Bellevue gazette. [volume] (Bellevue City, N.T. [i.e. Neb.]) 1856-1858, 1857-04-16
Terrible nnilroad Disaster.

Terrible ItnilTOad Disaster.
A frightljl accident occurred on the
Great Western Railway, ut the Bridge
over the Des Jo6dincs Canal, four miles
North East of Ham iton, or the afternoon
Of the l0h Of March, b tween aud g
o'clock. The train destroyed was the TO-
cal accommodation train between Hamil.
ton and Toronto, aud was the train due at
Hamilton at half-past five p. NJ. About
mile cast Of Hamilton is Des Jardins
Ship Canal, leading to Dmdas, over which
is swing bridge for the accommodation
Of the railroads. The height Of the bank
where this bridge crosses, above the wat
er, is over forty-uve feet, aud the water is
fifteen feet deep. OF course, during the
winter the bridge has not been swang
back and forth, ard it ia supposed lhat u
previous train over it had Jared it little
out OF place.
1t is supposed therefore. that this faled
train struck the bridge rails and threw the
bridge open, and down this sheer depth Of
sixty feet to the bottom leapt the locomo.
tive, entirely disappearing from sight.
The baggage car cnme on top Of it, and
fell over ut lis side. The first passenger
car went down perpendicularly into the
water, and the second passenger car on
top of that. 1t was the work Of un instant.
A shriek, a struggle, a groan, a gasp
and all was over--The pen is powerless
to depict such a scene, aud Imagination
fails to comprehend it. N'"
Oar informant was at the scene Of the
disaster, at o'clock this morning. The
place where the accident took place is
short distance beyond Hamilton. When
he arrived, parties were still busy in ex.
tricating the dead bodies from the wreck.
There lay the haltered remains Of the
baggage car and two passenger cars tur-
ned completely bottom side upward and
about two-thirds submerged; the other lay
near, also d complete wreck, While ga
zing on the sad scene, the body Of wo-
man was brought oui---lhe legs drawn up
and the arms extended rigid in death.
In an out house adjoining the station
house al Hamilton were about fifty or six
ty corpses laid ont on the door, men wo-
men and children. No inquest had yet
been held, Most Of the passengers were
Of Hamilton, Toronto, and the adjoining
towns. Mr.. Zimmerman, Mr.. BuGhan-
an, Vice President of the road aud Capt.
Twohey popular commander on Lake
Ontario, were among the victims. Only
one lady passenger was saved, and she
with considerable many cats and bruises
4 German lad who was i'm The hind car
seeing the conductor hastily retreating to
the back door, took alarm and followed,
and he with the conductor and two others,
were the only ones who escaped with trif-
ling injuries--tHnhling out Of the car just
as j, made the final pitch, into the deep
chasm.
Bat fifteen persons were taken alive
/ from the wreck, and of these five have
since died from their injuries The mum
ber Of person on the train is yarioG-ly es-
tltnaisd at from 1j 20 100.
The cause of The accident was undoubt-
edly owing to the engine having by some
means got of iiie track Just as the train
was approaching the bridge under dimin-
i,hed speed: the wheels Of the engine Of
course cutting of the ties Of the bridge
as il Advanced. I'LL the whole weight
of the engine aal tender falling
heavily, parted the string pieces, and
pitched headlong into the canal below,
aud Is now bericd Mllh the engineer and
fireman, at least tyeaiy feet below the
surface. Bu!t. Commlr.ia!.