The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-07-04
Rirhmonn pispatrh.
MONDAY MORNING. JULY 4, 1850
THE MICHIGAN RAILROAD DISASTER.
TERRIEL Loss TEMENTS
OF PASSENGERS, Se

: TERRIBL L Loss oFLIFE-ST5T TEMENTS
OF PASSENGERS, &c.
The Chicago papers bring us the particulars
OF the terrible accident on the Michigan South
I ern Railroad, Tuesday night by which thirty
seven were killed and fifty wounded. The
disaster was occasioned by the washing of
culyeri, owing to the great fall Of rain IN the
vicinity. The train ran into it about mid
night A correspondent of the New York
| Tribune says:
When the train came around slight curve
to this ravine, the embankment had already
washed away. and THE whole train leaped into
the chasm left behind, which was about IS
feet deep, aud 20 or 80 feet wide. The cuivert,
evidently choked up, converting the embank-
ment in TO a dam, the water rapidly accumula-
ted. be seen by the marks OF its rise,
nearly az high as the railroad track, and its
great weight ut last tore out the obstruction.
and instead OF the iron rails, there was
yawning cleft or gap, with O wild and angry
torrent dashing through it toward the river
The locomotive buried itself in the loose sand
81 the bank, and the baggage car, which was
torn into kndiins wood, piled its fragments
upon it. Over this was the second class car,
the only thing visible, 80 deeply were the
others imheddcd The three passenger cars
i which followed them, fei! into the torrent be-
! low the railroad track. The sleeping car,
/ which was the last one Of the train, was but
! little injured, and no one in 1t killed.
STATEMENT or MI. J. j. H. RICE, PASSENGER.
, lie was in the sleeping car at the time OF the
accident, which occurred about midnight
! The first he knew OF anything being the mat
! ter, wos when the water WAS rushing over the
car. The lights were out, and nothing but AZ
occasional fash Of lightning was there TO see
! by. He jumped from the cars, but instead of
! landing on terra frno, he leaped into the tor
! rent but succeeded in making his way to q
/ cump Of bushes and got up the bank, after
wards. He heard great deal OF screaming
while in the current, and after landing, the
4 nf ri lat W Wy I'm Thara haip mn
lights, every thing was confusion, and survi-
vors were rushing wildly about the banks of
the raHine in vain search OF their missing
friends. He says was killed in the
sleeping car, but one old gentleman jumped
} out and was drowned in the current.
I One woman, who was on the train with her
/ husband and five children, ran wildly about
/ all night seeking her family, but without sue
/ cess, until morning, when she found them all
! dead. She then went to 4 farm house, few
! yards off, where, after sitting some utes,
the wretched wife and mother expired
Sir. Rice says that gentleman, with his wife
and two children, were on tho train on a
pleasure trip to tho East. But in the accident
the parties became separated. The husband
/ found one of his young ones dead in the morn
( ing; next found his wife dead, but with her
arms closely embracing tho other child, who
was saved.
! The United States Express had over thirty
| thousand dollars in their safe, which broke to
pieces by the collision, but the agent here has
/ found most Of il in the ruins.
One OF the through mail bags was found
near the river, two hundred yards from the
break. Whether others are lost. cannot bs
/ told
The ravine is about twenty We feet deep and
! seventy five 10 one hundred feet wide The
night was very dark, and there was q curve in
/ the road just before the embanknent was
reached.
| STATEMENT OF THOMAS PARDHr
At the time OK his leaving by the train, 3!
bodies had been taken out and he understood
! that two more culyerts had been carried AWAY
| East OF the one now referred to- and by the
! same rain, after the train on which he cam.
