The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-03-12
Horrible Accident on the s. = B. Railroad.
BREAKING OF A BRIDGE.
TRAIN DEETRoYED BY FlHE.
Four Persons Burned 70 Death.

s
TRAIN DEsTRorED BY FINE
Four Pcr.ons Burned . Death.
Intelligence reached this city yesterday Of ter
rible accident on the Seaboard aud Roanoke Rail
road, which took place on Monday morning abou.
III O'Clock. The calamity occurred near Marga.
rst,syile. about GA miles from Portsmouth, and l6
| from Weldon, N. G.
| The following full and graphic account relates
1 all the particulars Of the catastrophe:
| WELDON. N. G.. March IL.
| Twas unable yesterday to give full particulars
| Of the terrible disaster on the Virginia Seaboard
| and Roanoke Railroad In time for your paper OF
this morning.
The accident occurred about l6 miles South Of
this, near the station known - Margarettsville.-
The tressel work at that place Is 30 feet high
| and had long been regarded a. very insecure; In
| fact the engineer had just shut off" steam, in
tending TO cross At slow rate of speed when the
ENGINE left the track, and was followed by the
whole train-consisting of an express car, . bag
fore any of those the train had time either to
reflect or act, It was found that the cars were on
fire. and horrible TO relate no~less than four per-
sons were literally roasted to death in the flames.
Every car WAS also entirely consumed Even the
wood work on the locomotive and the entire mail
and 81 press freight was 30 thoroughly destroyed
that nothing remains but pile of ashes with here
and there q brass lock, to mark the scene of de-
vastation. Hr -
Mr.. VIM. T. Daughtry, the u. 8. mail agent, and
most amiable and worthy gentleman, was 30
nearly consumed, that he was only identified by
his watch, which, strange to say, was wholly un-
injured, and running The loss Of this gentleman
will besdeepIy mOurned by all who knew him.
But few days since, the writer congratulated
him ON his fortunate escape from death during the
yellow fever visitation of last summer. He little
thought he would so soon mourn over what are
now indeed his ashes. Mr.. D. leaves wife and
six children in Norfolk
Mr. W. G. Kilkelly. one of Adams g. Co.'s Ex-
press messengers running between Baltimore and
Augusta, Ga, was in the mail ear at the time of
the accident, and was so burnt that nothing was
found of him but few charred bones. The
amount of express matter was unusually large
some six or seven tons, every portion of which
was burnt to ashes. Mr.. Kilkelly resided in Colds
boro' N. c., where he leaves a wife and four
young children to mourn his untimely end His
remains were brought up to-day for interment-
He was universally beloved.
In the same car were two boys from Portsmouth
who were in the habit of travelling up and down
the road selling books and newspapers to passen
gers One of these, named Cox was probably in
stantly killed. The other, a lad named Cary, was
alive when extricated, but breathed his last i'm.
mediately on being brought to the air. Both were
dreadfuly burnt and bruised.
These are all who were killed, and all were at
the time in the mail car.
Among those severely injured were the follow.
ing:
Geo. G Bourdett, Conductor, had one arm and
three ribs broken, and was otherwise severely
bruised. Mr.. b. will probably recover.
VIM. Weymouth, engineer, badly bruised
Woods Neimyer of Portsmouth, three ribs bro.
ken.
Leon Clary, of Windsor, N. c., collar bone frac-
tured.
JP Allison, Brooklyn, N. Y. slightly injured
DR.. Williamson, (dentist) of Northampton, n
c., severely wounded about the head and face
Octavius Cook, severely burned.
Three or four others, whose names we had not
time to learn were more or less inured-none of
them, however seriously.
The number of passengers was unusually small
not exceeding twenty in all, including three la
dies. This was fortunate-for had the train been
crowded, usual the loss of life must have been
terrific
Among the packages In charge of the Express
Company, was box containing unsigned bank
notes for the BANK OF WILMINGTON IN. C)-
These were scattered around in the greatest pro-
fusion; and it will be well for your merchants to
look sharp, or they may take some of them az gen.
uine. As most OF them were either much burned
or charred, they can be easily recognized All we
saw were of the denomination of v. and X
The bridge or tressel work having been set on
fire, shared the fate of the unfortunate train and
was totally destroyed The company having no
engines or at the Weldon terminus of their
road, they were unable to transport their passen-
ma, Mr. G. o. SANFORD, Superintendent of the
Petersburg Railroad Company, sent, unsolicited,
locomotive and train of cars to their assistance
with the request that they should keep them until
their road is again in running order
believe this accident has no parallel in railroad
history, save the terrible disaster in France some
years since, when by the train taking fire. many
lives were lost May it be long before the like
again occurs in our own land.
The haste in which write must be nv apology
for tho crude nature of my letter. l cannot, how
ever, close without acknowledging my indebted.
ness to Capt. Corbett, of the Seaboard Road, for
most of the above particulars. B.
The Norfolk Argus, received last night says
that foul play is suspected with regard to the
breaking of the tressel work train of 40 heavily
laden freight having passed over it ON Satur-
day in safety. The dead and wounded were ia.
ken to Margsrettsville, where medical aid for the
latter was procured. ...