Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-09-13
News of the Week.
HORRIBLE OUTRAGE UPON THE HANNIBAL AND
ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD.

hOnhIDLE W ihhuE cEON AhE HANNIBAL htNi
ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD.
HUDsoN, Mo-, Sept. G.-The following &C
count of the horrible disaster on the Hanni
bal and st. Joseph Railroad is furnished tc
the ST. Louis Republican:
The catastrophe occurred at the Little
Platte river bridge nine miles west of st. 10
seph. The bridge was substantial work Of
100 feet span and about 80 feet above the
river. The timbers of the bridge had been
burned underneath the track until they would
sustain but little more than their OWL
weight, and the fire was then extinguished
leaving the bridge mere shell.
The train bringing from So to 100 pass
engers, including the women and children
reached the river at one o'clock at night
The bridge looked secure, the train passed
on, but no sooner had the locomotive meas
ured its length upon the bridge than some
forty or fifty yards Of the structure gave way
precipitating the entire train in the abyss be.
low. -
All the seats in the passenger coaches were
torn and showed in front, carrying men, wo-
men and children in promiscous heap down
tho declivity and burying them among the
crushed timbers, or throwing them out of
the cars through the broken sides. Jagged
pieces Of flooring impaled some, some Were
mangled by machinery tearing throush the
timbcrs, several were caught between planks
pressing together like vice, others were
struck by parts of the roof as it came down
with mighty force, still others were cut with
pieces of glass, while wounds and blood and
agony prevailed all over the frightful scene,
and shrleks of pain were mingled with cries
of terror. In this way the two last cars of
the train went down, plunging the passen-
gers in the wreck or throwing them into the
water, which at this point is about foot
and a half in depth.
Only three persons, Mr.. j. w. Parker, Su-
perintendent of the United States Express,
Mr.. Mares, mail agent, and Mr.. Hagar, were
able to afford assistance to the suffering
The remainder Of those who were not killed
outright being so disabled as to be helpless.
After doing all that was possible for those
requiring immediate attendance, Mr.. Hagar
at midnight left the wreck to go to st. 10
seph for medical and other assistance. He
walked five miles of the way, when he found
a hand car upon which he proceeded the re-
mainder Of the journey. Two hundred yards
west Of the bridge he discovered heavy rail
tie strongly strapped across the track, and
two miles further on he found the trestle
work over small stream on fire, which,
however, had not as yet been so badly burned
that the trains could not pass over it, or could
not be easily extinguished.
Arriving at st. Joseph the alarm was soon
spread throughout the city, and although it
was one o'clock at night, seventy men,
including all the physicians in the neighbor-
hood, quickly volunteered their services, and
at half past three o'clock train fully sup
piled with military stores and other necessi-
ties was at the scene Of disaster. The wounded
had all emerged from the wreck and were
lying on the banks and on sand bar in the
river. Seventeen dead bodies were recovered
and it is believed that this number embraced
all who were killed up to that time. Two
were so badly mangled it was not expected
they would survive till morning, while many
others were dangerously wounded and would
have to be well taken care Of to recover
Many who will escape with their lives will
be severely manned and crippled.