The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-07-19
APPALLING RAILR0lD DfSlsTRR.

80 SAAsN AAl4nUhv gA0AD -.
COLLISION ON THE NoRTH PENN.
sYLyANtA KArLROAD.
AN ExcURsIon TRAIS aWRRcKED
| SEVERAL CARS BURNT.
NEARLY FIFTY LIVES LosTl
Nineteen Pcrsens Burat g DEATH Suicide
sfshe Cenducter. ss
Tho telegraph yesterday announced the occur
| renee Of an appalling DISASTER ON the North Penn-
sylvanla Railroad, At o'clock Thursday morning.
A freight train from Gwynedd ran into an exeur.
sion train having on board ak hundred persons -
The Philadelphia Bulletin Of Thursday afternoon
| says: 49, "a 2sFssssls68 sst' Ii So 81
| About nine o'clock this morning the appalling
/ intelligence reached tho city that Z collision had
occurred upon the North Psnnsyivania Railroad,
between the regular morning tram from Gwynedd
and aD. excursion train that len the city 1t Eve
o'clock this morning, with large party Of school
children, with their teachers &c The particulars.
no far as we have been able to CLEAN them from
| reliable sources, are as follows:
At i've o'clock this morning special train Of ten
cars left the Master Street Depot with the schools
| Of ST. Michaels Roman Catholic Church, In Ken
| siugton. Tie excursion party consisted of be.
majority Of whom were children. They intended
proceeding to Fort Washington, fourteen and .
half miles from the city, where they were to enjoy
| a picnic,
| Owing to the number of cars, and the weight Of
the train, there was some delay, and the conduct.
| or, Mr.. Alfred F.. Hoppel finding himself behind
time, pushed forward with great rapidly when to.
wards the end of his trip. 8 Ill
The regular passenger train for the city left
/ Gywnedd at six c'clock and reached Camp Hill
| at 6 O'Clock and l8 minutes. Finding the excur.
1 sion train had not yet arrived, Mr.. VIM Yantsta
voren, the conductor, determined not to await
for it. and his train was moving along when the ex.
pected train came laundering on around . curve,
at the rate of thirty-iye miles An hour A collis.
ion of course ensued withthe most APPALLING conse.
quences
The down train escaped without serious dam.
age, but the scene presented by the excursion
train was fearful The three forward cars of the
train were crushed completely to pieces. and the
wreck, minging with that Of the locomotive, took
fire, and the flames communicated to the other
cars of the train. The two next cars after the
three that were wrecked outright took fire. and
were entirely consumed.
The Inmates of the three forward cars were
completely mixed up with the wreck, and large
number ef them were killed outright. There
were probably fifty persons in each of the three
cars, and the lowest estimate We beard fx the
number of killed at fifty, while it is feared the
dread aggregate would reach one hundred
Mr. Hoppcl the conductor, escaped with very
little injury. Harry Harris, the engineer of the
excursion train, was cut to pieces and killed in
stantiy, and John Bsgans, the fireman, IL among
the missiug and it is believed he II under the
wreck
The locomotive Aramingo, under charge of con-
ductor VIM. yansiavoren, left Fort Washington
station, II miles below Gwynedd, at o'clock II
min There were only about twenty passengers
ON the train, which consisted of . locomotive, .
tender, a smoking and baggage car, and one pas
/ senger car. ssTH aGa s a
tor inquired If the excursion train had arrived. A
gentleman present answered In the negative
The conductor said s'they ought to be mp" and i'm
mediately gave the word ''right"-the bell was
rung and the train proceeded down At slow rate
tho engineer constantly sounding his whistle
The collision took place about one hundred yards
north of Dewey's Lane, and l2t miles from Phila-
delphia.
The up train was drawn by locomotive Shacka.
maxon, Wm. Harris. engineer, who was SO dread
fully injured that he soon died
The train was under the charge of Conductor
A Hoppel who had one Of bis legs broken.
They were going At rapid rate, and as the
train met at shon curve, could not discern the
train coming down until they were within few
yards of each other ~ 4 t2
The up train con sisted Of twelve passenger cars
baggage ear q locomotive and tender 1t Is e.
timated that there were over eleven hundred per
sons on this train, of which one half were small
children.
The next down train left Gwynedd at q, and
arrived at the scene of disaster at 40 tke proper
time. Conductor Henry Keyser and the Engi.
neers of the locomotive 'Cohocksink, at once set
TO work and rendered every assistance that hu-
mapity could dictate. They served water, pro.
cured setteas physicians and did every thing that
it was possible for any men to do
The crash of the two trains was distictly heard
at the Hotel at Fort Washington, and for . dis
tance of over mile out At Dewy's Lane.
All the physicians in the neighborinR towns " ere
summoned TO the place and used their best efforts
to relieve the wounded.
The most horrible sight of all was that Of the
burning cars--for in few moments after the col
lision the fire spread rapidly through the broken
remains burning and roasting to death ninetccn men,
wemen and children. The groaps aud shouts Of
the wounded and those held by the legs and arms
to the burning wreck were of character TO appail
the brayest heart .gsssssgs
row Of men was at once formed and buckets
used to extinguish the fames, but they woe un.
successful. large number of persons were Ia
ken from the wreck slightly bruised, and made
hair breadth escapes from being burned to death.
The farmers in the vicinity rendered every ..
sistance in their power, except one man, who de
manded $40 for wagon to 60 = mile for physi
| clan.
Statement of Mr.. VIM. Swain.
Mr. VIM. Swain was at Chestnut Hill, about
three miles distant when the disaster occurred; he
Immediately FASTENED to the spot. and be furnish
| es with the following particulars Of the catas
| trophe that came under his own observation:
The scene WAS the most awful ever witnessed
/ Of Eve cars nothing was left standing but the
| wheels; every bit Of wood work WAS totally de-
stroyed. A Number of the dead were lying In
heap, so dreadfully burned that you could mot tell
1 whether they were men or women Among these
was it is believed, the Rev. Mr. Sheridan, priest Of
/ st. Michaels Church. He was with the excursion
/ party and his body was not found.
/ Under the ruins the bodies of some fifteen OF
/ eighteen persons could be seen. No portion o!
| them could be reached, but their lmbs-here lea
protruded and there an arm or hesd-could be
discovered. The cars could be seen burning for q
distance Of four miles. and the Chesnut Hui Fire
Company fastened 70 the spot, and by their exer'
tions in extnguishng the flames. served materially
| In the work of rescuing the dead. & ss&s&
1 The people around the neighborheod hastened
to the dreadful fcene and by every means in their
i power assisted In the relief uf the wounded. For
tunately there was quantity of ice and icc-cfeam
on the train; this given TO the wounded and II
i refreshed them greatly. sst
i Drs TJacoby, Esbert and Smith, Of Chestnut Hill
ana DR. Nswberry, of White Marsh, were among
the physicians who were early upon the spot, and
who did everything In their power 10 assist the
4 wounded. There was but one house In the imme-
dtate vicinity and this was thrown open 70 the re-
| cepton Of the sufferers
As thetrain Of baggage cars, sent mp from the
Il cify. 2pDrOac6Rd tho tha hoUuarad al