Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-07-06


The Neckar sailed from Hamburg on the
18th May, with five hundred and thirty
eight souls, the greater part of whom came
from Bohemia, and the remainder from
Poland, Saxony, the Hanseatic towns, and
Sweden and Norway. Sixteen only came
from the latter kingdom. AS a class these
poor emigrants were distinguished for
their eminently respectable appearance,
broad stolid countenances, and light flaXen
hair. They were all grouped into families,
few single men being among them, and
with some exceptions were well provided
with means. Some intended to settle in
Upper Canada, but the majority were on
their way to the Western States, a few GO
ing to New York. may here explain that
about eighty of the passengers remained in
Quebec not being able to pay their way up,
and upon the recommendation of Mr.. Jor-
gensen, the gentlemanly Interpreter and
assistant Emigrant agent at Quebec, decided
to wait at Point Levi until means had been
provided by the government for their pass
age to Upper Canada. This providentially
saved the lives of many among them and
diminished the sum total of the loss expert
unced by their less fortunate fellow-passen-
gers. The train on leaving Point Levi,
therefore, contained eight hundred and
forty-five passengers, who occupied eleven
freight and secOnd-class cars, the luggage
the train. The lighter portion ofthe baggage
was distributed through the cars, many of
the passengers having bundles containing
clothing, bread, household untensils and
other effects. Atl:l5 A. NJ. the train arriv-
ed at st. Hilaire Station, mile or so from
the bridge over the river Richilieu, and was
then in charge of Birney, the engne-driver,
Finn, conductor, and one of the most
careful men on the road, and Finn, the
brakesman. 1t left the station Immediately
after and proceeded up the road to the
bridge. The night was fine and clear, so
much so that the stationmaster at st. Hilaire
saw the train proceeding over the bridge
| The draw was then open, five barges pass
| ing through on their way to Lake Cham
| plain, in tow of the steamer Whitehall, la
| den with oats and sawn lumber. The usual
| red danger light was burning, and could be
| seen at a distance of one thousand six hum
| dred and twenty feet, or more than thou
sand feet from the end of the bridge, which
| is constructed of iron, and rests on seven
stone piers, at an altitude of about forty
| feet from the summer level of the river. The
| bridgemaster saw the train coming, and in
addition to the danger signal already hoist
| ed on the semaphore, ran on the track and
waved another red light for the train to
stop. 1t still came on, however, and just as
| the mast of the third vessel in tow of the
Whitehall had cleared the bridge, the train
fell into the gap caused by the opening of
the draw bridge, car after car laundering
| into the river and ON to the deck of the
| barge forty feet below. The locomotive
struck the barge just aft the mast bounded
| off and plunged into the river, tearing out
| large piece of the side of the vessel, which
careened over, and sank two or three feet
into the bed of the river. The tender
| came next and appears to have cap
sized upon the locomotive. 1t was follow
| ed by the baggage cars which fell fiat in
| to the draw, and are comparatively un-
injured, while above them, in fearful mex
| tricable confusion, came the cars contain
ing the unfortunate passengers. Only one
| of the lot was fitted with seats, and, by some
strange chance, was thrown half across the
deck of the barge, one of its ends being
partly submerged in the river. Its inmates
were fearfully shaken by the shock, the
seats having been torn out, but do not APP
| pear to have sustained much serious injury,
as although its roof was broken through, its
| sides and floor are comparatively free from
| blood which bespattered the greater part of
| the others in every direction. The other
cars were literally piled one upon the other,
and so mixed up and jumbled thatit seemed
| as If they had been placed under press of
| enormous power and crushed into an unre-
| COSulLdDl6 mass VI SplluItTS anu lTOu ullAcu
| here and there with car wheels in every
| position, shreds of clothing, loaves ofbread,
| bundles and human bodies bruised, battered
| and covered with blood. The woodwork
| in some of the cars was open here and there,
| and one could see through them into further
| sickening vistas of hands, heads, and feet.
| covered with shattered, splintered wood
| work and torn clothing. Some of the men,
bers thus held up by the wreck in which
they were immovably encased were blue to
blackness, betokining the nature of the death
of which the poor sufferers had died. Here
and there little child could be distinguish
ed, its little faxen head dabble with blood,
and its body lying in the wreck on the wa
ter. So much for the fearful scene. hope
never to witness such another. 1t is satis-
factory to know, however, no olong-prolong-
ed suffering tortured the last moments of
these poor foreigners. Death in every case
appears to have been instantaneous. A few
mayhavelived for an hour or so, but the shock
experienced in falling from such aheight and
the subsequent shocks from the accumula-
insensibility must have Immediately ensued.
This is fully established by the appearance
of the dead. Everybody that l saw was
more or less disfigured, wet or bruised, but
through the blood on the face and brow,
the calm, placid aspect assumed by the sud-
denly killed could be easily distinguished.
They were, as whole, very black about
the eyes, the conclusion on the brain having
injected the blood vessels of the eye and
stained the cheeks and eyelids all round
about. A middle-aged married woman,
from Bohemia, believe, proved to be the
case most needing immediate care. She was
suffering from compound fracture OF the
knee joint, and it Immediately became evil
dent that the limb would have to he ampu-
tated. This was accordingly done, and was
borne with heroic fortitude, the poor woman
in the course of the amputation quietly re-
proving her husband for, giving way to bis
griefl The clearing OF the debris proceeded
In the meantime with much, difficulty and
slowness, owing to the great confusion in
which the wheels, trucks, and other parts of
the car were involved. A strong cable was
attached to the upper part of the pile, and
by this means two cars, the last of the ILL
fated train, were dragged ON to the wharf
under the bridge. Their removal revealed
horrible sight. A shapeless blue mass
Of heads and hands and feet protruded
among the, splinters and framework, and
gradually resolved itself into, closely
noolyod ,s,ooc nf human haino ORG oil ',.a frfxt,d