American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1859-11-24
The Railroad Accident at Cambridge.
tcorrsspOadones Of the Cincinnati GaIstts. !
CkMARIpeE Ci+r. Nov. ls. l859.

The incessant rain Of yesterday prevent
ed any more Of the fragrienti oflhs wreck
at the bridge being removed than would
extrcalo those who had been caught 10 it.
This morning finds all the force that the
Company can muster. engaged in block
ing up the bridge: preparatory TO lower
ing the locomotive under il, which will DO
the oily means OF getting at the mass OF
ruins. BY actual count. / find that thir,
teen cars instead Of l2 as was at frst sup
posed. are contained in the heap. and from
what can Judge the whole OF them are
contained in space Of about 40 feet. be-
ing piled upon one another, The locomo-
tivo and tender rest partially upon a stone
pier, which fortunately impeded The prog
ress OF the train. or the Whole train Of sew
eitss q cars would have pitched one upon
another. AS it was four were saved by
the chasm being so filed up that no more
could pile in. The locomotive and cars
are so wrecked that I think they cannot be
repaired: and tbat together with the a.
mount OF loss Of hogs. (part Of whichw viii
be recovered by rendering the same which
process Is now goihg on, under the saper-
iH,eGdeuce Of Mt. Morrison, an old pork
packer. Corn. apples. &C.. Cannot fall
short Of thirty thousand dollars, ard that
not taking into consideration the great a.
mount Of freight and travel, thai will seek
other means Of transportation. Al no time
since the completion Of the road has such
an enormous amount Of fteigHt beeH car
fied over the road, ss during the present
season. Freight trains Of great length
were continually passing and IsPassing.
and all the running stock belonging to the
rohd ives being sttsined to'the' Utmost to
do the work.
The services Of the best hands on the
road were brought into requisilicu. in or
der that the work might be conducted ih
as expeditions manner as possible and
hence Smith, who was killed. was taken
from the passenger train. ID order that he
might expedite matters by his 60 shead
qualities. da
Smith was killed in endeavoring to save
the property Of the Company and the lives
Of those Under his care. When 1t was
known that the bars ia the bridge were up
and that no human power could stop the
train. the engineer, who FIRST discovered il
reversed his engine. and ordering the fire.
man to jump. followed him in the peril
Gus undertaking, and strange as II may ap'
pear, both only received lCw scratches.
Smith was at the time, upon the top OF
the train, about midway oft, and when he
saw that the engineer and 6remen had de-
serted their posts. h, manfully engaged
himself in plying the brakes. aud had
brought them TO bear upon three Of the
cars, before they wen. down. He appear
ed to be determined to save the train. il
possible; and am oredibly informed. by
those who were on the train. that he might
have saved his lie had he not attempted
TO save the property. Thus porished Jack
Smith in endeavoring to save the property
Of those by whom he was employed. The
heart OF many railroad man was made
10 ache yesterday, when ii was made
known that Jack Smith was nortally
wounded, for no man in the employ Of the
Company was more respected by the peo-
pie generally, and the Company particular
", than he. Ia a word Jack Smith was
the man that was always ready to perform
any act to promote the comfort Of those
who might find it convenient TO be placed
under bis care. and thereby gained the
confidence Of all with whom he associated
He leaves a wife and child to mourn his
loss. His family did not reach here unit
some time after he died.
Newly was also man Of family leaving
a wife and four children, as understand
' mforlably situated.
Elliott, the man who escaped with ssri
Gus wounds is still alive and is doing a
well as could be expected under the cir
cumstauces. He rested well during tb,
night. and b Ia physician tells me that b.
will recover, unless some new develop
ments are made to-day, he having been 81
. shocked that it was thought best to defe
dressing the wounds. until reaction take
place.
THE IEQUReT.
+, The coroner's jury Of inquest have beer
/; in session ever since the occurrence, an,
5 now, at l2 O'Clock, have not brought in
verdict. having had to examine great a
mount Of evieencein the case. From vbs
, can learn the blame must attach to tn
a conductor on the morning passenger tra
having failed 10 hag his train. am toll
. that Smith, prior to his death, said that b
had ordered the conductor Of The passeu
ger train to iag his train; aud had he fol
lowed the direotion. the accident woul
not have happened. II suoh lie the case
it will divert any blame that might hereto
? fore have atisohed 10 Mr.. Drury, the ma
4 in charge Of the bridge repairs. One thin
is very sure; when it was known that th
4 train had passed the depot, be used all pos
sible exeItion, to prevent the catastrophe
but his exertions proved futile. hav
just visited tie jury and 6nd them st
engaged in taking evidence. From prct
4 ent indications. II will be some time befor
they return verdict. From the evfdenc
now being taken. / Judge that the blam
will fall upon the Conductor Of the morr
0 ing passenger train. he having failed
ilag. Il is true there 10 . statu'ory law
s regard to taking up track. that any one dC
$ ing so must put signal eighty rods eao
= way from the place; but the Compan
: have printed rules on the back Of the
d timetable which give no such, di,eclion
!. from, which il Is held that Mr.. Drury vi
perfectly excussble in not giving such siI
!: nal, As he was working under the rules
!. the Company, and had nothing to do vii
Il