had passed over them. He calculated the
chssm to be 20 feet deep and 50 feet across
/ The masonry was swept eff by the strong cur
, rent. He Judged from the mark along the EN- :
! bankment that the water had risen twelve
! feet; but when he left, il was almost dry again
/ The tank OF the engine, the smoke-stack and
few splinters, were all that WAS discernible
of the wreck of the train. large force of
men were engaged in picking up the bodies,
/ and many were excaNating the debris. but con-
siderable had been carried of by the torrent
Some nine OF the wounded passengers had
been carried to Mishwauka and were loid ont
on paliets, arranged IN large room in the ho-
| tel. Ihe dead bodies Were picked up and laid
/ out IN the cars, with sheets covering their
faces. The men had worked two hours to get
one woman out OF the wafer. She WAS OF
| course, dead when recovered The sccne on
the banks OF the river, Mr.. Pardee says was
truly awful, as one may well suppose but he
! says the amount of human misery among the
wounded was terrible to behold. In the Mish-
wauka Hotel he saw a fine little bow ohou,
nine years old, with his left leg broken and
almost open through the thigh, while the right
leg Is cut completely OF. The lad was failing
fast, ana 1t Is almost impossible for him to re-
! cover.
~, iS 'vas one OF family OF five children, with
'd va. no h, WIZ wa so'ns ." meet the fn ther
/ was killed, daug hter is missing and another
boy ~ wounded, but not seriously He is in
the same room with his wretched brother.
While ne sa" another OF the young ones, six
years Old, dead having had his face com pletely
cut on. The bodies OF the females We're not
} much nutilated
sTATEaENT OF MR. RoNrE
: Inc engine, tender and the other cars with
the exception OF the sleeping car which wa.
! the last one on the 'rain were UteralIv niled
! one upon another and were perfect wrecks
being literally shiyered to atoms The front
end OF the sleeping car ran half way through
away.
mr. Bonte was asleep in the sleeping car
wien me acciuent occurred but jumped up
bsiore the car had stopped. The water imme-
diateiy commenced rushing into the car He
| says that Inhny of the passengers uttered
y, SI-@- ms. None OF them seemed TO
-. ~' ey We're. He looked out Of the
-ie night was SO dark as to rom
he. oAfsiue objects invisible. As the water be-
gan 10 I'LL the car, some of the passengers rush.
ed tt rough the doors and got upon the top
! lie waded ashore, finished dressing him mself and
! returned TO the car and assisted CONVEYING
| the women and children from the ear to the
| shore. MIR. Is. says lady came into the sleep
ing cur at some way station but short time
previous TO the occurrence, and complained to
HIM at being compelled to ride in that partie-
ular car. He remarked to her lie had once
owed his life to similar circumstance and
advised her 10 he satisfied with her i'll luck
She remained, and escaped uniniured
Mr.. Bonte says that the car next behind the
tender was loaded with laborers who were EN-
pioyed Ia repairing the road, and that most, if
not all OF them, were killed. The engineer and
! fremen, and every person employed on the
train, were killed, with the exception of Con-
ductor Osgood, who was slightly injured Some
OF the bodies were washed into the river, "a
distance of half mile and have not yet been
! recovered.
! large number of corpscs remained unre-
! cognized. Some Of them were mangled and
mutilaled that they probably never can be re-
! cognizcd. A coroners inquest was held upon
| 81 Of the recovered bodies, and q verdict re-
! turned that no blame was attached to any OIL
Ger Of the road
Mr.: Hartwcll, of Toledo who is among the
kiied, was formerly resident of Cleveland
and member OF the firm of Dewitt 4 Hart,
well, manufacturers of agricultural imple-
| men,s.
| A schsE AT THE DEPOT IL CHICAGO.
J One gentleman Of this city had cent his wife
three children and sister eastward on the IA ral
| night lie was an early inquirer Tho oblir-
ing operator dispatched q message OF inquiry
and he stood by the instrument q picture Of
woe, waiting an answer. In reply to a uues-
ton, he said that he put his family in the for
ward car He was told to expect the worst
because the destruction Of life in that car was
fearful He trembied like an aspen leaf and
the sweat Of agony stood like rain drops on
his brow.
In reply to another ques ton, he said that his
wife was going only rs far as Kalamazoo. He
was told that Kalamazoo was on the Michigan
Central, and that his precious ones could not
Be Involved in this catastrophe ut all. The re-
lief came too sudden. The revulsion followed
like waterfall, and the happy and thankful