Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-07-09

,ot being able, as felt my foothold slipping d
rom beneath me, l commenced climbing TO 9
he root, and succeeded in getting hold
The roof was much broken away by this tune
md got through it to the top, where l kept
aold until Handed below. i then commenceo
climbing up, ard reached the bank. saw
, number of others clamberng up out Of the
cars, and there were several persons ASSISTING
the ncrsons who had been injured. l saw
Some Iaborers whom ordered to build bon
f;res On the track up and down the road. Of
the sneed of the train / took no particular no
t;ca T do not think it was running at full
sneed. as we had Just passed over big bridge,
There we usually slack up, and had not got
under full headway yet. Several of the pas
senoers in the car escaped, but cannot re-
member their names, or the names of any 9TH
ers although knew some of their faces
Mr. David Runnion, think, was in the car
with me. whether he escaped or not l cannot
saw. | should judge there were some 100
persons in the train could not tell as had
not taken up my checks Of the second class
for emierant) cars, or the Eastern Tickets
There were Is or 20 laborers got on the fore
most of the emigrant cars from Ainswortn |
station and at New Albany and Salem cross
ing. The emigrant cars were all smashed up. |
When got out of the car the night was very
dark and the water was running heavy;
was confused. l wanted to reach the tele- |
graph station at South Bend, Ind, and start |
ed as supposed for it, but again torded
the creek-l had gone the wrong way. l neV-
er saw any rain in this ravine before; 1t 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 l
can Judge, about half way between South
Bend and Mishwaukee. This (Tuesday)
morning | crossed the same spot where last
night was food, almost without wettmg the
| TONS of nv feet know nothing further OF
the cause of the accident than the carrying
away of the culvert, and l was sitting on
forward seat, with my lantern near me, when
the pitching and cracking commenced.
WHO'S TO BLAME?
| This is a question which oughtnot now to
be discussed; but with the information at
hand. we Judge that this is one of the accidents
in which the tropic like fury of the storm is
to be charged with the fatal consequences
Doubtless the engineers of the Company were
careful in the exercise of their skill, and con-
structed this part of the road under the be-
lief that they had guarded against accidents
like this which has happened. But day or
two will enable us to judge more correctly.
Mr.J.J. H. Rice, Of Laporte Indiana, who
was a passenger on the sleeping car ofthe ILL
fated train, arrived yesterday at quarter
past two o'clock at the Briggs House, but LETT
for GAINESVILLE last evening. The following is
the
STATEMENT OF MR.. J. J. RICE, PASSENGER.
He 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 was when the water was rushing 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 .frnaa, he leaped into the
torrent, but succeeded in making his way to
clump of bushes and got up the bank, at.
terwards. He heard great deal OF scream
ing while in the current, and aiter landing the
cries of distress were awful. There being nc
lights, everything was confusion and surviv
!, ors were rushing wildly about the bank of the
rayine in vain search of their missing friends
.. He says no one was killed in the sleeping car
but one old gentleman jumped out and wa!
drowned in the current Mr.. Rice says tina
Osgood (the conductor) seemed crazy, he raj
=. to South Bend and to Mishwaukee, and thel
, returned, distance of eight miles, wthou
!: his hat. He took charge of him and brough
!. him to the city at 81 o'clock yesterday:
! One woman who was on the train with he
husband and five children, ran wildly abou
all night seeking her family, but without sue
! cess, until morning, when she found them al
> dead. She then went to farm house fe'
. yards off, where after sitting some minute
y the wretched wife and mother expired.
Mr.. Rice says that a s. 1tleman, with hi
! wife and two children, were on the train on
4 pleasure trip to the Eat. But in the acc
a dent the parties became separated. The hu:
band found one of his children dead in tn
morning next he found his wife dead, br
:, with her arms closely embracing the othe
I child, who was saved.
!, Mr.. Pardee, whose statement we give b.
y low, is from Bloomington, Ill. lie was return
ing from the East to his home, in the trai
r noxt to the i'll fatcd one, and which left tt
scene of the terrible disaster at IL o'clock ye
z terday. He arrived there at 8 o'clock in tt
j. morning, but as the baggage, &C., had all
\ be carried across from one side of the ravil
~ to the other, to another train, it was imposs
ble to leave sooner. Mr.. Pardee improved tt
"a interval of three hours in visiting and exami
I'd ing the scene and the wreck, and in atten
ance upon the sick and wounded.
o. STATEMENT OF THos. PARDEE, ESQ.
III At the time of his leaving by the train
bodies had been taken out and he understot
nc that two more culverts had been carrie
ne away east of the one now referred to, last mig
~ and by the same rain, after the train on viii,
~ ~ he came had passed over them. He calculs
~ ed the chasm to be 80 feet deep and so fe
across. The masonry was swept off by t
III strong current. The embarkment around t
d. stone-work was first washed out, and tn
II followed the masonry. He judged from t
mark along the embanlSment that the wat
ia had risen IL feet, but when he left it was
H ue most dry again.
u. The tank of the engine, the smoke sta
!" and few sphnters were all that was discer
ible of the wreck of the train. A large for
"a of men were engaged in pickinsup the bod
III and many were eXcavating the debris, but &C
siderable had been carried off by the torrel
The culvert was said to be, by those W
a knew, a strong one, but not wide enough
he the purpose, and many had predicted that
. would be washed out by the embankment fiji
cd being carried off by the wide and spread
of waters in the event of their rising, as has be
at the case.
nd Some nine of the wounded passengers HI
as been carried to Mishwauka, and were laid Q
e- ON pallets, arranged in large room in the /
Ill tel. Every care was bestowed upon them.
w The towns-people were particularly assiduo
D. in their attentions to the SICK while there we
he some 4 or doctors on hand ministering.
ed far as possible, TO their wants. The dead be
ed les were picked up and laid out in the ca,
It with sheets covering their faces. Two men h
ge worked two hours to get one woman out
| tho yatar Shn Uoc of co1rSa daad whnp
NJ covered. Tne sleeping car seemed to be u
on injured, with the exception OF a few brok
so windows. 1t lay in diagonal direction fro
bit the track. The engine shot some forty ft
distance from the west bank of the ravine,
ce which we conclude the train was going at
as rapid rate. The scene on the banks OF
| fr,,lx axxrfs,l