The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-11-09

THE ACCIDENT oN THE PACIFIC RAILROAD
FRGHTFUL SCESEs.-The editor of the ST. Louis
News, who was on the excursion train on the IA
eifc Railroad in which so many were hurried into
eternity without moments warning, save;
We slowly moved along the embaukment, and
came ON to the bridge. The locomotive had pass
ed the first pillar-beyond the abutment-there be-
ing then resting the first span the locomotive,
baggage car and two heavily loaded passenger cars
The weight too much for the long, slender TIM
hers which supported the rails, and the enormous
load above Suddenly we heard horrid crash
it rings in ears now-and saw movement
amongst those in the car in which we were seated;
then there came -crash--crash-as each car
came to the abutment, and took the fatal plunge
The affair was but the work OF an instant. We
were running slowly at the time and the successive
crashes came al intervals of nearly a second
j Weeursef were seated in the seventh car-there
being three behind us-and when we heard the
horrid sound that came up, as each car slowly and
deliberately took the leap, we hoped that our car
might stop before it reached the precipce But
no; il seemed that the spirit of ruin was beneath
dcterminedy dragging each car to the spot, wrench
ing it from its fastenngs, and hurting it to atoms
beneath Six cars fell in mass, each on the
other, and were shivered into fragments. 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 eighth and
ninth ears tunbled down the embankment before
they reached the abutment.
again to 1t was one undistnguishable mass
of wooden beams, seats, iron wheels and rods,
from beneath which came up groans of agony
Those who could crawled out of the ruin imme
dately, and either sought to relieve their own
wounds or the wounds of their friends. Some
wept tears of joy to find their friends alive; and
others shuddered to find their friends dead. The
uninjured organized themselves under the lead of
Mr. Pride, the conductor, and endeavored, by
choppng to extricate those who were vet alive
from the wreck Here beam was cut into, to dis
engage a broken arm there an iron axle was pried
up to relieve mutilated leg There was no
shrieking and screaming though all begged, for
the love of heaven, to be extricated from some
mass of iron or beam of wood, which pinned them
to the earth All begged for water drank it when
il brought and prayed for more There was
hardly uninrred man to be seen. Most of
those who had escaped had streams of blood flow
ing over their faces from splinter wounds 9th
limped and hobbed about, looking for their
friends. .e-r-
A board shanty was the only shelter to be had |
and that was soon filled with the wounded whose |
silent, speeches. agony was enough to make the |
stoutest heart shudder. Immediately after the |
accident, the heavens grew dark and black rs |
though the night had come. The wind shrieked |
from the leahess trees; the heavens were rent in |
twain, and from the creyice cleaned the white
lightning and the hoarse thunder beloved its cruel
mockings at tho woe beneath 1t seemed as if the
elements were holding high carnival over the scene
of Slaughter
The Republican gives the following horrid pic
ture OF the scene of disaster:
We observed one car lying at right angle with
the bridge, the bottom nearly forced out and in the
space thus made several dead bodies were ohsorr
ed by those on the outside Another had hne,
crushed by the ponderous wheels of one in the roar
but whether Immediately behind, it is impossible
to say-and in this heavy loss of life occurred
The ceiling by the overriding car was crushed for
nan It's length to the floor and when the TOP was
removed we counted five lifcess bodies one with |
wheel resting fully on the breast
Inc Republican notes an accident to the train
rom the scene ofthe disaster for that city, contain
ing the dead and wounded 1t says:
On the way up, upon arriving at the br;deo
''croSs the creek known as St Johns about four |
ihiioS aooSe W ashiugton, portion of the train |
q" ist oeina 70 provide for contingencies in case
inc prldse might break down, which was thonobt |
to be quite probable, the creek being mich -
len from the heavy rains. The balance of tho troll
proceeded to Hermann, took on thei uryiyors tho
mounueu; ana the dead, and about two O'Clock thew
ieacheu the bridge across st. Johns CreaL ID
lore starting TO cross a number of tho unb,,n, 80,
ols's.er, tahong whom was our in formant1 ro1 |
out OF the cars and walked across the bride 50 So
a soon as the locomotive started to cross
''e "ioie structure gave way and the entire r,;,,
OF ears, containing the dead and wounded aI ''ii
of the survivors, were left on the other side IS '
bridge. S'"e vi thc |
Those who walked across got in tho oor,
arrived last night, and proceeded immed;a.a, mt
the city. How soon the dead and wounded ,naS ~
brought in, it is impossible to conjecture Wbon
our ini Iaht lett the creek, there no show for
anything to cross there being no boats of any de
scrpton at hand The wounded were all placed |
IN one car; and with the kind attentions of nbys;
ciahs ana friends were doing well as could no
expected The dead (2s in numbe,) were all ha,
ea up and placed in separate ear -
Among the killed not before mep,;o,oa ,ro q.
heV MI Ieasdale, 5. Best T. Barr ! A D.
Mr. Lynch, II. N. Dubois, VIM. Horn, los F;nms
gan, Mr. Bryan, Mr.. Moore and three othcrs NV,
Unidentified, one of them colorcd 'o'
APPAiLISG.-We learn from Lloyd's for,bcom.
ing directory, that by the sinking OF the stoamar
Monntaineer on the Mississippi River. in Is37 fnnr
iundred and forty-one Indians under charge of The
=, ,9,as.erhment, were drowned besides seventeen
FILLS FOR EhaLAsD.-We noticed in the
- 'ign' mousse OF the Concord road, the other doy
s onc uaared and twelve barrels of apples marked
ssn t 90 England. We understand thai
rt an,a ,o ., TINS city an Englishman, trades in
sai. quile largely, and sends to Liyernooi eyer,
,s'. sefeasi hundred barrels of New Hampshrs
1