The Trinity journal., 1856-05-31

1T necessary to unite the two passenger
trains behind one engine, giving it burden
SO heavy and unwieldy as to be scarcely
manageable on the grades and curves. The
/ locomotive Of the mail train was in charge
of an engineer, named Williams, whom the
superintendent, Mr. Center, found to be in
capable of reinstoting his machine The
superintendent learning that there were two
engineers among the passengers, whose
names are Abraham Jones, Of Poughkeepsie,
\. Y, and John Halpin Of the Cleveland,
Columbus and Cincinnati railroad-he per-
suaded them to take charge Of putting the
engine on the track; this they soon accom-
plished. The length and weight Of the re-
turning passenger train compelled the engi-
neer to run rapidly over level places to OBJ
tain a momentum sufficient to make the sum
NIT Of ascending grades and long curves,
which constitute the greatest peculiarity of
the entire road The loose nature of the
soil, the dccaying effect it readily has upon
the wooden material used in the construc-
tiOn Of the road and its constant absorption
of moisture endanger every train unless run
at very moderate speed; and the danger
is increased by the fact that where the ties
begin TO soften with rot, destructive insects
lend their aid in weakening and consuming
the durability Of the wood
INCIDENTS.
Everything tended to make the situation
Of the uninured passengers peculiarly un-
pleasant. 1t had raned just previous to the
accident, and as darkness approached thick
clouds hung over the spot dripping chilly
and penetrating mist, the heated earth sent
up stencil putrid with the maarious sur
/ face, and the insect host of the marsh set the
woods to echoing with their varied and dis
cordant buzzing and croaking, while the
groaning of the manned and the signing and
sobbing Of those who had lost relatives min
gIed with the cries Of young children whose
dead mothers lay gathering upon their dis
torted lips the cold dampness of night, es-
tabliShed and maintained a mournfuness too
, complete for any one to Withstand its i'll
+ luence. No food, no lights, and universal
+ exhaustion enhanced the gloom prevailing,
! and each shiyerng tenant Of the crowded
4 cars deemed himself in the most pitiabe con
: dition.
Q The appearance Of the crowded cars i'm
mediatcly after the catastrophe was wonder
tul and shocking. Deep pools Of coaguat-
ing blood had formed on the larger pieces
of the roofing and panel work, and from the
smaller ones the yet warm gore was drop
IS ping into the waters of the bitches Th
/, force Of the crash was tremendous, and tn
It space occupied by the fragments did not ap
{ pear large enough to receive, at the sam
Il height the ruins Of more than one or tw
Al I - A. Al
J., whole nine cars shut together, like so man,
> light boxes compressed into each other witt
e such startling violence that they were shiy
Y cred to atoms
+ Scattered all about the wreck were reek
h ing bodies, some cut and torn asunder at th
e middle some driven into shapes that, il
: any other place, could not have been identi
{ fed as belonging to mortality; some TWISTED
c as though they were fiimSy cloths, and 9th
Il ers piled one upon another like slain combat
t ants in battle resting in the blood of the car
e mage. Under one heavy piece Of car la,
s. a woman folding in her stiff and manglet
# arms her breathess child; under another sa
e an old man, upheld by splinter passing
J. through him, his prOtruding cye-bals ap
d parently gazing in mute horror at the aWfu
e scene. Near one of the tossed rails was
: human head severed clean from knship with
the body; little way on the entire facial
part Of another hung to the end of broken
tie, and just beyond the upper portion of q
skull, holding the brain OF its possessor,
clung by the hair to the edge Of ditch
But worst Of ALL woman advanced in preg-
nancy was killed in manner which exposed
through her wounds the unborn child
Yet in presence of all this there were those
3 who FASTENED to rob the dead. Several of
= the passengers were seen to cut off money
: belts and search the pockets Of the killed
and helplessly wounded. Some thus riaed
had large sums in gold, besides watches, re-
volyers and .ewelry about them. While
conveying the injured to town. an old Ger
man, suffering from a broken thigh, cut,
with pocket knife, main artery and bed
to death; prelerring to die in this way to
remaining in the hospital. In searching for
the dead around the wreck the foot of a
colored man was observed projecting above
the ground, his entire body sunken from
view. An effort was made to pull it forth,
but in the attempt the leg was torn away
This circumstance causes the writer, who
was an eyewitness, to believe that more OF
: the killed still lie imbedded in the soft sand
in the vicinity Of the spot where the accident
happened. A Young infant whose mother
Mrs. Crowan, was killed, and whose father
= is supposed to reside in San Francisco, was
: found in the ruins unharmed and given tC
t the women in the remaining cars They
considering it burden, passed it from one
5 to another, but finally it disappeared, anc
: was not heard Of until morning, when it was
S picked up on the sea shore in front of the
town by French merchant, and placed il
5 care Of his wife, who now has it, Six othel
, children, all young, were left orphans, ant
came on the Golden Age, dependant upor
the charities of this community.
The dead were buried on the morning o
the 7th without shroud, or coffin, or funcra
service, in pits dug near the read, under The