Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-07-09

FULL PARTICULARLY,
OF THE l,
TERRIBLE DISASTER
MICHIGAN RAILR0AD.
SIXTY LIVES LOsT'
We CLEAN from the Chicago Press ana 1r'-
b.ne. of the 29th ult., the following account
Of the disaster on the Southern Michigan ran
road, which we referred to in our paper oi 'ne
sOth ult:
The city was Mortified yesterday morning
with a report that an accident, attended win
unusual loss of life, had happened near Mish-
wa.,kee about 80 miles from this city, to the
Exn-ess train on the Southern Michigan Road,
which left the Depot in Chicago, on Tuesday
evening at o'clock, p. NJ, with something
near 15O passengers in the five cars-of which
the train was made up. The rumor was soon
confirmed by inquiry at the Office of the Rail-
road Company, Report at first stated the
number of killed at 80, then at 40, and later
at so. but at this hour there is no room to
Doubt that at least 60 human beings have
been sent home by the catastrophe of which
we speak. The town was alive with excite
ment, as several we'll known citizens were on
the train; but nothing of definite character
except the names of few of the killed and a
a few of the saved, was known until toward
evening when the following dispatch was re-
ceived:
SOUTH BEND, Ind, June 2S.-A little before
midnight, the night express train from Chicago
to Toledo, when between South Bend and
Mishawaka, passing over an embankment
spanning a ravine, at the base of which is
culvert, the embankment sudde lly gave way,
and the whole train was precip;tated into the
ravine, which was filled with a perfect tor
rent of water.
The engine was literally buried in the oppo-
site side of the ravine in quicksand and mud,
and the tender, baggage car and express car,
and two second class cars, were shattered
almost into kindling wood, and piled on the top
of the engine. The two first class passenger
cars followed, and were torn to pieces and
carried down the stream, while the sleeping
car, although making the leap with the rest,
was less injured.
The stream is naturally but rivulet, but
was swollen by the extraordinary rains Of the
previous afternoon and evening. Flood wood
probably checked the culvert, converting the
embankment into dam, and the great weight
of water, with the conclusion of the crossing
train, caused the sad calamity.
About 15O persons were on the train (; o
these 60 have been taken from the ruins dead
and so or 60 more are wounded, or escaped
unhurt; the rest not heard from, as many o.
the dead were drowned in the ravine. 1t i;
feared that others not heard from have los
their lives in the same manner.
Mr.. Bliss, the President of the Road, ano
Mr.. Hiram Sibley, one of the Directors, were
in the sleeping car and escaped uninjured.-
The engineer and fireman, both named ChulE
of Laporte, were killed; Hartwell, of Toledo
express man, and Babbington, baggage mas
te-, were also killed, in the baggage car. G
W. Smith, road master, killed. Mrs. E. P
G;llett and child, Stone Mills, N. Y, dead
E. P. Gillett but little hurt. w. H. Gillett
Cortland, New York, missing.
The names of the dead it is impossible t.
obtain. The wounded are F. Miller, Holmes
vile, Ind; E. NJ. Knapp, Hudson, Wis Mis-
Hattie Knapp, Auburn, N. Y; j. R. Gardner
Jonesville, Mich; Charles Sherman, Boston
Augustus White, Holmesville, Ind, VIM
Flannery, P. Myer, P. Quinn, c. Anderson
V. R. Anderson, all of Answorth, ILL.,; A. D
Piser, Chicago; d. P. Rhodes, Cleveland
Miss A. Moore, Freeport; Mr.. & Mrs. A. G
jury, Brooklyn, N. Y; c. Jackson and Mis-
c. NJ. Elder, Waukesha, Wis; Oscar Wa:
peton, Rockford, ILL.,; Wallworth, father an
SON, Aerian; G. Bennett, Adrian.
Thos. Mishan, Mich. City, train boy, dead
NJ II. Regan, wife and daughter, Rockfor,
ILL.,, lady badly hurt, daughter not yet found
S. G. Rose, Coldwater, slightly injured; jess
Dyeling, Louisville, Warren Co. ,lPa., slight
injured; W. j. Hawk, Charleston, Va, Sigh
" injured; G. Yard and wife, Otsego Co., \
T., slightly injured; A. Van Sycke, wife an
four children, Warren Co., o., he and on
child badly hurt
Stephen H. Arnold, Decatur Co., low
badly hurt; W. II. Weller, Milwaukee, Sigh
ly; B. O'Brien, Chicago, slightly w.
Connell, slightly Mary Coats, Youngstow
O., slightly, Olmstead, leg broken Miss
A. Porter, Hudson, Mich, slightly.
The following are not hurt Lewis Helle
Strasburg, Pa; John Heck, Rome, Jones c.
Iowa; R. w. TAFT, Susquehanna Depot, j.
Gardner, Chicago; Henry Crease, Philad
phia NJ. White, Dekalb, ILL.,; S. Arnol
brother of the wounded Arnold Calvin II
gan, Milwaukee.
Citizens of South Bend and MishawaI
turn out en- masse to assist the wounded a.
seerch for the dead.
One lady was carried down the stream
wards the river, but lodged in a tree top, al
heard several float by crying for help.
The Engineer had been running over t
bridge from Laporte each way carefully. T
train was not running faster than 10 or
miles per hour. The train going West h
passed over the embankment safely at g.:
Pm.
The o. S. Express had over $4,000
their safe, which broke to pieces by the c
lision, but the agent here has found most OF
in the ruins.
One of the through mail bags was fou
near the river, two hundred yards from
break; whether others are lost cannot be to
The ravine is about 25 feet deep and 70
100 feet wide.
The night was very dark, and there was
curve in the road just before the embankme
was reached.
CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.
At the spot where the disaster happened
small stream or branch is crossed by I
road, on an embankment 25 to 80 feet high.
Here, for the passage of the water, is a 60
stone culvert, which has heretofore proved
sufficient capacity to carry through all tt
descended the creek. In the afternoon a
evening before the accident, that locality W
visited by rain storm of extraordinary
verify. The water fell in torrents, raising
the smaller streams, after the lapse of fl
hours, to an unprecedented height. tits 81
posed that the drift wood carried down by t
little branch of which we speak, accumulat
on the upper side of the culvert, and caus
an obstruction that every chip, leaf and flo
ing limb made more serious, until the passa
of the water was almost entirely stopped.
The water thus damned up, attacked the e
bankment, which is of sandy loam, and so
dissolved it and carried it off, or made it
soft and yielding, that as soon as the weie
OF the train came upon it, it gave way
Formerly trussle work occupied the pls
OF the culvert and embankment; but it "