, and completely crushed
together the passing entirely through the fore
most one and both being filled with passengers the de-
struction Of life and limb almost unprecedented
The centre Of the foremost filed with the dead
dying and wounded, all wedged together in mass
with the fragments Of the and the seats compact
that it required half hours time and the of axes to
rescue the wounded number Of females and children
were taken from among the dead scarcely injured,
whilst through the floor of the could be the pro-
trudng limbs of some who had been instantly struck
dead.
Among the dead in the centre of the car was Mrs Rob-
inson, young and beautiful woman, and Henry Clay
Jeers the Of Madison Jeers bright and beautiful
boy the bodies Of whom wedgcd among the rag
mens of the two cars which had been run through each
other like telescope that it impossible to extricate
them without hauling off the fragments Of the upper
by the locomotive which also necessary to release
the large number of unfortunate creatures who still
manned wedged between the forward cars, still
alive and others dead.
On oil the platforms of the wrecked the destruc
tion Of life and limb immense, and, the being
closely wedged together it utterly impossible for
than hour relieve any of them, although the
of the sufferers caused the most superhuman ex
ertons for their
On the platform at the head Of the excursion train
four caught by the orepart of the engine two
Of whom instantly killed, and the other two
fast their limbs suffering the most excruciang agony
and almost roasted BY the smoke pipe Of the locomotive
They both tainted from exhaustion before they could be
rescued requiring than hour Of incessant labor
and one of them subsequently died.
Two three instantly killed. also, on the front
platform of the York train, one OF whom was Benjamin
Merryman the baggage MASTER who met death standing
manfuy at his post at the break endeavorng to check
the destruction
The shreks of the women and children the bodies
Of husbands wounded,
enough appa the heart Several of those who
crushed the platform had their wives with them,
whose appeals for their incessant The wife
of Martin Boyd compelled to stand and her hus
band die from heat and exhaustion and his body subse
quenhy lie for hour the Of the rebox of the
locomotive. Another wife wailing the mutated
body of her husband and censuring herself for having
persuaded him. against his better Judgment to join the
excursion Several females in the foremost car who mi
raculousy escaped considerably scaded, and so
covered with coal dust to render difficult to recognise
them.
The accident twenty minutes past Eve o'clock
and it was hafpast o'clock before the last body
was taken from the wreck The Dead the dying and the
wounded were strewn about in the grass, of the
bodies horribly mangled, whilst the broken limbs and
deep gashes in the bodies of the wounded rendered
tain that many were injured beyond recovery.
Messengers were sent to the CITY, Immediately after the
accident, for relief and number Of physicians, whose
names did not ascertain, the ground,
also number from the vicinity, who abored unre
mttngy to relieve the uerngs Of the unfortunate crea
Il Z =
The trains from the city did not however, reach the
Of the accident until after oclock in the evening"
at which time there about three thousand awaiting
conveyance home all the excursonsts having arrived
the of their festivities at the CT DEATH
The first train carried in the and children and the
second the wounded who all taken to the infrmary
for medical assistance and reached the city about IL
o'clock at night some of them suffering intensely.
Not less than thousand of those that escaped injury
walked home by the Falls road many carrying their chill
dren in their through heat and dust for nine miles
The dead bodies brought in about o'clock at
night twentyfo in number, and, when spread cut
the platform at the depot presented spectacle Of the
most horrible character.
LIST OF THE KILLED.
The Of the killed, upon whose bodies inquests
have been held, inclading Mr. Madison Jecrs who died
yesterday morning, as follows:
Henry Reynolds DR.. Thomas Dorsey, Mrs Robinson Da
vid Murray Henry Rose, Frederick Decomb Geo. Prngo
Patrick Tearney, Henry Clay Jeers Philip Magraw Robert
Preston, james Hea Julius Counsellor, Michael Mccormick
Lewis Cochran, BENZ. Merryman James Boyd Chas Boyd
VIM. J. Breaker John Wisc colored B. H. Eareckson, Mr.
Munnymop and Madison Jefers.
There other persons killed whose names have
not been ascertained with sufficient accuracy to Justify
their publication. large number were wounded, many
Of them very severely.
It appears by the testimony taken before the Coro-
ners Inquest that the awful catastrophe was the result
of careessnes rather of criminal impatience the
part of Mr. WILLIAM ScorT the conductor of the York
train His special instructions for the occasion in the
following words: "0n the upward trip you will meet
and pass excursion trains from Riders at the Relay If