The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-11-08
EyANsV ILLEs IND. THURspAY1 MORNING, NoyEMBER
OBJ 4;a'iIg JyoJnrnal, 3 J
FURTHER, PARTICULARS.
THIRTY THREE PERSONS KILLED.

,ftd FURTHER PARTICULARS. o5ltfoE
THIRTY THREE PERSONS KILLED. 4
By the st. Lonis Intelligencer of Saturday |
We haFean accountIof. the terrible accident on
the Pacific Railroad, and additional list of the /
killed. THIBTy-THREE persons are victims of
this wholesale murder, for such it appears to
have been esA
The IntelIiganccr thus describes the horrible
accident: ssHr ~ Essfs4& i}2 80
At O'Clock We left Hermann, preceded by
q locomotive and tender, which had been sent
forward, toses that the way was clear, and no
danger impending. Soon we came in sight of
the bridge across the .Gasconade river, about
nine miles from Hermann, and about thirty
five from Jefferson City. The bridge is ap-i
preached by an embankment thirty feet high,
which terminates in massive stone abutment /
Forty yards from the abutment, and just at the
edge of the river, stands another staunch stone
pillar, three more of which reach to the other
side of the stream, and support the bridge |
The river is about two hundred and fifty yards /
wide, and the bridge thirty feet high, atleast. /
The Pioneer locomotive had crossed the struc-
ture safely, and was waiting on the other side |
ito see the result ofour attempt. There was
no fear of danger, and no apprehension of
peril. We slowly moved along the embank-
ment, and came on the bridge. The loc Jmo-
tive had passed the first span, and had its fore
wheels above the first pillar-beyend the
abutment--there being then, resting on the
first span, the locomotive, baggage car and two
heavily loaded passenger cars. The weight |
was too much for the long, slender timbers
which supported the rails and the enormous
Dad above. -, sn1se
Suddenly we heard horrid crash-lt rings
lon our ears now-and saw movement amongst
those in the car in which we were seated; then
There came ash--crash-crash---as each car
came to the abutment, and took the fatal
Iplunge The affair was but the work of an
instant. We were running slowly at the time
and the successive crashes came on at intervals
of nearly second. We ourselves were seat
ed in the seventh ear--there being three be-
hind us-and when we heard the horrid sound
that came up, as each car slowly and de ID r Ite-
| ly took the leap, we hoped that our car might
stop before it reached the precipice. But no.
| it see ned that the spirit of ruin was beneath,
ldeterminedly dragging each car to the spot,
wrsnching it from its fastenings, and hurting
lit to atoms beneath. Six cars fell in one mass
each on the other, and were shivered into frag-
ments. The seventh fell with its forward end
| to the ground; but the other end rested on the
top of the abutment. Those in it were only
bruised The eight and ninth cars tuInbled
down the embankment before they reached
the abutment. #
Such wreck we never saw, and hope new
Ier again to see. 1t was one undistinguishable
mass of wooden BEAMS seats, iron wheels and
lrods, from beneath which came up grcans OF
agony. Those who could, crawled out ofthe
ruin Immediately, and either sought to relieve
their own wounds or the wounds of their
4 friends Some wept tears ofjoy to find their
friends alive; and others shuddered to find
their friends dead. The uninjured organized
Ithemselye under the lead of Mr.. Pride, the
conductor, and endeayored, by chopping, to
lextricate those who were yet alive from the
wreck. Here beam was cut into to olsen
gage broken arm there an iron axle was pried
lup to relieve a mutilated leg. There was no
Ishrieking and screaming, though all begged
1 for the love of Heaven, to be extricated from
some mass ofiron or beam of wood, which pin
ned them to the earth. All begged for water, and
idrank it when it was brought, and prayed for
more There was hardly an uninjured man
Ito be seen. Most of those who had escaped,
Ihad stream ofblood flowing over their faces from
lsplnter wounds Others limped and hobbled
labout, looking for their friends
A board shaIaty was the only shelter to be
lhad. and that was soon filled with the wound-
led. whose silent, speechless agony was enough
! to make the stoutest heart shudder lmfnedl-
lately after the accident the heavens grew dark
land black as though the night had come The
{ wind shrieked through the leafiess trees; the
lbeav.>ns were rent in TWAIN, ana fro1n the
lcrevice cleaned the We ign'nlhs' anu ~.
Ihoarse thunder beiiowedits cruel mockings q.
1.-THE woe beneath. 1t seemed as ifthe elements
: Iwere holding high carnival over the scene OF
= slaughter. s
At half-past IL on Saturday morning, a train
|arrived from the scene of the disaster bringing
!; the following intelligence:
r The majority of the survivors, together with
!. 1.-The dead and wounded left Hermann for this
{ lcity about two o'clock yesterday afternoon, in
: THE regular train. The train was the same that
left this city Thursday night, or rather yester-
. lday morning, for the scene of the catastrophe.
: ON the way. up, upon arriving at the bridge
lacross the creek known as st. Johns, about
-four miles above Washington, portion OF the
train was left behind to provide for contlngen-
1eies in case of a break down, which was Ito lght
Ito be quite probable, the creek being much
c Iswollen from the heavy rains. m
The balance of the train proceeded TO Her
!. mann, took on the survivors, the wounded Rand
. the dead, and about two o'clock started on It's
: return About five o'clock. they reached the
-lbridee across st. Johns Greek. Before start
! ling to cross, a number of the unhurt at the
disaster. (among whom was cur informant, got
1Iout ofthe cars and walked across the bridge
afterwards. as soon as the locomotive started
: to cross the whole structure gave way, and the
Ientire train of cars containing the dead and
wounded, and most OF the Survivors, was left on
! the other side of the bridge ssa.sssgga a
q Those who walked across got in the cars
Z which arrived last night, and proceeded dImme.
llEdiateIy to the city. How soon the dead and
he, ifuflosShla tod