Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1855-11-09
The Pacific Railroad Disaster
Full Particulars,
The ST. Louis RepaJlicda. Of Saturday,
savs of the causa of ,Lo ooo;3o,t.

bhYS Vi Tue CduSS Ol t9e aCclQenl.
1t has been suggested, that the devlish
malice Of some evil disposed persons may
have been at work to weaken the super
structure, and thus to expose 10 the hazard
Of death the hundreds of valuable lives in
the cars on that day. This much is certain,
that Mr. O'Sullivsn himself believed that
the bridge was perfectly secure, or he new
er would have ventured that freight Of life
upon it. He had gocd reasons to believe
SO, for, on the night previous, as we bad it
from his own lips, he had passed over the
road from the Osage river to st. Louis,
with the locomotive, and he exultingly said,
all was right. Mr.. O'SulIivan had Difficult
lies to encounter, in the completion OF this
work, Of which no man not initiated has
any conception, and it seems TO be source
Of great satisfaction 10 hin, that he had
overcome them all, and that his triumph
was at hand Then be had no fears Of
.he capacity Of the bridge TO sustain the
pressure upon L, is shown by the confidence
with which he puts himself in the post Of
danger, on the locomotive ITSELF position
in which he was willing TO risk his own life.
but moi for the wealth of words he could
not have been induced TO endanger the lives
of those committed to lis charge.
The masonry Of this bridge was the
work of Safer Schulenburg & Co, and is
of the most substantial kind. Ithad stood
every test yet applied TO it, without dam
age in any shape Whatever. The wooden
superslrueture-trestl wogE-was put up
by Stone, Pooner & CO., men Of great ex-
perience in bridge building in the West,
and whose reputation ought to protect them
from any imputation Of design 10 turn over
to the Company, an imperfect or unfinished
piece Of work. We shall be slow 10 believe
that they have done 50, except on the plain
est testimony.
The editor Of TIE ST. Louis Ne1gS was
on the doomed train, and gives a graphic
description Of the disaster After describ-
ing the rejoicing along the road, he says:
But how soon was the scene TO be chang
ed How soon were so many Of those
bounding hearts TO be pulselessl No one
dreamed that death was so near, and yet it
lurked for US only few miles further on.
At 1 O'Clock we left Hermann, preceded
BY a locomotive and tender, which had
been sent forward to see that the way was
clear and no danger impending Soon we
came in sight of the bridge across the Gas
conade river, about nine miles form Her
mann, and about lhirty-ive from Jefferson
City. The bridge is approached by an en-
bankment thirty feet high, which termi-
mates in massive stone abutment. Forty
yards from the abutment, and just at the
edge Of the river, stands another stone
pillar, three more of which reach to the
other side of the stream, ard support the
bridge. The river is about two hundred
and fifty yards wide, and the bridge thirty
feet high, at least The Pioneer locomo-
tive had crossed tie structure safely, and
was waiting on the other side to see the re-
suit of our attempt There was no fear Of
danger, and no apprehension Of peril.
We slowly moved along the embankment
and came on TO the bridge. The locomo,
tive had passed the first span, and had its
fore wheels above the f-st pillar-beyond
the abutment-there being then, resting on
the first span, the locomotive, baggage car
and two heavily loadened passenger cars.
The weight was too much for the long, slen,
der timber which supported the rails and
enormous load above. Suddenly we heard
a horrid crash-it rings in our ears now
saw a movement amongst those in the car
in which we were seated; then there came
sh-crash-crash-a 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 on at intervals
of nearly a second. We ourself were seat
ed in the seventh car--there being three
behind us-and when we heard the horrid
sound that came up as each slowly and
deliberately took the leap, we hoped that
cur car might stop before it reached the
precipice. But no; il seemed that the spir-
itof ruin was beneath deierminedly drag
ging each car TO the spot, wrenching it
from its fastening, and hurling it TO the at
oms beneath. Six cars fell into one mass,
each on the other, and were shivered into
fragments The seventh fell with It's for
ward end to the ground; but the other end
rested on the top of the abutment. Those
in it we're only bruised. The eighth and
ninth cars tumbled down the enbankment
before they reached the abutment
Such a wreck we never saw, and hope
never again 10 see. Il was one undis
linguishable mss of wooden beams, seats,
iron wheels and rods, from beneath which
came up groans of agony. Those who
could, craWled out Of the ruin Immediately,
and either sought TO relieve their own
wounds or tie wounds Of their friends.-
Some wept tears Of joy TO find their friends
alive, and others shnJdered TO find their
friends dead. The uniijured organized
themselves under the lead OF Mr. Pride,
the Conductor, and endeayored, by chop
ping, to extIicale those WHO we're yet alive,
from the wreck. Here beam was cut in
to, 10 d;seagage a broken arm; there 20
iron axel was pred up 10 relieve murila-
ted leg. There was NJ shdeking and
screaming, though they ali Begged, for the
love Of Heaven, to be exiricaleI from some
mass Of iron or.beam Of uoud, which nm
ned them to The earth. All begged for wa
Ter, drank it when brought, and prayed for
more. There was hardly an entirely unin-
idred man to be seen. Mos, of those who
had escaped had streams Of biocd A9a ing
over their faces from spHnier wour ds.-
OTHERS Iimped aai hobbled about, looking
for their friends. \ board shanty Was tie