Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-07-25

FURTHER PARI1cULARs


The Philadelphia papers of Saturday give addi-
onal particulars with regard to the dreadful dsas-
ter ON the North Pennsylvania Rail Road. The
killed number ffty-six.
INCIDENTS OF THE DISASTER.
Like all such terrible events, this calamity was
marked by incidents that exhibited the nobest feel
ngs of humanity. Among the many instances of
noble heroism of which heard the following:
Near the of the accident stands Mr. Bitting's
Hotel At this house there are several boarders,
ladies and gentlemen, who have secured summer
lodgings there to avoid our heated city The boar.
ders at this hotel were early at the scene of the dis
ter, and rendered every service in their power but
what was calculated most TO melt the soutest heart
was the following incident: A little, feeble infant
was found in the ruins of one of the cars pteousy
crying for its mother. No mother appeared 10 an
sWer the summons-she doubtless crushed to
DEATH Quick thought Mrs G., one of the boar
ders at Bttings, seized the little sufferer and placed
1t to her breast, and there, under the burning
rays of the this woman, robbing, perhaps, her
own infant OF its nourlshment, sustaining this
orphan, while all around was noise and confusion.
and groans. and suffering and death
Among the surgeons who present and who
iabored with so much industry that they seemed 10
be ubiquitous, were Drs Green, Henry, Corson, Mar.
ten, FOulke, Bolton and Shelmerdne.
The weather yesterday terribly hot and the
sun glared down with dreadful Intensity upon the
poor victims, and upon those who toed 10 relieve
their suferings.
AN eyewitness describes one car that look lire,
and which was In flames liz an instant AS soon
possible the car broken open but living soul
was left in il. The inmates all dead and en-
veloped in the fierce flames.
The place where the accident occurred is called
Camp Hill Station. 1t is Is miles from the CITY,
The road curves twice, that att say 500 yards the
approaching locomotives could not be seen by their
respective engineers.
| The ground Of the road is made an embank-
ment, running along for about 100 Or $50 yards
This cmbankment is about tWenty.siX feet in height.
The track is single, and when the locomotives
rushed together, they reared up end dashing each
other 10 pieces and becoming ANAL gamated were,
in apparently inextrcable OF iron and brass.
The bottoms of The two engines struck together, and
the entire fell upon their side upon the
western slope Of the embankment.
Three OF the cars OF the excursion train caught fire
like flash, and in very few moments nothing
left of them but the Wheels the other iron work, and
few Charred tmbers and smOuldering pieces of the
human fran c.
There are two hotels two dwelling houses, black
smith shop, and a small shed, within about 800 yards
of the scene, and 10 these places the wounded
fist carried. Not Tree is to be for cOnsId
cradle distance any side, and the fierce sun beat
down upon the dead, the wounded, their rescuers,
and their half crazed friends who focking to the
scene all running foot IN wagons, and every spe-
cles of vehicle that could be procured in the city.
The bodies Of those who were burned beyond re-
cognition, were gathered together. In blacksmith
shop, near where the accident occurred counted
t1Centy one burned bodies.
Under a temporary shed lay the bodies of eight
other human beings, Charred to be utterly un-
recognizable.
Near where the engines came in collision, portions
of human bodies lay among the smoking timbers and
bent iron.
We will not shock our readers by description of
the condition of these bodies All were burned in
The most horrible manner, and of the whole number
there many that mutiIated that there is
not the slightest hope of their being identified. Very
few had any vestige of their clothing left on their
bodies, and the heads and limbs of many burnt
entirely off This morning there fifteen bodies
at the Master street Depot that cannot possibly be
recognized.
Some of the bodies of the victims were without
doubt entirely consumed Ex- Lieut.. Davis, in search
| ing among the ashes under some portion OF the ma
chlnery, found few calcineI human bones in two
places. They were without doubt, all that left
of two human beings! The remains of both could
readily be held in the palm OF the hand
Two three trains to and fro between the
city and the of the disaster during the after
noon. The friends of the sufferers crowded upon the
up trains despite the exerons of the police to pre-.
vent rush, and some of the more daring ones actu
ally rode upon the cow catcher in front of the loco
motive.
The trains brought down the dead and the wound
ed. The latter were placed on the seats comfort
ably as circumstances would permit, and every at
lention possible shown by the physicians the
employees of the road, the police in charge OF the
train, and by the friends OF the victims.
The in the beggars description for horror.
Every conceivable kind and degree of wound was to
be seen, and nothing save signs OF agony from the
wounded their afflicted friends and relatives met
ones eyes at every turn.
The trains were run to town quite slowly and care
fully, and they passed along crowds of persons
fro m the road sizes ana the windows of dwelling
houses the line of the road gazed mouTnfully up
on the and their mournul fret ght
When the trains reached the outer depot they
were Immediately beset by anxious earnest, tear
full crowd of men, and children, who pressed
eagerly forward to the doors of the cars, and were
kept back with great difficulty.
AS soon as the intelligence of the calamity reached
the city, the principal of St. Josephs Hospital and
three Sisters of Charity attached TO the institution,
Immediately repaired to the scene. The q Sisters ="
were 10 be seen moving about like angels of mercy
among the wounded.
The excitement in the vicinity Of the depot
very great during the entire night of Thursday but
the strong police force detailed prevented the en-
trance of the throng into the building all of whoom
seemed to be anxious TO view the burned remains OF
the victims of the disaster Some of the bodies
| recognized during the night and early yesterday
morning, but 10 o'clock eight remnants of the hui
man form still remained. all of which were in such
condition that it impossible to recognize them
Walnut collins procured for those by the COM
pany, and during the afternoon they were removed
from the depot for interment.
A gentleman who was in the down train from Fort
Washington, Thursday, informs us that as soon
Conductor NanstavOren recovered from the shock OF
the collision he seized red dress worn by female
tore into pieces and ran up the track to stop the
next train due from Gwynned, in half an hour from
the time the i'll fated train started while another man
with the other half, down the track to stop the