The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-08-06
NORTHERN RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.

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We yesterday published some full dispatches
about the accident OF the Northern Railroad,
near Schaghticoke, N. r., giving the list OF
killed and wounded. The following are adj
ditionai particulars Of the accident
THE ACCIDENT.
The train consisted Of an engine tender two
baggage cars, and two passenger cars As the
train neared the south side Of the bridge. the
engineer felt the bridge sinking under him.
He instantly threw the throttle valve open,
and with mighty strain the machine pulled,
balixed an instant, and then bounded clear OF
the falling mass. The two baggage cars dash
ed into the chasIn, and were crushed to atoms,
the tender falling upon toe wreck. The two
passenger cars leaped in upon the others, the
rear end of the last car resting upon the abut.
ment.
The shock of concussion was terrific; the
passengers in both cars were hurled violently
from their seats, and cast together in dead
and mangled heaps ut the ends which went
into the water. As soon as possible, those who
were unhurt only slightly injured, got out
from the wreck, and by every means in their
power, devoted themselves to the rescue of
their less fortunate companions. Word was
Immediately dispatched TO Schaghticoke for
help. and in a few minutes the citizens of
that place, hastily providing themselves with
means for administering to the necessities OF
the wounded, fastened in great numbers to
the spot. A hand car was sent Albany for
help; fires were built of pieces of the wreck
and such other fragments as could be procured;
great number of lanterns had been brought
To the spot, and then began the melancholy
task of looking for the dead.
STATEMENT OF MR.. LEWIS.
Mr.. E. T.. Lewis, of Genesee, was passen-
ger on the ill-fated train. He was riding in
the front car, towards the rear end The fol-
lowing is his statement:
As the cars went on to the bridge, Mr. Lewis
remembers distinctly feeling sort of jar or
jerk, which gave him the momentary impress
sion that something was wrong; but, before
mind the crash came. Mr.. Lewis suddenly
felt the car plunging downward, as it Were,
and falling to pieces. The second car plunged
under the first, and tore out the sides and bot
tom. Mr.. Lewis was thrown violently for
ward, head first, striking, as he supposed,
against the top of the second car, turned and
fell to the bottom, on the top of a number of
passengers. For instant there was not the
slightest noise-not u shrek of terror or
groan of pain. So instantaneous was the de-
struction that every persons energies APP
peared parlyzed. The first words that MIR.
Lewis remembers hearing, for he was himself,
if not stunned, entirely bewildered, were de-
livered in a very calm voice, and were-"Say,
you at the top get off just as quick as you can,
won't you % as if this was the signal for q re-
coyery of consciousness, it was Immediately
followed by agoniZing shrieks and groans and
loud cries for help.
Mr. Lewis extracted himself from the wreck
as quickly as possible, and the first person he
recognized was Mr.. Cooley, the conductor
He had been thrown violently forward the en-
tire length Of the ear, but had crawled back to
where his wife, her mother and child had sat.
Mrs. Cooley and Mrs. Cuyler lay apparently
in the position they had occupied in the car
Their feet We're up and their heads and the
upper part of their bodies were buried in the
wreck. Mr.. Cooley sank almost helpless by
the side Of his wife, whom he apparently re-
cogniZed by her dress, at which he was phil
ing, now beSeeching assistance for her and now
calling piteonsly upon her name, and beseeeh-
ing her to rise and save herself. MI. l.. feeling
faint and sick at the stomach, made his way
out to the water, in which he bathed his tenn
pies and wrists. As he did SO, two gentlemen
badly cut on the head rushed to him. asking if
they We're dangerously hurt. He advised them
to Wish their wounds in the water. which
they did. He then returned to the wreck and
made for Mr.. Cooley, who was still pulling at
the dress of his wife, although almost helpless
himself from his own injuries. MIR. L.. raised
him and begged him to let him take him ashore,
but Cooley only replied by begging him to help
his wife. After some difficulty, and not with
out being compelled to speak harshly to him,
he succeeded in getting him out of the wreck,
and got him on the bank.
Mr. L. and others then went and got out the
body of Mrs. Cooley and bore it ashore. They
discovered that both herself and mother were
quite dead. The child, also much injured, was
also taken out of the wreck. When Cooley
saw the dead body of his wife, he threw him
self upon ii, shrieking terrlbly-"Oh my poor
wife. my poor wife !''-and it was found i'm
possible to tear him from the corpse His ago.
nized grief was heartrending to behold. But
it was necessary TO attend to the wounded and
suffering, and all who could render assistance
repaired to the wreck All this was the work
of but few minutes. When Mr.. l.. got back,
he found a lady with three children, all of
whom We're bruised, but apparently otherwise
whom he helped from the ruins
The wife and son of Col. b. =. johnson were
or board and unhurt, and Mrs. johnson acted
nobly in rendering aid to the wounded, setting
an example of energy and judgment but sell
dom seen in such exciting scenes. A man of
large size was so tightly wedged in that it was
necessary to use pieces OF the wreck to remove
the beams that confined him: yet no bones
We're broken, and his injuries were only from
bruises and exhaustion.
After all who could be helped We're got out, Mr..
L. ran for help, but being unable to ascertain,
even from the conductor, which was the road
to take, he went in a direction opposite to
Schaghticoke. He soon came to farmhouse,
and, making his way through field Of wheat,
appeared, covered with blood and dirt, and
without a hat to the inmates. The females
were alarmed and fled, but he soon made them
understand that he was harmless and their
services We're required. They repaired to the
scene of disaster. Assistance soon arrived
from Schaghticoke, and nothing that could be
done for the sufferers was neglected.
STATEMENT OF MR.. FULLER OF NEW YORK
/ cannot say how many are killed or wound
ed, except that have not seen a single nnn
who has escaped injury. The water is about
three feet deep at the place where was taken
out, and the river has rocky bed. The man
beneath me was drowned. The man on top of
me had his leg broken. saw a frightful num-
ber of bloody heads about me in the bed of the
river. The bridge is single span, of about
1UO feet, at the height of 25 80 teet above the
river.