The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1866-09-28
TIE DISASTER AT JOHNSTOWN,
Pennsylvania,
Thirteen Persons Killed, and Oyer
Einety Badly Injured-Two Hundred
Casualties In All.
Harrisburg, Sept. l., Correspondence Of the
New York Herald.

p AZ JnniiStOND very large tNi"c'iTSe Vi
! people awaited the train bearing the Prc>i-
dent and on its approach, began the most
vociferous and genuine cheering possible.
/ But their Joy Of welcoming the party was
! suddenly cut short, and the whole place
/ con"ertcd into a house Of mourning, by one
/ Of the most calamltous accidents that ever
befe!l the community. The railroad at this
place runs on the north bank Of the old
( canal, now dry, and about thirty feet from
its channel. The canal was bridged over
! for several rods in front Of where the train
stopped, and was used as a platform for
| business. A bridge for crossing one Of the
streets, and two raised sidewalks we're i'm
! provised. In consequence of being
slightly elevated above the ground. between
the bank of the canal and tie cars the
audience could obtain a tolerably fair view
of the rear platform of the train on which
the President and others were standing,
and therefore crowded on it in a mass so
dense that there was no standing room lett
unoccuWed
Just as the train was about to move away
and those on the bridge and around the
DEPOT were rending the air with cheers for
johnson, Grant, and Farragut, an awful
crash rose above the roar ofthe huZzas, that
startled all within hearing and sllenced
many voices forever. The timbers in the
center of the bridge, fully foot square,
suddenly snapped in twain, prcclptatlng
every soul on it to the bottom Of the canal,
a distance of at least I6 feet. The balance
o. the sidewalks and platforms over the
canal came down with the bridge, and filled
the bottom Of the cGnal with timbers, planks
aud the Struo gIlng mass OF men, women and
/ children, all hurled together in an neXtri-
cable confusion. Those on the bank be-
tween the now yawniDg gulf and the rail
road track was frightened into stampede,
/ and added to the confusion by screaming,
yelling, and trampling each other into the
mud in their frantic efforts to escape. A
! more frigh1ul scene was scarcely ever wit
messed. A few moments suhiced to reveal
/ what had actually transpired. Men, women,
/ children, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives,
/ sons, and daughters were now rushing in
every direction seeking relatives and friends
and crying aloud with grief and terror
As soon as tie sinking, falling debris
had settled to the bottom, those in the
neighborhood sprang to the bed Of the canal
by scores, and commenced assisting those
least hurt to extricate themselves, and to
pull away the rubbish and timber that had
covered and confined the others. AS the
bridge broke in the center, its two halves
formed an inclined plane, along which all
were slid with lightning speed and pitched
on top Of those who stood on the middle and
went down first. Probably not less than
400 persons were On the main bridge, and
|, goo on the whole structure Several
members Of the Presidential party assisted
actively in removing the dead and wounded:
among those wto thus aided were Marshal
O Barne, Mr.. b. c. Truman, Mr. Muir
ply, AID your correspondent.
Thirteen persons were killed outright,
and % badly wounded. The killed were
mainly crushed to death by those who fell
upon them; but few were hurt by the
timbcrs or planks. Splntcrs darkened the
air in every direction, and caused a large
proportion Of the flesh cuts and Commissions.
From the manner in which the mass Of
The people was precipitatcd struggling,
clutching, and gra>ping the ground be-
meath, Il great many arms and legs We're
broken. The women generally fell head
! foremost, owing to their inflated style OF
! clothing, and their Commissions were chiefly
confined to the head, face and shoulders :
! One remarkable fact was, that no infants
! or small children were known to be hurt in
! the Slightest, although many infants in
arms were among those who fell to the bot
! tom, and a still larger number of both
sexes, ranging from six to ten years Of age.
! As soon as partial order could Lc re
stored, lines were formed to protect the
sufferers from the outside pressure Of the
crowd, and to CXtricatc them from the
wreck Of the bridge and platform. One
man was found dead, with a huge beam
resting across his neck, and his eyes pro
/ trudng from their sockets
Mr.. Mcltzger, the proprietor of the Mason
I house, was among the first to be taken dead
from tho ruins. Miss Lctitia Cannon was
at first supposed to lie slightly stunned, but
never recovered from the shock. and cx-
PRED immediately. She was young lady
I of rare promise, graceful, and accomplished
| IN mind and manners; had graduated with
IN a few weeks past, and was cOnfesscdly
the belle OF the city. The sight that met
the eye as tie injured were taken out was
horntyln@ even to war correspondent.
An Irish widow was carried away, suffer
ing from pain ahd lamcnting the condition
her unfortunate family of four little ones
would now be IN on account Of her dSabili-
ty. y young fellow in the first flush of
manhood scrambled out Of the rubbish and
managed to hobble away few rods, when
he fell from pain and exhaustion, and on
examination found that his thigh bone was
badly fractured. The tears rolled down his
checks. and when asked how he was hurt
| replied that his leg was ruined for life. A
little girl who went down on the top of the
crowd, scrambled out and stood staring
with fright as one pctrtied, and could not
be aroused Tor several minutes, when she
burst into tears and begged to be taken to
her mother. A young Miss extricated her
self and took fight as one fleeing from des-
! tructlon, and never slackened her speed
until out Of sight. The young wife of a
man who had leg broken. was sitting by
his side on the ground weeping freely, but
on being questioned smiled through her
tears, and said she was only crying for iov
that she had found him alive and hurt no
worse. The news soon spread through the
village, and those who remained away at
first were coon congregated around the de-
pot, Wild with excitement and searching
everywhere for relatives and friends whom
they feared were among the killed and
wounded. Planks were at first taken from
the broken bridge to carry away the living
and dead, and mattresses were soon
brought into reqUsition from the neighbor-
ing houses for the purpose.
The most unfortunate feature of the af
fair was, that both the prominent physi-
clans Of the place were among the severely
injured, and the community was deprived
Of their services in the hour of their great
ct need
The agent of the railroad toleeraphetl
% cb roy . 'orr he limo ,lrr;nr f,r,ra,l Ill