The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-02
THE FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT ON THE
QUEBEC RAILROAD.
Full ParticuIars-Horr Scenes.

The Toronto Globe ofiyesterday gives some
additional particulars of the awful catastrophe
on the Quebec Railroad, near St. Hilare. The
accident took place at half-past / O'Clock A. NJ.
The train for Quebec stopped at st. HHlire.
atput enc mile from the bridge across the Richie
lieu river where there is O swing bridge. The
swing bridge was opened about "a quarter past
one, to let number Of barges In tow of
steamer, pass. The proper signals were turned
before the bridge was opened, and the red light
was burning. The man in charge Of the bridge
when he heard the whistle waved his red hand
lamp. The standing orders are, that all trains
must come TO full stop before reaching the
bridge This was disreglrded, and the train ran
into the open draw.
The train which went over the bridge con-
sisted Of eleven cars and an engine. There were
35i emigrants on board, all Germans. The train
was prcCipitated on the stern Of barge passing
at the time, which lies partly submerged. The
conductor, Thomas Finn, is Killed; the fireman
Nicholas Flynn, supposed 10 be killed. William
Birney, the driver, went down with his engine
but escaped with slight injury.
The cars lie mostlya pile Of fragments crushed
together resting on the barge. Had the cars
fallen into the open water, to the number of
deaths caused by being crushed in the smashing
of the cars must have been added a vast number
of drowned. All the barges in tow of the steamer
had passed except two. Those on the barge
actually passing through the bridge saw the train
coming, knew what must happen, and jumping
on the barge behind saved their lives.
The locomotive lies submerged in the water out
of sight. The appearance presented by the
wreck II Is impossible TO describe. The train
consisted of two or three secOnd-class cars, and
the remainder box cars fitted up with benches for
the emigrants. The two or three last cars when
we arrived at the scene Of the accident about
seven o'clock, remained on the top of the pile,
comparatively unbroken; the rest were a con-
fused broken heap some lying on their sides
others upside down, broken into, and crushed
by those abO\ them, while in some cases a car
lay fattened almost like pancake between two
others.
The wheels lay confusedly scattered here and
there through the heap. The leg of a child might
be seen protruding from under plank, at an
other place mans head severed from the body.
which appeared like shapeless mass of bloody
clothes. The bridge, which is tubular iron
structure, the cars running along the top of the
tube, is some thirty yfiye feet high, counting from
the level of the rail TO the level of the water
The width opened by the swing, which is at the
western extremity Of the bridge, is about sixty
feet.
When I arrived, thirty -four bodies had been
recovered. During the forenoon, several others
have been taken out but the remaining dead are
chiefly in car so wedged in amongst the frag-
ments of the others that many have not even vet
been reached. AS l write, the body of au old
grey-haired man, respectfully attired, is taken
outs the lifeess hand still grasps large long
handled china pipe quarter of an hour ago,
lad of fifteen was taken out, apparently lifeess,
his head covered with blood, and presenting a
frghtful spectacle. On restoratives being ap-
piled, he was found to be not only alive but only
+, very eighty injured.
The blood with which he was covered was that
of his mother, beside whose corpse he had been
lying in the wreck for ten hours. Within the
last few minutes, the bodies of two innocent
babes of two or three years, have been got out of
the wreck and borne past to the dead-house. The
dead are lying in the upper loft of a shed on the
river side, about one hundred yards below the
scene of the accident. A number of the more
seriously wounded are in the lower part of the
same building. Already two or three have been
fha 4
TO the CHASTITY upper chamber set apart for the
dead. Others of the wounded are in tavern
close beside the scene of the accident, and in the
adjacent sheds and other out-buildings.
The Coroner, Immediately on arriving, had
the engine-driver CWm. Birney), arrested and
Sent him by the delayed train, which passed
- about ten o'clock, TO Montreal, there to be com
mitted TO gaol. The bridge Is nearly 100 feet
in length, and the signal that the bridge is open
can be seen 525 feet before entering on the bridge
The signal being beside the draWbridge on the
western side OF the river, should thus have been
seen by the driver at a distance of 1925 feet. 1t
was clear night, with no haze to prevent its
being visible. Birney says that when he saw the
signal he reversed the engine, but those compe-
tent TO Judge say he could have pulled up the
train in one-third OF the distance Blrney has
been in the employ of the Grand Trunk for
eight OF ten years chiefly as fireman II is only
recently that he has been promoted to the rank
of driver.
A brother Of Finn, the deceased conductor,
was dIver OF the express train which brought US
from Quebec. Ii was touching to see how the
strong Fellow was unnamed, and wept and
Goaned in the excess Of his grief, when on our
arrival at the bridge, he was first male ac-
quainted with his brothers melancholy fate.
The Coroner returns by the next train to Mon
treal. This being tete day the inquest could not
be held to-day. He will have a special train to-
morrow to take jury TO view the bodies, and
will then adjourn the inquest, to be continued in
Montreal. he has telegraphed to the German
Society OF Montreal, requesting them TO come
phQ nf fba chf
deprived of their husbands, &c. The Coroner
also telegraphed TO Montreal to have seventy five
collins Immediately made and sent down. The
dead have not yet been identified and it has been
impossible thus far to get any thing approaching
correct list of their names.
With the assistance of an intelligent German
IN the employment of Major Campbell, of st.
HilaITe, entered into conversation with a num-
ber of the survivors. found, however, that they
were of very various nationalities, and knew lit
tie OF each others affairs. They came by the
NeckGr, which arrived at Quebec on Sunday
afternoon last, nom Bremen via Hamburg.
They landed 539 in NUMBER l3 having died on
the passage. One, an old man of 81, died after
reaching Quebec. Anumberleft for the West on
Monday, and 354 started by this unfortunate
train. A few families remained behind. They
were Austrians, Prussians, Swedes Danes,
Bohemians, Poles, and, in one or two cases,
Italians.
They were bound for Wisconsin, via Chicago
most of them to meet friends already settled in
that region. Those l conyersed with were chiefly
from Bohemia Joseph Roesler, from Bohemia,
lost boy of three or four years. Yincena Want
zing, aged 27, single, from Bohemia, Is among
the dead. S. Koitzky, from Bohemia, has lost
babe Of one year himself, wife, and three chill
dren survive. A hoy aged 10, named Kokall,
from Bohemia, is among the dead his father and
mother are among the severely wounded. Johann
Urbana is dead his widow is among the wounded.
s. Zommenatzik, from Bohemia, lost two chill
dren. Mrs. Kricger, widow from Coblentz, has
lost son, daughter, and son-in-law; two
daughters survive, will herself
The appearance Of the contents OF the chests
recovered from the wreck betokened that q num-
Der of the emigrants were in toerably well. .to-do
circumstances. Several had shuttles and other
implements Of the weavers craft Some Of the
survivors say that in the cars that they were in
there was no light. The darkness mHst have
added immensely TO the terrors Of the frightful
descent into the abyss.
The space between the piers was at first filed
with the precipitated cars TO such a height that
the bridge could not be closed. The two or
three topmost cars were pulled out Of the way by
"A locomotive, by means of a rope attached and
the slight damage done 10 the edge OF the bridge
where the cars went over havi q been repaired.
the track was in condition I, permit The re-
sumption of ordinary traffic befo ten, when the
Quebec train, which had been due in No Itreal
at 10 A. NJ, passed over. IL, of coursf failed
10 make the connection at Montreal for the West
IL rs supposed the total mortality causad nv .ha