Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-12-03
THE OHIO RAILROAD DISASTER
Full Particulars of the Calamity.
a TERRIBLE SCENE

Iails OF the distressing railroad slaughter
which occurred on the Cincinnati and Dayton
road on Thursday evening. 1t says:
a terrible calamity occurred yesterday
morning on the railroad commonly known as
the Cincinnati. Hamilton, and DAYTON, but
which is used in common by several roads, a
| short distance above LocEland, Ohio at about
| quarter of 6 o'clock. The darkness of the
early morning was made impenetrable bv
dense fog. An extra freight train of thirty
six cars was obliged to halt on, and north and
south of, the bridge above Lockland station,
owing to the breaking of the engines pilot
The engineer Immediately sent back man
to flag the express train that he knew was
| following him-a combined eastern and north
ern express, made up Of passenger coaches of
the Atlantic and Great Western railroad
through from New York, and of the DAYTON
and Michigan road from Detroit, connected
at Dayton. This train left Hamilton at twenty
seven minutes after 5 o'clock, and took about
twenty minutes to reach this bridge The
tiagman's lights for this train were discovered
in good time, and it was promptly halted.
The DEATH Trap.
Here, then, behind the freight train of
thirty.six cars, aud within a couple of rods
of the cabOoSe, stood the engine Stecdman, of
train of ten cars-two express, two baggage,
two Atlantic and Great Western sleeping
coaches, two Atlantic and Great Western
passenger coaches, one Dayton and Michigan
sleeping coach, and one Dayton and Michi gan
passenger coach The Dayton and Michigan
sleeping car was the last of this second train.
and next to it was the Dayton and Michigan
passenger coach. All the cars, save the last,
were we'll filed In the last car sat four ladies
and two gentlemen. This car was the death
trap, ard all these ladies were soon roasted to
death.
Precautions that Failed.
AS soon as this train halted, its conductor.
William II. Sitter, gave orders to his flag
man, Theodore Cress, to start back with a
light; ito go as fast as he could and as far as
he cOuld," and stop the Hamilton accommo-
dation and freight mixed, that was following
rapidly aud would soon be up with them
Cress was seen to start back at a rapid pace.
bearing red light and white light. While
lie went on his errand the conductor walked
down along the freight train its entire length
Of nearly 200 feet, to see what damage the
Beckett had sustained. He then started
back, and had walked only a third of the dis.
tance in return wheL he realized that some-
thing was wrong. Three-quarters of mile
away, in the darkness and through the fog,
was coming train of sixteen ,ears-two pas
scnger and the balance freisht-whizZug
along with the speed of much steam and a
steep down grade. He heard the whistle of
brakes on once, and knew that the flagman's
signal had been noticed. He heard the whistle
again and wondered that it should have been
repeated. He heard it third time, saw the
dim glitter of the swiftly approaching head
light, and knew, although he could not COM
prehend why, that death and destruction were
at hand.
Tile Crash.
with reversed motion, doing all that it could
to avoid its fate, the Franklin, an unwilling
agent of death, slid along the wet rails, pro-
PEELED by the momentum of its train, and
plunged half its length into that rear ''sleep-
cr." The crash was terrible. Instantly
nearly all the passenger cars were jammed
into each other, and the Steedman was driv-
en- into the cabOosc Of the freight train.
In two Of the cars people were writhing un-
der the tortures Of torn limbs aud bodies but
in that last car Death was revcIling. There
were four women and man imprisoned be-
tween timbers and panels bleeding, gasping,
and dying, one with her entrals torn out, and
another with her head cut off
Scenes Of Horror.
If this was terrible that which cnsued was
horrible. While the bewldercd and fright
ened passengers in the other cars were being
released, the steam, scalding hot, was par
boiling these mangled victims, the smoke was
choking them. and soon there was a whirl of |
fire through their car, from the engines head |
light or the car stove, the only fire of the /
train that had not been extingpished as soon /
as possible alter the accident. The flames |
crept all over this last fatal wreck, wreathed |
themselves around five human beings, ate up |
clothing, skin, flesh and bone, while the vic !
tins shricked and screamed for mercy, for |
pity, for aid-and one for water. One of |
the ladies got her head out of a window, and |
an effort was made to rescue her, but it was !
made in vain. Only her head aud neck could |
have been saved from fire, for her body was
locked between timbers, and could not be !
drawn out.
The conductor and engineer procured axes |
and attempted to cut into the car, but failed |
in this. Rapidly the fire swallowed this car, |
aud strobe through and over every passenger !
coach of the train. Its progress was unim- |
peded, and its triumph complete, save that
it could find no more lives to destroy.
As soon as possible, two physicians, Drs. |
Bunker and Miller, came over from Lock |
land and attended faithfully to the injured |
none fatally, fortunately, save the unhappy
victims of the fire. Dispatches were sent to |
the city, and a special, bearing Drs. Wood, |
Murphy and Miller, and containing stretch
ers and other neOessaries, was sent to the
scene of the wreck.
When the fire had exhausted itself. the
wreck was cleared away from the track, and
search for the dead was made. A headless
trunk and trunk that lacked limbs we're found.
three others were found less mutilated. While
the dressing was in progress, these ghastlv
remnants of humanity were picked out. ali
charred and blackened, and still smoking
with heat, and carefully laid aside. So far as
was possible the parts were placed together.
Theve were remnants of two bodies. haxeyer.