Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-05-28
ON Iho Ranaaa RallrOad.

ON the Ranaaa RallrOad.
srATxxExr mr. An ErE-wrrNEss.
NJ. Alfred L. Armstrong, ofoquawka, Ill, the
only person returning TO New York in the
George Law who was on the trainto which the
accident occurred, has furnished the reporter Of
the N. Y. Times with The following particulars Of
the disaster;
Twas seated In the seventh passenger car from
the locomotive. The train was going at an un-
usually high rate Of speed, SO much so, that the
fact Was ssubject of remark among the passen.
gers generally In the car In which sat The
rpeed was commented upon as dangerous, from
the frequent and short curves in the road. felt
somewhat alarmed and put my head out Of the
window did no. have my head out more than
a minute, whoa saw the front passenger car
los TIE train was PASSING c,lrye) suddenly force
fhc outer rail from It's place, and darting from
the track, instaptaneopsiy turn a complete side
srmmerset All recolleet from that moment II
feeling sudden crash and crying out, 1--WE arr
Nil Killed. ] saw the passengers jump to thei,
feet, and made jump myself, but how OF
where know not. only know that found
myself in an instast landed upright on my feet in
pond alongside the track. The scene that en-
sued il is impossible to describe. The locomo
tive and first baggage car, having retained their
place on the track, proceeded some distance, at
II uDconsc ious OF tho sudden sundering of the
link that connected them with the remaining cars
OF the train.
Tue seven cars succeeding the one first thrown
'ro!n he track were a mingled mass of shattered
fragments. They had been thrown sideways,
ieas'assa,R, crossways, bottom side up, sides
III. s{ls up, and in every Imaginable way. PoT
tons ot he wrcck were submerged IN the port
Il. A = -
0. agony ,l,-i rose from amid the ruins were
hear. ~. rcing Here was visible an arm, ant
therca leg with no other appcndage. In an.
other place was presented the sad spectacle Of
head separated from the body, and again tn,
trunk ola human body shorn entirely of its head
and limbs. A. soon as pc 'sbe after the crash
those uninjurcd turned their attention to dis
cover tho extent of loss of life and wounds sus
tanned. |. was found that beyond the first eight
cars, tire inilrs 10 the passengers did not ex-
tend cSccp, IN occasional bruises to those &C
cup,iiig the two passenger cars directly follow
ing these "isht. Both OF these latter cars were
thrown from the track, and the occupants re-
ceived more or less Commissions. The remaining
cars of the train retained their places on the
rails, and the people inside received no injuries
other than some slight bruises. While those
having escaped personal injury were seeking to
recover from beneath the wreck those still giving
symptoms lie, the locomotive detached from
the train which had come back to the scene OF
the disaster was dispatched to Aspinwall for
help TO search for the dead aud wounded. The
place of the accident was near Gatun's Bridge,
only nine miles distance from Aspinwall. The
track for some distance was completely torn up,
70 that the cars still remaining on the track
could not be attached to the engine in front. AT
about 4 p NJ, train returned from Aspinwall
p. ~, JnJ
dreadfuy from thirst. Many of them drank
from the muddy pond on either side of the track,
though 1t was red with human blood. Fortunate
ly a supply of water was brought by the train,
which greatly alleviated their sutferngs. Fifty
three wounded passengers were placed ON the
cars aud taken to Aspinwall for medical and
surgical treatment.
No physicians came with the train, though the
reason why none were sent was not explained.
The bodies of the dead, as far as recovered from
the wreck, were not removed. 1t was about
o'clock in the evening when the first train re-
turned to Aspinwall.
remained to assist in digging out the dead
bodies. The night was dark, and with the dim
light shed over the ground by few lanterns,
showing risibly here aud there heaps of dead
bodies, and the increasing means and shrieks OF
the wounded added to the mournfui counte-
nances OF those at work in the removal of the
shattered wreck, made it a scene never to DO Tor
gotten. AT O'clock in the morning, second
train arrived from Aspinwan and carried back
more OF the wounded. left in this train. The
bodies of the dead and some Of the wounded
stiil remained at the scene of the disaster. did
no, get the names of any of the killed or the
wounded. None ba steerdqe passengers acre an
Jared. Two Young men in company with my
self, aud occupying the seat directly in front OF
me, were instantly killed. Their names were
Vim, McMlen and James Crawley, of Roches-
ter, New York. The former leaves wife and
two children. learned that all the brakemen OF
the srain were killed. Over eight hundred per-
sons were ON the train. OF these l should pre-
sumo that three hundred were killed aud serious.
" wounded