Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-12-25

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ran nearly across the bridge. An instant
moro and il wOuld have reached the bank,
but Just at the edge it toppled over on the
LEFT SIDE and went with a fearful crash,
enet foremost, down the ice covered slope,
fo.ty feet at least, to the fat below.
All, or nearly all its passengers. of course
were precipitated into a mangled, strugr
! Cling mass at the lower end of the car,
buried under q heap Of ruins, and even
the slightly injured, if any there were, 1
unable TO extricate or help themselves.
The horror of the situation was sufficient
without that which instantly became add
ed by the ignIting Of the splintered wreck
from h overturned stoves. A moment,
as one of the three sale survivors describes
It, and the whole was wrapped in flames.
The dry wood of the car burned like q
heap OF kindling-and it was Little more.
How many the flames devOured in this
car cannot be told with certainty. 1t was
well nlled with passengers, probably says
one OF the survivors, not less than fifty,
and only three are kRown TO have escaped.
II was some minutes before any one
could reach the scene TO attempt assistance.
The second car, in the meantime-the car
nrsl thrown from the track-had plunged
over the opposite side of the embankment,
falling a less height, but suffering almost
as complete a wreck, and its few uninjured
passengers had enough to occupy their at
tenton- Tho train, which had run some
distance before being stopped, was backed
70 the scene as speedily as possible, and
those on board set TO work with prompt
tude and energy. But the steep and ice
covered slope TO the car most horribly sit
uated was not easily descended, and when
helping hands reached 1t, they were with
out weapons for fighting the flames or for
breaking into the wreck.
As soon, of course, as thoy could bs
summoned, the people of Angola and near
inhabitants ran 10 the spot, and it was no.
long before many buckets were employed
IN pouring water upon the burning wreck.
but Z raging fire Is not to be overcome
with buckets, and those desperately labor :
ing at the work had to suffer the unspeak- ,
able anguish Of seeing their efforts made :
utterly vain. The hideous, remorseless !
flames cracked on! the shrieks died into :
means, and the means into a silence more /
terrible, as the pail of death drew over the '
scene. Except one little fragment of the |
side of. the car, nothing but a heap of 9
smoking cinders was left for those gathered I
round to search into with sickened hearts. a
How many of the bodies within were a
utterly burned up TO a handful of undis- C
tinguishable cinder, it is impossible to tell, 3
nor can l. be known in all cases probably f
for many days who they were. Only as 4
friends inquire for missing ones a
hkelyto have been upon the i'll fated train, q
the terrible list of mortality be made .
up. i
The car mex the rear one was that with v
which the disaster originated, but its fate :,
less terrible thsn the fate of the car r
following. The headlong plunge of the a
lormer threw it over, but not until the !
bridge had been passed, and it made its J.
1eseent on the opposite or right side of the =
establishment, where the height was not %
more than twenty-five feet. The crash u
only less awful than that already de-
1t was not followed, however, II
y the more frlshtful calamity of the fire To
Twice the car was kindled by the Goals an
rom the broken stoves, but the passengers m
we're in a less helpless condition, aud the tr
were extInguished. 60
One man only in this car, Mr.. Haywood, vi
gent of the road at State Line, met death of
As the car pitched down the til
'ank it was broken in two near the mid nc
lie, the break in the roof opening for an in
Instant, and at that instant Mr.. Hayward tn
gas flung upward into the issLre, which su
losed again before he fell and crushed his frr
tody to a jelly. Several others in the car Er
eceived, mortal injuries, or,
One Of the three persons who escaped
rom the rear car was Mr.. I. Mayer, the
agent of Ristori, who is now at
be Buffalo General Hospital, under treat
lent for severe but probably not serious ne,
in the back, head and ankles 10
Ir. Mayors statement to orr reporter was nc
5 follows: IA
al hid just stepped out of the closet eT
Ihen L felt the jerking of the car as il IS
as thrown from the track. l sprzuS mn m
and caught hold Of some ainF an
! the roof of the car, s~uspendinI myself BIZ
his saved me when the car wet overt the or
ank from being pitched for,ysrd with the
EST of the passengers intr, the bean where ds
verT n was helplsssh buried in The Ul
ras OF the ruin Exactly howl cravlad do
at-1 do not Know. yss one of fbo
ilee nat escaped. saw an old gentle re-
ian and ms wife-get out Of the wreck
n sure that not another person escaned of
ne car was ful-hot less than fftv no. ~
L should think, within it. Those ~
were not killed outright were burned -,
death. The wreck was all in flames in ~
moment l do not know how even I p
40 the two l have mentioned could have y
I'M
II Is the general opinion that there were an
ty people IN the rear car and onIy three sol
then escaped. Of those who remained zeI
TINS car there are thirty or forty OF gre
hom- nothing is left but ashes. Eighteen ant
,ad bodies were in the freight hclse. and rul
number We're dead and dying in other cor
aces The loss will probably exceed rec
sty souls. inc
..8I ai t-1. rvcrnrxrs me
The woman called Mary Freeman was 10,
dead with q handkerchief by her side
airing the name under which she is de- W.
IN
Alady was taken from beneath the Sec Q
d car n was found to be wholly unin- DC
red, there happening to be a slight hole DC
here she lay, but how she came there lea
IS a mystery. bur
When the rear car was burning, one of pro
3 passengers related that several persons mes
10 were endeavoring to break Il into law
ices were startled by the report of pis- tive
5 which were discharged within the car, out
d one bullet which came through a win opiI
W passed through the pants of a pas sooi
lger- Some unfortunate man had the or L
'apon in his pocket and of course it was rela
ploded by the heat. tion
j. w. Kennedy, one of the occu- Stat
nts OF the second car, as soon as the If n
commenced, rushed for the door
d jumped from the platform Just as the ~
|, rolled down the bank. This car took n
2 twice, but was ~extinguished before theI
ionsly injured By the flames. o.f
young man from st. Catharines was