The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-05-19
The Accident on the Central
Road.

Il
The wreck is thus described by the
Utica Observer.
The passenger train was of course
brought to q dead stop, and the conse.
quences were terrific. The baggage cal
scraped against the freight cars until one
side of it was torn completely off, but
it succeeded 10 passing the bridge. The
first passenger car, Immediately follow
ing, also cleared the bridge, but was
thrown off its trucks by the conclusion,
and laid fat across the track. Tho in
side of the car was demolished, and the
passengers bruised, but by wonderful
good fortune, not one was killed or
dangerously injured 10 the car. The
second car, which had not cleared the
bridge, was thrown by the concussion of
the track, and went head ong into the
stream, striking its forward end directly
against the Eastern stone abutment OF
the bridge with the full momentum ae-
companying a speed of forty miles an
hour The forward part of the car was
shattered into splinters, and presented
the appearance of having suffered from
an explosion of %gunpowder. The con-
dition of the passengers in this car may
be better imagined than described
Many were killed outright, and others
fatally injured. The scene is described
as heart rending and terrific to the last.
The third car followed the second, and
ran directly on top of it, striking the
abutment the same way, and meeting q
similar fate. The fourth car also ran
off, and it's forward end pitched into the
creek. The cars lie broken aud piled
up on one another as high as the tel
as the Oldest Railroad men declare they
have never witnessed before.
The correspondent of the Albany
Statesman says:
This was the sight that presented it
self to me as | left the train and looked
over into the creek. Crossing a tempo.
rary bridge constructed on the north side
of the road, over which to transfer the
baggage from train to train, l passed
round the west end Of the bridge to the
south side of the track, and climbing
down the enlbapkment stood in the bed
of the creek, In order to get a good view
of the ruins. Aud from this point il
was the full horror of the butchery could
alone be fully appreciated. The rotten
worthless timbers of the fatal trap, called
q bridge, broken through like SO many
pipe stems, bent down towards the wa
ter, minglirg with the ruins of cars
The massive south side of the bridge
leaned inwards, touching the top of the
last car. ,
Looking through and underneath these
timbers, all that remained of the three
cars could be seen. The first, and the
front, of the second. it was impossible to
distinguish one from the other, the whole
being smashed literally to pieces between
the stone abutment and the front part
of the last car. The second, or middle
car in its descent had plunged down
head first. and its rear end Vas conse-
q%uently raised. 1t was on this rear end,
with its iron work still attached to III
hat the third had run, opening to re.
ceive it as it came crashing through just
as a sufficient height to take the tops Of
the seats aud the heads and shoulders of
the passengers crushing them into jelly
AS l chung to the rafters of the bridge
and looked through into the ruins, my
very soul sickened within me as l be.
held spattered upon and adheriDg to the
sides of the cars, the blood, fthe. feshe
aud the brains of the mapglzd sufeters<
The Utica Herald says: :
The Express train was transformed in.
an instant from a scene of life to a char.
mel house. 1t consisted of four passens
ger cars. The first car crossed the
bridge. The second struck against the
abutment, its front sinking and its rear
rising. The third shot under and into
the second; and the fourth still under
and into the third, pilipg the cars three
high. The first car was completely
shivered; not a seat left iuto its place,
but all completely wrecked in atoms.
The other cars dovetailed one into the
other, in most disastrous commixture.
DEN
Mr.. Moore, of Rising Sun, Ind, was
killed by a fracture of the skull, causing
a compression of the brain. lie was in
sensible. A gentleman who helped to
take him from the car, informed our re
porter that when he raised him he said,
'this man is dead, and Moore answered,
mo, 1 am not dead.n These were the
only words he uttered. He was identi
fed by his baggage check, Three da.
guerreotypes of young ladies were found
in his possession, probably the licensees
of his daughters.
The corpse of Mr.. A. Moore-has been
properly laid out. Mr.. Moore va, a man
apparently about fifty years of age, and
as he lies in the Stiffness of death with
almost a smile upon his countenance, as
if in a quiet sleep, the heart sickens
when we think of the suddenness of the
catastrophe, and the astuRting effect
which will be produced upon his family
when they learn their bereavement.
Mr.. Bettman, of Cincinnati, is very
badly injured about the head and chest.
Ono of his arms is also fractured.-
There is a probable chance that he will
survive, although terribly cut up. He
was sitting by the side Of his son WHO
was killed. He was on his way to Ger
many to place his boy with his grand IA
Their to be educated. The agony of Mr..
Bettman while his son was missing was
intense. When it was announced to
him that the corpse had been found, the
father exclaimed, "For Gods sake, bring
in his body, let me see him once more,
Miss Wheeler was. rescued by Mr..
Cox, of Auburn, a brother of Rev. DIR.
Cox, of this city. Her escape without
injury was almost miraculous. Miss w.
had no recollection of the accident from
the time of the shock until she found
herself sitting on the bridge. Her shawl
i " L. @