The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-09-05
.GBt 4ailg gournal.
Awful Railroad Slaughter---Massacre on the New
Jersey Railread---Twenty Persons Killed.
Seventy-fve others Mutilated.

| Jersey Ra1lread---Twenty Persons Killed
seventy-fve others Mutilated
! Mr.. James E, Ray, merchant doing busi
ness at los Bowery was on board the train
and was somewhat injured, but not seriously
] He sustained a cut upon the head, and had one
breast of his coat completely torn off, and hi.
shoulder slightly injured. 1t was with diff
Guilty that he extricated himself from the wreck
of cars, and deems his escape almost miracu
4 lOus
! Mr.. Ray says that the train consisted O
engine, tender, baggage car and four passenger
cars with one hundred and eighty passengers
and left Philadelphia at the usual time ten
o'clock and twenty minutes. They had run
IabOut twenty-one miles, and were two miles
this side of Burlington N j., when the engi-
neer discovered the morning train from New
York approaching, and there being but single
track, he reversed the engine and commenced
backing the train to the Burlington switch, in
order to allow the train to pass. They had
gone backward about mile, and We're about
the same distance from the switch, going at
the rate of twenty or twenty-five miles an
hour, when the accident occurred in this wise:
A physician named Harrington was driving a
lspan of horses before a carriage in which were
four or five ladies, and attempted to cross the
track ahead of the train but the horses Just
got upon the track when they were struck by
the first passenger car and instantly killed, one
being thrown on one side of the track and his
mate on the other. Neither of the persons in
the carriage We're materially injured, although,
under the circumstances it seems wonderful.
The train being on the move backward, the
engineer did not see the horses and carriage
and was not aware of the collision until he saw
one of the carriage wheels lying on the track
as the engine passed over it. The conductor
saw the horses and carriage and apprehended
the train would strike them but the bell-rope
was out of order, SO that he could not warn the
Iengineer. He started through the cars for the
purpose of doing this in person, but was too
late, and the car and horses struck before he
could get there. The conclusion threw the
first passenger car oil the track and down an
embankment of eight or ten feet high and with
the momentum that the train had at the time.
the next two passenger cars were drawn down,
one after the other, on the top of the first,
while the fourth was thrown clear over all of
them with tremendous force. The fourth pas
senger car became detached from the baggage1
car and this, together with the engine and ten
der, was left on the embanBment above. and
very little injury was done to those cars or
those who occupied them.
L
the embankment were literally broken into
fragments, and the wood work of one of them
was reduced to pieces, none of which were
over four inches wide, every panel having been
crushed apart
Here followed a scene which those who be-
held it, represent as being truly appalling
that would shake the strongest nerves and
sicken the stoutest heart The cries of the
mangled human beings who were buried be-
meath that chaotic wreck of material almost
palsied the senses and disabled the arms ofl
the few who were so fortunate as to be able to
render assistance. Those, however. who could |
eXtricate themselves, and were not disabled by |
injuries assisted by the residents in the yicin-
ity, set themselves to work to remove their |
unfortunate companions from the ruins. 1t |
was some time though before the task was |
timbers iron wheels and axles be-
ing piled upon them in a confused mass; and /
alas! tehre were too many who could not APP
preclate their labors, who felt not the weight !
upon them-they were dead. Those who /
were got out alive were, almost without excep-
ton, injured in greater or less degree-and |
many were so seriously hurt that their lives
were despaired of, and the injuries were of ev-
cry description and character imaginable
There were broken legs and arms, halfscalped |
able kind of flesh wounds
Among the killed was middle aged lady,
who was travelling in company with daugh-
ter of about fourteen or fifteen years The
body OF the mother was removed from the
spot on bier followed by the stricken child, |
bedewing the path she trod with tears of the
intensest grief
Another lady, who was supposed to be from
Patterson, had her head severed from the body, /
and they were found few feet apart, with the
hat still on the head, and the ribbon tied under
the chin.
A man who attempted to escape by jump /
ing, was caught between the cars as they went
down the embankment, and his body com
pletely cut in two just above the hips.
A train was sent down to the scene of the
disaster from Burlington, and the dead bodies i
together with the wounded that had not been
conveyed to residences in the vicinity, were /
taken to the Burlington Depot Here the
dead were covered with blankets to await the
Coroner's investigation, ard every aid that hu-
manity could furnish, was rendered to the in /
jured sufferers. The ladies of the place came |
with linen to bandag ge broken and bruised heads |
and limbs and TO speak those gentle eonsola- |
tions which woman alone can utter The |
clergymen of the place, and among them Bish- |
op Doane, were also present, and while one |
smoothed the pillow of a groaning sufferer, an
other, with hands clasped, would supplicate
Heaven in behalf of some dying one.
81 -lg ~ L. Tribune