American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1856-01-03
The Accident on the Ohio and
PennSyIyanIa Rallrond.

O'Clock train West on the Ohio d Pennsyl
vania Railroad, came into collision with a
freight train coming East, at Darlington
Summit.
The freight train was or time. aud tho
conductor was probably ~endeayoring 10
reach a switch within n short distance from
where the collision occurred. The coils.
lon took pace on n heavy curve.
-Four persons were killed. viz: Mr..
Stokes. agent Of The New Castle mud Eric
Stage Company; q man named Johnston.
brother Of HE landlord Of the hotel in En-
Gu VALLEY; Hu Irishman. mud another per.
SON whose name is not men.ioaeI. A.
bou. 10 persons, more or less, were dan.
gerousIy wounded. Among them the en-.
gineer on the express train was injured in
the back, and the fireman had one arm
shattered. John Veash was dangerously
wounded.
Both locomotives and the ears were bad.
ly smashed. rs the trains were running I'M
der full Roadway.
The accident was caused by the watch
Of tine conductor Of the freight train being
lhree. quarters Of an hour 100 slow.
now THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
Mr. Jameson's account Of the cause Of
tho calmity and the extent Of damage TO
tho railroad machinery, is substantially
the same as that givsn b. the telegraph.
The watch carried by the conductor Of he
freight train was Miy Mrss. minutes OH! of
time! We do not see how suehla state Of
facts could exist. except through most un-
pardonable negligence. asl-.lsa 4CI
The persons killed and injured were all
in the first passenger car. The baggage
car was driven entirely through tho first
passenger ear, crushing utterly every sea!
in it. .4 @
Two Of the dead did no. survive an IN
slant. Every person in the fatal car was
killed or horribly mutilateJ, with but Two
exceptions, and they suffered from slight
bruises and splinter wounds.
The passengers in the second car expcr-
fenced four shocks within an instant Of
each other, but were merely startled from
their seats, and did not imagine that such
H catastrophe had bcfalleu the occupants
Of the front car until they heard the means
Of the wounded. Ga GktsEw
Woaye indebted to Prof. s. B. Williams,
Of Louisville, for tho following vivid de-
scription of the terrible scene:
On Monday evening, the 3lst ult., as
the fest express train from Pittsburgh to
Cincinnati was turning a curve noar Oar
lingion, Pa. n frighlful collision took
place between this and the freight train
going cast. The collision. was so sudden
that no time was allowed to apply the
brakes. The huge locomotives rushed up
on each other as in deadly conflict, and
having spont their giant power in ono on
set. sank together upon the track. a COM
mon mass of ruins.
The freight train received comparatively
little in%jury--not so the other. The bag
gage car passed entirely through the first
passenger car--the bottom of The former
passing JUS. above the floor of the latter,
sweeping. in the twinkling Of an eye. every
sat from its place, and crowding passen-
gers. baggage, stoves and broken pieces Of
timber, in a space not large enough for one
car. The cocussion was felt but for few
seconds, and al was still. except The fierce
Kissing Of the escaping steam. Almost in
stanily tho shii,Es Of dying mon were
hoard FAR above lie noise u the crushed
engines. Three or four men lay Of to ono
side, in tho snow-some with broken arms,
others with shattered legs and bruised
bodies. CRYING in piercing tones Of agony
FOR help. Just above Ito front end OF the
second passenger car, where u great mass
of fragments had been washed up, three
men were seen, two Of them held up Ivy
their legs. the third showing out Of the
mass of ruinsbu his head and hand, crush
ed, and black from conges,ivc blood
Poor fellow. death gave no time for agony.
Near 10 these. but on the other side Of
the cars, stood a brave man-Mat,hcw Kolt
-oee leg broken and his right arm held
firmly beneath the heavy timbers Of the
bottom Of the baggage car, resting upon
the front of the. second passenger car. He
uttered no complaint, though his leg was
broken and his arm literally ground to
pieecs-nearly an hour elapsed before he
could be released, yet lie showed no inn
patience and let no groan escape his lips
The other two men were almost equally
brave. enduring their long confinement
with remarkable fortitude. Tho officers
of thctrains. assisted by some Of the pas
sengers, exerted almost superhuman efforts
to extricate tho wounded and to place them
in the unbroken cars, but go firmly were
the ruins pressed together that it was prob
ably not less than an hour before all were
taken out.
The cries of the wounded for physicians,
for water, for warmth, and for wives and
sisters, were sufficient to rend the %stoutest
heart. ,f.- .,f -,i.- --.
One poor man, whose throat had been
cut either by a splinter or by broken glass.
was laid upon the hoor-o the car, and af-
forwards propped upon two or three seats,
but his suffering did not last long--he
breathed through the cut of his throat for
an hour or SO andthen lay still in DEATH
From papers in his possession his name
was found to be Samuel Johnston" from
New Middletown. Ohio. q. ttr
VALUABLE TOWN PROPERTY