The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-07-27
THE RAILnoAD CALAmITY.

and preparations were being made for
its reception, our city was shocked by
a dispatch stating that an accident
had happened to train on the Gen.
tral Ohio Railroad, on which was the
greater part of the returning braves of
thel Regiment, by which seven had been
killed, and about twenty wounded
From all the inquiries we have been
able to make, we have been led to
adopt the following account OF the ac-
cident from the Ohio State Journal of
Saturday. The Journal had the names
of the soldiers nearly all wrong, the
names arc corrected in the account as
VIC give it.
ga disastrous and melancholy acci-
dent occurred on the Central Railroad,
yesterday morning, resulting in the
death Of eight persons and the wound.
ing Of some twenty others. The acci-
dent occurred near the crossing of the
old Granville road, about one mile
west of Columbia, Licking county,
ard perhaps seventeen miles from this
city. The train left the station here
on time, the passengers being princi-
pally discharged soldiers of the 18th
Ohio, on their way home. At the
place referred to, few minutes after
five o'clock, CA. M.) while moving at
full speed, one of the forward truck
wheels Of the engine broke-nearly
one-third of the wheel flying off-and
in spite Of all efforts to reverse motion
and to put the brakes down, it went
plunging forward, the pilot tearing in
to the ground, stopping everything
suddenly, and crushing the cars to-
gether. The baggage car, Express
car, and two passenger cars were
thrown from the track and driven up
on each other.
Many Of the soldiers were standing
crowded together upon the platforms,
and these were the ones injured, five
of them killed outright, and others
horribly mangled. Two citizens are
also reported among the killed
One Of these is ascertained to be the
Rev. Mr.. L. McConn, of Tonica, Taze-
well Co., Ill. The other is an un-
known person, supposed to have been
in government employ in the South
The names of all the soldiers killed |
could not be at first ascertained amid |
the confusion, as the bodies, soon after
the accident occurred, were claimed |
by their friends or relatives and taken
homo, but we give the following as re-
ported by telegraph last night: Geo.
\. Kutz, Martin J. Keller, Matthias
Harris, John RAIDER, and Amos J.
Smith, all from Lancaster and vicini.
y, and all formerly members of the
18th o. V. I. There were twenty-five
persons injured, three of them serious
y. Surgeons from the city and repre-
of the Soldiers Homo were
Immediately dispatched to the scene of
lisaster, as soon as the news was re-
eived here, and such care and atten-
ion as was possible, given to the
wounded. Many of these suffered ter
IDLY, but the majority wero able to
,roceed to their homes without delay,
nd the others put in care of friends in
A negro was among those seriously
wounded, and he was brought to the
ity and taken to the "Charity Hospi-
al" His foot is badly crushed and
vill have to be amputated. Others of
he wounded, it is feared, are fatally
Injured, at least will have to suffer am
utation. The accident is q painfully
orrowful one, as these soldiers, after
assing through the dangers and bat
les Of the war, were almost in sight of
ONE when sudden and horrible death
ut short all joyful anticipations, and
heir expectant relatives received the
langled remains of those whose living
'rms were to have been claspod to the
cart.
Tho train was in charge of Conduc-
1r A. II. Condit, who makes the state
lent, that before starting, and while
he train was in motion, he repeatedly
armed tho soldiers off the platform,
ut still they, with soldier pertinacity,
cid their position.
The engineer states that he saw the
roken part of the wheel when it was
etachod, and Immediately signaled
brakes down." but the men standing
n the platforms of the cars prevented
le brakosmcn from prompt obeyancc,
nd twas found impossible to check
le headlong career of the train. No
ne inside the cars was injured. The
'ack was torn up for more than a {
undred feet, and the trains yesterday 9
ere delayed, but we understand. they ,
ere running regularly last night"
We are not prepared to give full
bituary notices of those who were
illed by this sad accident The five {
'ldiers of the'17th Rcgt. wereall vet
ans, who promptly re-enlisted early !,
/ the winter of 1864 and who had for
'ur years faithfully served their coun-
y. Having SO well performed their I
lty, though an inglorious accident has Il
Unsigned them to q sudden and vio- n
mt death yet they may be said to fl
ave fallen in the service of their coun-
y and the Same glory attaches to .
cir memory as to those who lost o
cir lives in the tempest of battle y =