The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-07-21
'R1H PREHsYLyANIA RAILR0AD
eATtSTR0rnr.

Ihk NORTH PENNSYLVANIA RlIL20AD
ST .N M CATASTROPHE. 5 sss 4
: FuRTHHR PARTICULARS. S
The Phliadslphia papers q satafdsy siys addl
aonal particulars With rsgard q ths dreadful al
aster % he North Psnnsylxanfa Railroad. The
xNed number Gaysix. 50
INCIDENTS or THx DISASTER. ssaa
Like III snch terrible events, this calamity was
msrked By Incidents that exhibited 1ke noilest
feelings Of humaulty. Among The many iustsnces
Of noble heroism q which We heard we're the fol
Near the scene of Che aesident stand. Ne nm.
tins's Hotel At this house there are ssversi
bcafders. ladies and gentlemen, who have secured
summer lodgings there to avoid our heated city,
The boarders at this hotel early ai the scene
Of the Disaster. and rendered every service IN
their power; but what was calculated most 10 melt
the stoutest heart, was the following incidents A
little, feeble infant found In the ruins Of one
Of the cars, piteeusy crying for its mosher No
was doubtless crushed to death. Quick as thought
Mrs G., one Of the boarders 1t Bittipgs seized the
little sufferer and placed It 70 her own breast and
there, under the burning rays Of the sun this wo.
ishment, was sustaining thia orphan. while all
around was noise and confusion, and groans, and
suffering, and death.
Among the surgeons who were present, and who
|
TO be ubiquitous were Drs. Green, Henry, Corson,
Martien, Foulke, Bolton and SheImerdine. t
The weather yesterday was terribly hot and the
sun glared down with dreadful intensity upon the
poor Victims and upon those who toiled to relieve
their suffsrings
An eyewitness describes one car that took FIRE,
and which was in flames in An instant. As soon
- possible the car was broken open, but no living
soul WAS left In It. The inmates were all dead and
enyeloped 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, SO that ct, say 500 yards,
the approaching locomotives could not be seen by
their respective engineers. sf
The ground of the road is "made" an embank-
ment, running along for about 100 or $50 yards
height. $50
{ Ine track Is single, and when the locomotives
rushed together, they reared up on end, dashipg
each other to pieces and becoming amalgamated as
it were, In an apparently inextricable mas Of iron
and brass. The bottoms OF the two engines struck
together, and the entire mass fell over upon their
side upon the western slope of the embankment
Three OF the cars of the excursion train caught
hre like flash, and in q very few moments moth
ing was left of them but the wheels tie other iron
work, and a few charred timbers and smoulder
ing pieces of the human frame.
There are two hotels. two dwelling houses, q
blacksmith shop, and q email she'd within about
800 yards OF the scene, and to these places the
wounded were first carried. Not q, tree is to be
&c
the fierce sun beat down upon the dead, the wound
ed, their resGuers, and their half crazed friends
who were fiocking to the scope, all running on
foot In wagons, and every species Of vehicle that
could be procured In the city IS ID
The bodies of those who were burned beyond
recognition were gathered together. In back-
smith shop, near where the accident occurred we
counted t,oenty one burned bodies i ssasgss 1. ll
Under temporary shed lay the bodies of eight
other human beings, charred as to be utterly un-
recognizable. zlef s.s - s*8 s.
Near where tho engines came in collision, por.
lions OF human bodies lay among the smoking tim.
bers, and the 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 were many that were mutilated
that there is not the slightest hope of their being
identified. Very few had any vestge of their clo-
thing left their bodies and the heads and limbs
of many were burned entirely off! This morning
there were fifteen bodies At the Mastertstreet De
pot that cannot possibly be recognized. ae3a
SOmo Of the bodies of the victims were without
doubt entirely consumed Ex-Lieut Davis, in
searching among the ashes under some portion OF
the machinery, found = few calcined human bones
In two places. They were, without doubt all that
was left Of two human beings! The remains Of
both could readily held in the pslm Of the haad.
Two or three trains ran to and fro between the
city and the scene of the disaster during the after
noon The friends of the sufferers crowded upon
the up trains despite the exertions of the police to
~
actually rode upon the COW catcher in front Of the
locomotive. . fts.s sts3s
The trains brought down the dead and the wound
ed. The latter were placed on the seats as CON-
fortably ~ circumstances would permit and every
attention possible was shown by the physicians,
the employees of the road, the police in charge of
the train, and by the friends of the Victims
The scene In the cars beggars description for
horror. Every conceivable kind and degree of
wornd was to be seen, and nothing save signs of
agony from the wounded or their afflicted friends
and relatives met ones eyes At every turn I.
The trains were run to town quite slowly and
carefully, and as they passed along crowds Of per-
sous from the road sides and the windows of dwell
linas on the line of the road gazed mournfuliy up.
ON the cars and their mournful freight
When the trains reached the outer depot, they
were immediately beset by an anxious. earnest,
fearful crowd Of men, women and children, who
pressed eagerly forward to the doors of the cars,
and were kept back with great difficulty.
As as the Intelligence OF the calamity reach
ed the city, the principal Of st. Joseph's Hospital
and three Sisters Of Charity attached to the nsti
tuition, Immediately repaired to the scene. The
Sisters" were to be seen moving about like angels
| of mercy among the wounded. FsS.st a8ssSi.
The excitement in the vicinity of the depot was
very great during the entire night Of Thursday,
but the strong police force detailed prevented the
entrance Of the throng into the building, all of
i whom seemed to be anxious to view the burned
| remains of the victims of the disaster. Some Of
the bodies were recognized during the night and
early yesterday morning, Dut ~ IL O'CLOCK ea8nt
remnants of the human form still remained, all OF
which were in such condition that Il was impos.
| sble TO recognize them. Walnut cofins were pro
cured for those by the company. and during the
afternoon they were removed from the depot for
/ interment. 80 y 800 aF ~
i A gentleman who was In the down train from
1 Fort Washington, on Thursday, informs MS that
/ as soon ~ Conductor vanstavoren recovered from
i the shock of the collision, he seized . red dress.
/ worn by female, tore It into pieces and ran mp
the track to stop the next train due from Gwyn.
1 ned, In half an hour from the time the illfated
train started, while another man. with the other
halt. ran down the track to stop the up train.
Joseph Edwards . baggage master of the down
train, had one leg broken Mr. Edwards is now at
Fort Washington, but will be brought to the city
| by = committee of the Csdwalader Grays, ol
which corps he was second Sergeant, having serv.
ed in the Mexican war. The Grays have appro-
prlated 500 towards his relief
SUICIDE OF THE CONDUCTOR
The suicide Of the conductor Of tbe down train
is Of the tragic incidents Of this terrible affair
/ Mr.. Vanstavoren, after the accident, procured 9
4 vehicle and came 10 the city with the dreadful
news. He received No bodily injury By the col
lision, but when he reached she city he was In .