The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-18

On visiting The scene o the accident on S1tur-
q, y we rode down The line With the court us
Sup rintendont, Mr. Riddle, on h1ud-clr, aud
con not but feel tha shamcfu, and criminal us
was the c0rClcssncss which led 90 the present
collision 10 is no small tribute o. th3 officials that
they have hitherto kept SO free from accidents
on such q road. The road, in fic.i
one of the worst that could bo used, o. Q
striking beauty of the landscape, ani tho
many wndiugs Of the stream whose course .
follows, that so delight the Traveller, only reR-
dCuug necessary such twisting and Curyinto the
line. tnat iha portion must be- the terror OF al
a drivers of the company. Tho di lance from
Shohula TO lorkuwaNcn Is about five miles, aud
yet there ere certainly not more than three points
I'm that distance from which spectator can see
more than a hundred yards Of the line az once
about fifty yards each way.
Al the spot on which the collision took place
the line makes O sudden bend, like the convex
curve OF the letter s, and 10 was at the apex of
this that the collision took place. As we passed
along, some distance before we arrived nc the
sIot the Goals strewng the line In all directions
broken couplings and fragments gave uouce that
We were app OaChiug thc scene Of some disaster.
At length two uprurnCd tenders with sides
battered and crumped, the massive iimbcrs Of
their floors snapped across like wand, wheels
and aNlCs broken, piston rod bent rs though 10
had been wire angle irons twisted out of all
shape, massive bars CrumplCd Ike paper, wheels
filing the ditch, planhs torn into shrcds, timbcrs
spl'uturcd like tuuChwuod, cara smashed and
overturned, bore such witness 20 the fearful ma
turC Of the shock, that one wondered how, when
such rigid things as iron and wood were as sJraws
before it, flesh and blood should over survive.
And as one passes on a little further, aud looks
down sheer eighty feet of perpendicular rock 70
The stream below it is impossible 70 rcpress a
shuddor at the thought Of how awful would have
been the loss oilie had the collision taken place
on any Of those narrow ridges, about fifteen feet
wide, which the road forms at these places.
10 is difficult 10 look up NO those shaggy hills,
clad with primcyal forest, or down on the sunny
stream sparkling below, or across the valley at
the waving harvest, ready for the reaper aud
realize the fact that only two days ago that plea
SAINT, peaceful spot was to so many a scene of
untold horror and anguish, yielding its first har
vest to death, the reaper whose sickle had at last
secured the shCaf of human life that had so
often evadCd and braycd him on the battle field.
Yet there were the remains Strcwing the road,
and down ut ShohOla were more ghasty wit
nCsses still. The appearance of SONS of the
/ wounded men was frighttul; the only object to
give it Ielief being the presence of the minister
! ing angels who so teudCry tended each sufferer
/ Union and Rebel alike-ouly requiring that aid
should be needed to give it, and seeing only u
| filow.creatnre appealing, and not in vain to
| their sympathics.
Some little disapprobation was expressed at the
/ hasty burial Of the men, and it has been objected
/ that opportunities should have been offered for
/ their identification; but 20 this IL may be an-
| swerC thar the mutiatiOn Of many of the COrpses
! rendered this impossible, aud the weather, on
| should be removed, while there is no doubt the
| Government have all the names Of tie missing
| men, and will give them such publicity rs may
| meet the eyes Of their friends.
! II is certainly, however, desirable that some
/ thing more than the sham investigation by the
| jury, and which we are informed terminated in a
verdict that all the company's servants were free
from blame and the accident unavoidable, should
take place. The telegraph operator is said tC
| have been intoxicated the night before, but unit
he can be met with. and the public will demand
OF the State authorities to see that he is aud Car
/ he confronted with the conductor of the Goa
train, it will not do to place too much reliance or
the statement of the latter.
| 1t is the duty of each telegraph clerk to tele.
! graph to the clerk mt the next depot Immediately
! the train has passed his station, and this book
! seems TO have been regularly kept, so far as ouI
! Inspection went, Mt ShUhOla. At Lackawaxen we
were unable to see the book kept by the abscond.
ing operator. Under any circumstances, if the
| statement about the character of the telegraph
operator is true, it is most discreditable to the
company TO have kept such man in so critical a
| situation, and they are by no means free from
| completely in the murder which has just been
| committcd-Neie York Tribune.