The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-07-06
The Terrible Rail Road Accident:

IZA O'CLOCK.
As nearly as has been ascertained over six
ty persons were killed on the spot and many
Others injured-a number fatally SO. The &C.
cident occurred by the washing ont of a cul
vert over small stream. that had been fear
fully swollen by the heavy rain the afternoon
previous. & {.IffI. f:C.a
Produced BY the waters was about 1901
feet in width and from 20 to 80 feet deep
The depth of water at the time of the acct
dent, was about II feet. So powerful was
the current at the time. that even masses of
concrete masonry and bars of Railroad iron
were carried several rods below the gorge
Sonnet hing of the suddenness of this power
| ful food may be imagined by the fact only
| IL hours after the incident there was very
little water passing, and by evening not
enough 10 prevent man with boots crossing
with dry feet '-sg 77'7
| The train was composed of eight cars. 10
Gated in the following order-one baggage
car, one emigrant car two cars filed with rail
road laborers, three ordinary passenger cars,
and one sleeping car. a7'7. r.
All of the train but the sleeping car were
complete wrecks. e ssilz aiitii 5H;t 4
| Every man connected with the train. ex
cept the Conductor, one brakesman, the Con-
ductor of the sleeping car. and his boy, was
killed.
The surviving brakesman says that the
train was run with great caution over all the
culverts previous to reaching the fatal eulvert,
but on nearing the latter the was increased to
twenty five or thirty miles an hour, as this
culvert was considered the most reliable on
the road On reaching the gan, which was
about one hundred feet wide and about thirty
feet Deep the train fell first on the old trestle
work, which crashed beneath the weight. and
then leaped into the chasm. The engine fell
at the base of the farther bank, and buried
itself in the sand. The baggage ear, two sec
ond class cars, and two first class cars piled
into one mass and drove each other into the
learth. The sleeping car fell on its side on
top of the pile of shattered cars.
The embanknent at which the disaster oc
Cured was 30 feet high. At the time the ac-
cident occurred, the water on the upper side
was estimated to be 20 feet Deep where it
had formed large pond, owing probably to
the culvert being choked up with drift wood
The cIvert crossed small stream, half way
between South Bend and Mishawaka, four
miles apart, which empties into the st. 10.
seph River, abont 80 rods below the eulvert
The rush of water through the. gap after the
embankrent gave away was terrific, carrying
many Of the unfortunate passengers, both the
dead and the living, down the stream, and
some even into the river.
taa INCIDENTS. sa raala Z.
Mr.. + p. Gillet, of Jefferson Co, N. Y.
was returning from western trip, with biz
. wife and child, aud was seated with them -
They were both killed while be was spared te
/ pursue his homeward journey with their corp
ses. ''- f-.a .lcF s5lt H-f
A lady travelling alone was returning from
the west to South Bend, at which place hel
, brother was in waiting for her, but having
/ fallen asleep and not awaking in time to leave
the train at that station, was brought on, ant
taken back yesterday corpse zal
Three young men occupied seats facing
: each other, two sitting up and one lying down
: the former were killed and the latter bu
slightly injured. -H
A lady from Illinois wished Mr. Oalligan tt
say to Mr.. Richards, Conductor of the sleep
ing car. that she owed her life and that of he
e child to him. She with her child were in th.
r water, and aboat to be carried away by tn,
\ current, when MIR. Richards caught them anc
!, rescued them from death. MIR. Calliga, alst
: knowiedges his own indebtedness to Mr. r
s for his prompt and efficient assistance in res
cuing the property of the Express Compan,
from loss.
Even in this scene of death and suffering
where the humane were incessant in labors il
rescuing and relieving the poor victims of tn,
catastrophe, there we're not wanting fends II
human shape, who employed every opport1
t nifty to rife the bodies of the dead ant
, wounded. OK 10 g.. ,aH-r. ar- E.as III 7E
Geo. Bliss, Esq, President of the Compa
ny, was in the sleeping car at the time of tht
accident and although slightly injured wa
:, not prevented from contributing valuable ant
a prolracted assistance in rescning and carin,
r for the dead and suryiv prs. In the mud ant
water, laboring with the foremost, he persist
ed in his efforts until his friends, to save hin
from utter prostrotion, took him away to Mis-
I'll hawaka. 30 sFs ,fsa@ .55r-.F t-s' H,f5 H-at
a One poor fellow a yorng man from Mich
gan. received some internal injury in the up
per part of his chest, the effects of which WA
s TO cause his face and neck to swell. He wa
r set down in one corner, where he s.ffere
most intense misery, and begged. of the ply
. scian in attendance to put an end to his snl
. fering by bleeding to death. He retained hi
= senses perfectly, and gave verbal direction t.
e have his property given to young lady b.
named He said his father was aboard o
!, the train, and was killed. He was not expect
ed to live.
Mr.. 2 ]. Frost, of Mantua, in this coun
was passenger upon this i'll fated train. HI
twas in the last car but one, and escaped quit
: miraculously, with only few slight cuts an,
bruises-upon his arrival at Cleveland he re
ported himself at the Leader Office and tha
paper gives this account of his escape III
The first sensation Mr.. Frost experienced
q was being awakened by a violent iolting, a
/, though the train was running on the ties, al
# ter which occurred tremendous crash II
;. the next instant Mr.. F. felt himself plungin,
70 into the water, when he instinetively reache,
his hands out and caught hold of some tim
It Der or plank, and aoated ashore. How b.
If got out of the car he was unable TO say, a
the whole transaction took place almost in
: simultaneously, but thinks that he swan o
: hoated through an opening in the car cause
e by the smash up. a5fH5 rg
Rev. J. g. HAIRS REMARKS ON THE TRAc
soc1ErIEs-At the session of the Congregation
of Michigan held in the city Detroit
g. the Tract cause under discussion, the Rev ].
HART. of Ravenna reported in the Detroit Free Pres
: arose and said:
Rev. Mr.. Hart of Ravenna Ohio, desired to speak
of the Reform and Tract Society of Cincinnati
he had known the Society many years. and
had contracted dislike 20 but when he came kno
better and see it, operations, he satisfied that
was productive of vast amount of good. He in fl
vor Of lPgotng it on the ground that it wester
Society BE had heard folks say that better men, bette