Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1859-07-01
The Disaster on the Southern
Michigan Railroad.
PARTICULARS or THE DISASTER

PARTICULAR OF THE DIsAsTER
OF the terrible accident on this road, we
take the following particulars from the Chi
cago Press and Tribune;
VIM. M. osgood, Conductor on this ILL
fated train, has arrived at Chicago, consider
erably bruised, but, it is thought, not seri-
ously injured, and has made the following
statement;
STATEMENT OF CONDUCTOR osaooD.
was seated in the fore-psrt Of the first
passenger car, at about IL o'clock on Mon
day night, when suddenly heard crack.
ing in the car, as IL the car was trembling and
shaking, and then | thought the car was
Iplunging, when | got upon my feet to see
what was the matter, and tried to reach the
center Of the car, but not being able, as felt
my foothold slipping from beneath me, COM
menced climbing to the roof, and succeeded
in getting hold. The roof was much bro
ken away by this time, and / got through il
to the top, whore kept hold until | landed
below. ] then commenced climbing up,
and reached the bank. ] saw number Of
others clambering up out of the cars, and
there were several persons assisting the per-
sons who had been injured. | saw some Ia
borers whom ordered to light bon fires on
the track, up and down the road. OF the
speed Of the train l took no particular notice.
| do not think It was running at full speed
as we had just passed over big bridge where
we usually slack up, and had not got under
full headway yet. Several Of the passengers
in the car escaped, but | cannot remember
their names or the names of any others, al
though | knew some of their faces. Mr.
David RunniOn, | think, was in the car with
me, whether he escaped or not cannot say.
| should Judge there were some $50 persons
in the train | could not tell as had not ta-
ken up my checks Of the Second class Cor
emigrant) cars, the Eastern tickets. There
were fifteen or twenty laborers got on the
foremost Of the emigrant cars from Aims
worth station, and at the Albany and Salem
lcrossing. The emigrant cars were all smash
ed up. When / got out Of the car the night
was very dark and the water was running
heavy; was confused. wanted to reach
the telegraph station at South Bend, Ind.
and started as | supposed for it, but again
forded the creek, had gone the wrong way.
| never saw any water in this ravine before /;
it was what call dry run, and the culvert
was Of stone, as good as can be found upon
any road. The scene Of the catastrophe, is,
as near as | can judge, about half way be-
tween South Bend and Mishwaukea. This
(Tuesday) morning | crossed the same spot
where last night was food, almost without
more than wetting the the tops of my feet
| know nothing further Of the cause Of the
accident than the carrying away Of the cul-
vert, and was sitting on a forward seat, with
my lantern near me, when the pitching and
cracking commenced.
Mr.. j. j. II. Rice, of Laporto, Indiana,
who was passenger on the sleeping car Of
the ill-fated train, arrived at Chicago on Tues
day, at 81 o'clock. The following is the
STATEMENT OF MR.. J. J. II. 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 lthe
, the matter, was when the water was wash
ing over the car. The lights were out and
nothing but an occasional flash of lightning
was there to see by. He jumped from the
cars but instead Of landing on terra .frnla,
he leaped into the torrent, but succeeded in
making his way to n clump OF bushes, and
. got up the bank, afterwards. lie heard O
great deal Of screaming while in the current,
and after landing, the cries Of distress were
awful.-There being no lights, everything
was confusion, the survivors were rushing
wildly about the banks of the ravine in vain
search Of their missing friends. He says no
one was killed in the sleeping car, but one
old gentleman jumped out and was drowned
II the current Mr.. Rice says that Osgood
(the conductor) seemed crazy; he ran to
South Bend and to Mishwaukea, and then
; returned, a distance Of eight miles, without
his hat. He took charge of him, and
} brought him to this city at 31& O'Clock yes
terday.
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 10 a farmhouse a few
yards of, where after sitting few minutes,
the wretched wife and mother expired.
Mr.. Rice says that gentleman, with his
wife and two children, were on the train on
a pleasure trip to the east, But in the acci-
, dent the parties became separated. The hus-
band found one Of his young ones dead, in
! the morning, next he found his wife dead
{ but with her arms closely embracing the
Q other child, who was saved.
INCIDENTS.