The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-07-07
GREAT TRAGEDY,
Terrible Disaster OLE the South
ern MisEpisan Road.
NINETY FOUR LIVES LOST

South BEND, Ind, June 2S.-A little be-
fore midnight, the night express train from
Chicago to Toledo, when between South
Bend aud Mishay a passing over an embark
ment spannnga ravine, at the base Of which
Is culvert, the embarkment suddenly gave
way, and the whole train was precipitated
into the ravine, which was followed with a
perfect torrent ofwater.
The engine was literally buried in the op-
posite side Of the ravlne in quicksand and
mud, and the tender, baggage and express
car, and two second class cars, were shatter
almost into kindling wood, and piled on the
top of the engine. The two fiirstclass
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 was 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 con-
cussion of the crossing train, caused the sad
calamity.
About $50 persons were on the train of
these "a have been taken from the ruins
dead, and so or more are wounded, or esca-
| ped unhurt; the rest not heard from, as
many of the dead were drowned in the raw
inc. 1t is feared that others not heard from
have lost their lives in the same manner.
Mr.. Bliss, the President of the road, and
Mr.. Hiram Sibley, one of the directors,
were in the sleeping car and escaped unin-
iured. The engineer and fireman, both ma
med Chulp, Of Laporte, were killed; Hartwell
ofToledo.. expressman, and Darlington, bag
gage master, were also killed, in the baggage
car. c. W. Smith, Road master, killed.
Mrs. E. P. Gillett and child, Stone Mills, n
Y, dead-E. P. Gillett but little hurt. W.
H. Gillett, Cortland, New York, missing.
The names ofthe dead it is impossible to
obtain. The wounded are Fred Miller, Hol-
mesville, Ind; d. NJ. Knapp, Hudson, Wis,
Miss Hattie Knapp, Auburn, N. Y; J. r.
G Tdner, JOnesville, Mich; Charles Sherman
Boston Augustus White, ,Holmesville, Ind;
VIM. Flannery, p. Myer, P-Quinn, c. An
derson, V. r. Anderson, all of Ainsworth,
ILL.,; A. c Piser, Chicago; d. p Rhodes,
Cleveland; Miss A. Moore Freeport; Mr. &
Mrs. A. G. Jury, Brooklyn, N. Y;C. Jack
son, and Miss C. NJ Elder, Waukesha, Wis.
Os,ar WaSpetion, Rockford, ILL.,; Wallworth,
father and son, Adrian; c. Bennett, Adrian.
G. Bennett, Adrian.
Thos Mishan, Mich. City, train boy, dead
N. II. Regain, wife and daughter Rockford,
ILL.,, Lady badly hurt. daughternot yet found,
S. c. Rose, Co'dwater, slightly injured; Jes-
Sc Dying LouisviIl, Warren Co, Pa, slight
! ly; W. j. Hawk, Charleston, Va, slightly:
! G. Yard and wife, Otscgo Co. n. Y. slightly;
\. Van Syckc, wife and four children, War
rem Co., o., he and one child badly hurt
Citizens Of South Bend and Mishawala
turn out en- mass to assist the wounded and
search for the dead
One lady was carried down the stream to
wards re river, but lodged in a tree-tot
and heard several float by crying for help.
The engineer had been running over the
bridge from Laport each way carefuIy.-
The train was not running faster than ten
or twenty miles per hour. The train going
West hid passed over the cmbankment safe
ly at $50 p. NJ.
The U. s. Express had over $4,000 in
their safe, which broke to piecies by the
collision, but the agent here has found most
Of it in the ruins
One Of the through mail-bags was found
near the river, two hundred yards from the
break; whether others are lost ca mot be
told.
The ravine is about 25 feet deep and "a
to 100 feet wide. The night was dark, and
there was curve in the road just before the
embankment was reached.