New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-09
THE GAsCOyADE CATASTROPHE.


Fron Ia S. LOss E<ssisg SeuS' Nor. =
tis before d, nov-;ha. terrible tcere. Inc mo-
neI before the long usin with is losd OF Life .p'
nroached the fatal sot many were intsnlv oosfrviuS
som the zndows the sen NAKED hoe whleh sap
arsed the thick turbd waves of toe Missouri from ne
pelucid waters o, Gas oDetei others looked ou'
on tie org bridge We were approaching, AMI re-
marked on is strength or lis ffsilty; sn Old gentle
nsn, whom we thought unduly can 'ious and oe vo
wished he was out, for 81 he, " oeIege ="
dow near Us in q way 70 3 he stcuc ure ald
tuned ROM sgan without the ssadoF Of g ie4r ;ut.
we were 6Ooued 10. 20 cross II. At MS m)neh'
came the obstruction We could see nohing, but We
bead every hing. A sharp, piercing sound, "a OF
shattered tinbers came from The front. We aueF is
meaning. The br.dge bar broken down. Ten t)l
lowed four separate, weidehned crashes, Snd our cf
to- the Inevitable yuDge ~ tue hTt sound we 20 su,
10 our feet and started 10 ssck ward. II seemed a.
thou the ruin approaching u instesd of our near
me i Every man In the croSced Oar in watch We
xere seated Jumped up toe SILVER in f;on told OF
tie comine oanger During th)ss fey terrible mo-
uepts in which We approached the preciplce, the
ir'er se6t silence prevailed. Not word va spoken.
We hsd given but two steps backward IN the iavoun'
tory effor; to AVOID GeDgW, when our time came n
follow those woo bad gone before. Down, down,
down eLdle,sly We seemed 70 go. We wee no, long
falling vet /, seemed ages. The memory OF r.llros1
accidents we had re Vi Of AMI the reflection mat we
were in the dst of ore OF ir.ghful chaT1 ter; the
question soon 10 be solved whether we would escape
or be killed the reflection tia. might be klet the
rext II omen the inward belief thai We youid No.
be killed at all: Killing thought a. tie idea OF being
crushed by beam, transtxed by q rod, o. torn
asupdor BY adverse f0rcss-1 these thoughts hlsled
acIcss our mind while falling Then taere sas SO tire
merdous cor ussion ano found that were IN the
ground under mass OF leaning timber which, how
ever old not touch US Ih0Ugh Ia the I'M ist OF
crowd when he car commencei falling, we saw no one
rear us on the ground We craaled our from uuder
the wreck, and thanked God tina, we were safe.
We sat down on some 10 recover from the shock.
There wos MT q sound 10 be heard. No, q
elIeb, or groaD, or cry came from the week All
was silent as death. After moment we looked AMI
listened again. Men were creeping, craving AMI
bobtlirg from the shattered cars, s)me holding he,
some pressing an arm, ard some cas?lns the heal
Several sat oOwn near Us and Dreamed heavily, 0u'
spoks not. 4 man staggered by an1 said, quietly: my
collar bone is broken" Capt. Couzen' wee. past win
man swinging TO bis necG. His teetdii not touch the
ground, for his legs were broken. wooden shanty
was Standing a short distance off and we gov No and
walked 10 it. Mayor King with the blood sire lning
over biz face from cash his orehea Fas trying to
tear down the door. ii finally succeeded, and we
then assisted by Others who had come no, toe OF tle
sides so as easily TO admit OF the wounded being
brought in The floor soon covered WITH the pros
traie forms of men marked by every descr Jton OF in
jury. Obe had q leg lying unnaturaly bent, or an
ann doubled backward; here was one bending his
he sd forward let the blood drip from taping gas1
in his face and there another with hs bowels pro!rul-
in from bideous wound in his body. No one COM
anei except when those who brough, Ia the wounded
in their haste stepped fractured arm or disturbed
broken leg. Thee suffering victims showed no Feas
tmiity nor sohshuess. Even through their agony
shore The traits of a generous manhood. No one de-
sized to epgress the attention of his friends, but all
submitted without murmur TO the wretched comforts
thai alone could be provided. small BOY was DE,
hrcus with a wOuad on The head. Awhile he would
lie moaninc in the shany, then jump up run into the
rain with shreks thai would have made the haedest
hear shUdcer A considerable time elapsed at:er the
accident before men spoke about Il. Ihey were
stunned, shocked bewildered and unstrung by the
conclusion and overpowe ed by the overwhelming
consciousness OF the destruction they looked upon
As they recovered their sepses hey began 10 talk.
One knew that the man who sal next 10 him wls
killed., for a wheel bad fallen on him; another saw the
mar before him pierced by huge splinter and
another i'll the roof OF car as Il csushei the lite
out OF this citizen or that ose
AT one part of the wreck several wounded persons
could be seen directing the aoors Of those engaged in
CxtricatirC them One by one, as the Il nbers which
pressed them were cut away, they we're dragged
out snd away. Uacer the roof of one car could
be the pIoruoDg limbs OF seven lteess bodies,
crushed 10 Instant death as they fol-. The dead were
neel cted and the living sufferers alone thought Of
body wi len SD brought oui and placed on
log Iken iin ,tsed TO move and a mao placed his
er ovsr he heart, but il was pulseess The face,
chest and neck of the dead man were dlscolored, so
that it could scarcely be reco} nized Passers by
looked on the face and asked who it was, but could
not learn. IL was Mr.. Chouteau. Men ran wildly
about, seeking friends of whOse fate they were an-
certain till mooL less corpse visible through crew
ice in the wreck told the worst or till the ones
looked for we're met, when 9 momentary can OF
ioy at the meeting would light up the universal
gloom. Slr. OSullivan stood on the platform OF
The engine to tote the efiec! of toe passage OF the
bridge. His quick eye saw the yielding of the tim
bers, ard consciousness of the importing horror
seized bis mind. My God, boys, we are all killed,
had hsrdly escaped his mouth, when he went down
never TO rise nor speak again. Several countrsmen,
on the opposite shore of the river two huoded yards
distant, Witnessed tie awful spectacle. They gaEed
with curious delight as they that magu cent train
sweep along the high en- bankment toward the fatal
spot they were still staring with pleased wonder
when shudder came over them ard rooted them to
the spot, as the locomotive went down, and each
whrng car az il came TO the abutment, stopped no.,
but leaped down with ts precious load of life. 1t wac
aknible picture Of blood aud tears, of woe and sor.
row of suffering and fortitude, Of silent agony and
speechess grief of life and death, which, We pray
Heaven, We may never look on again.