Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-09-12
THE COLLISION oN ruE cAMDES AND At
LANTIC RAILROAD.
AN ACCOUNT FROM AN EYEWITNESS.

AN ACCOUNT FROM AN EYEWITNESS.
The community was started on Saturday
night by tho varied rumors Of q fearful COLI.
sion on this road. The following account
was obtained by our reporter from one OF the
passengers, and we consider it reliable
The regular afternoon express train started
at quarter after o'clock from Cooper 8
Point, and was running at very rapid rate
of speed and had reached point about six
miles below uadon6eld, and twelve miles be-
low this city, when the passengers were alarm,
fro Of the cars. Our informant was. seated
with several friends on the very last seats of
the last car. The force was go great that he
savs. their seats were rocked violently and
woyr crushed under them. The middle car
escaped without injury. As we jumped from
the cars sight was presented, appalling the
stoutest hearts. Two large locomotives, sew
eral freight or wood cars, the first passenger
cars, tender and baggage car were piled, lit.
orally one on top Of the other. to height OF
thirty or forty feet. Some Of the inmates OF
the 6rst car crept out from the ruins, and
others were dragged out, covered with their
own blood or that Of Others who had been in
iured near them. Many OF those unnjured
worked manfully in relief of tho poor suffer
ers who were speedily carried among the
bushes growing along the track. The sight
was very painful one. On either side the
poor fellows were lying, surrounded by per-
cons endeavoring to recognize or assist them.
It was soon discovered that the loss of life
was not so great as We feared.
lncidents.-1'he first person We saw was
She fireman, whose body lay among the bush
.es with the head almost severed by long
and decp cash, from his shoulders. The en-
siueer Of the down trun seeing that COLI
III al arm, n11 lun IN
ed clear OF the falling mass around him, but
his fireman was caught amid them, and no
doubt was struck by a piece OF iron from the
locomotive and thus killed instantly. The
engineer picked him up aud carried him to
the car which was speedily fitted up for the
fufIerers
Donnelly, the conductor Of the express
train. was most terribly mangled; his legs,
below his knees, were actually torn aud mash.
ed iuto ribbons of flesh aud muscles. lie
bore his agony with great gortitude, aud
seemed more anxious to know "W DO was
blamed 2" 4 scene occurred here that brought
tears to every eye. The poor fellow had his
wife and children on the train for trip to
the ocean. The poor woman was in the third
car with her children, aud, as she came near
the spot where her husband lay bleeding md
diving. unknown to her, she suddenly recog-
nized him and threw her arms around his bo-
DIV. and rrantcaly entreatcd My dear Will
liam" to speak to her. DR.. Pitney, Of Abse-
com, whose activity aud kindness to sufferers
entitle him to the warmeSt praise, dressed his
wounds, and used all possible skill IN his ell
forts to save him, but in vain, us he died be-
fore we reached Camden.
The down way-train coming about an hour
behind us, took all of us on board, the dead,
wounded and unharmed, and after several te-
dious delays, prudently made to avoid meet
ing the excursion to start down at I o'clock,
we reached Camden about half-past eight o.
clock.
The persons who we're mostly seriously in-
iured were all iu the front car, aud Fortunate
ly all the ladies escaped.
Tie Caas,, Tile decided opinion Of all at
the wreck was, that it was entirely the FAULT
OF the Conductor aud Engineer Of the up
train or wood train indeed no one there or
at HaddonGelL seemed to think otherwise
There is 20 doubt the up train was behind
time according to the road time table, at
least twenty minutes, and according to rdle,
should have waited at the last turn out below;
but instead of doing this, came on, when an
eyprcss train was known to be coming down
the road at rapid rate. The Engineer OF
tLe eXprcss train came on them just as we
passed a curve, and even before the brakes
we're put down. The Conductor of the up
train diegeeared immediately after the colli-
eol, rs there was disposition among the
more violent to lynch h!m.-lHaGda Lea-
ger,