Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-06-30
The Terrible Railroad oatastropho.
sIXTX-FIvE LIVEs AsCERTAINED TO
HAVE BEEN LOsTi
OTHERS STILL MISSING.
FURTHER PARTICULARS

FOhIdEh FAhElC ULAhN.
Yesterday we met with Mr.. 2. J. Ffost, Of
Mantua, Portage CO., who was passenger on
the I'LL fated train which met with the terrible
accident on the Southern Michigan Road, and
from whom we obtained the following addition.
al details.
The train was composed of eight cars, loca.
ted in the following order.--ono baggage car,
ono emigraut car, two cars filed with railroad
aborers, three ordinary passenger cars, and one
sleeping car.
Mr. Frost took his seat in the car next 10 the
Sleeping Car where he went to sleep. The
frst sensation he experienced was being
awakened by violent iolting, as though the
train was running onthe ties, after which occur
red a tremendous crash In the next instant
Mr.. f. felt himself plunging into the water,
when he instiuctively reached his hands out
and caught hold of some timber or plank, and
aoated ashore How he got out OF the car he
was unable TO say, as the whole transaction
took place almost instantaneously, but thinks
thathe swan or aoated through an opening in
the car caused by the smash up. Ho received
some slight scratches and cuts, and his escape
may be deemed miraculous
The embankment was 80 feet high. At the
time the accident occurred, the water on the
upper side was estimated to be 20 feet deep,
where it had formed large pond, owing prob
ably to the culvert being choked up with
drift wood. The cuvert crosseda small
stream, half way between South Bend
and Mishawaka, four miles apart, which empties
into the st. Joseph River, about 80 rods below
the cuver The rush of water through the
gap after the embankment gave away was ter
rifle, carrying many of the unfortunate passen-
gers, both the dead and the liveing, down the
stream, and some even into the river.
The Conductor, Mr.. Osgood, who was eli! ht-
y wounded, fastened Immediately to the village
of South Bend, and gave the alarm The eiti-
zens, including all the physicians, hastened to
the scene of the disaster, and exerted them
selves to the utmost to rescue and relieve
the wounded and recover the dead
The wounded on tha west side of the chasm
were taken to farm house short distance,
where all the attention was given that could be
under the circumstances One poor fellow, a
young man from Michigan, whose nam1 Mr.
Frost had forgotten, received some internal
injury in the upper part of his chest, the effects
of which was to cause his face and neck to
swell. lie was set down in one corner, where he
suffered most intense misery, and begged ofthe
physicians in attendance to put an end to his suf
terng by bleeding him to death. He retained his
senses perfectly, and gave verbal direction to
have his property giyen.o young lady henamed.
II said his father was aboard of the train, and
was killed He was not expected to live.
At the time Of the accident, the train was
stated to be going at the rate of 80 to 30 miles
per hour.
We were informed by the baggageman of
last evenings Toledo train, that 65 were ascer-
tanned to have been killed or drowned, up to
yesterday afternoon
Mr. D. p Rhodes and wife, of this city, who
were on the train at the time of the accident,
had gone back to Chicago.
We add the following particulars from the
Toledo Blade of yesterday
THE UNFORTUNATE TRAIN.
Left Chicago at $50 on Monday evening, and
consisted Of five passenger cars, besides the
baggage and Express Car 1t arrived mt South
Bend about 45 minutes behind time, and made
the fatal leap at about 1890 at night
THE NIGHT
Was very dark, and during the preceding DAY
aud evening a most powerful fall of rain had oc-
CURED in the vicinity of South Bend, said to
have been the heaviest known for l. 5 years.
THE CAUSE OF THE DISASTER
Was the washing away of a Culvert in high
about two miles this side of South
Bend. Ordinarily, there has been no streum,
and although the premises were in the same
condition as they were since the first construc-
ton of the road, without any trouble having
been experienced before, 80 sudden aud power
lul was the shower on Monday, that great guam
titles of flood God, Including trees and logs,
was iloated to the culvert and 80 far choked it
up as in q great measure to stop the flow of
water. A train passed over in safety but
couple ofhours before, and nothing was known
to excite the least suspicion of danger at that
particular point, although heavy rain was
known 30 have taken place. The space washed
Dut was about 100 feet in width, the height of
-he embankment being variously estimated at
rom 20 to 80 feet.
THE DREADFUL SCENE