The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-21
}, he Bvrolo paners of 7hursia,,

what is probably the most frightiul accident in
the history of railroads A catastrophe by which
sixty persons were in a moment launched into
eternity is in itself an occurrence terrible
enough to appal the stoutest heart, but when to
the fact of this Wholesale slaughter is added the
consideration that in most cases death found
his victims in the midst of the most agonizing
tortures his coming seems almost to take the
form of blessing. Those who, standing by the
roadside of Angola yesteJ day afternoon, looked
down upon a mass of human beings struggling
in the roaring flames and listened to their heart
rending screams, viii probably never cease to
think of the scene as the most fearful the imagi-
Eation could picture.
THE TRAIN
to which the accident occurred was the one
known as the New York Express which was
due in this city at l'3O yesterday afternoon
some delay on the Cleveland and Erie Railroad
caused a similar detention on the Buffalo and
Erie, and the train over two hours late
when it left Erie, at 1913 yesterday afternoon.
II consisted of four baggage cars. one emigrant
and three first-class coaches, well filled with
passengers. Heretofore the train has stopped at
Angola, but under the new arrangement 1t goes
by at full speed, and on this occasion it was
rnnning at high rate when Angola was
reached, at $40. Two or three minutes later IL
was perfect wreck, and the passengers who q
moment before were chatting pleasantly, were
lying dead and dying by the roadside or piled
amid the burning ruins were sufTerin1 a,6PnIas PiS
which ended only with their lives.
THE SCENE OF THE CATASTROPHE
The catastrophe occurred at the crossing of
what is known as Big Sister creek. about n
quarter OF a mile east of Angola Station The
creek is n shallow stream, at the ordinary level
boroe on the eastern side by a low 1st
thirty or forty rods wide, while It's western
bank rises with considerable abruDtuesS tO the
level OF the surrounding country, The track IF
the railroad Is carried over most of the fat upon
an embankment of earth, from the termination
of which truss bridge about hundred feet in
length spans the creek. The height of the
bridge above the ordinary level of the creek is
some thirty feet. 1t is constructed without
Immediately underneath the bridge a mill
dam obstructs the creek and forms q small
pond.
THE MANNER OF THE ACCIDENT
AS nearly as can be ascertained the next tn
the last car of the train was thrown from the
track on striking a frog at the switch just this
side of Angola station, and was dragged over
the ties nearly to the bridge before the car be-
hind it became unseated from the rails. The
time during which this plunglng along the ties
con (inued was sufficient to enable some butnot
many, of the passengers sitting at the forward
end OF this car to make their escape from it into
the car ahead. Just as the train reached the
bridge, the rear car was jerked from the track
more and it would nave reached the bank but
just at the edge It toppled over on the left
down the recovered slope, forty feet at least,
TO the fiat below.
THE BURNING WRECK.
1t is easy to imagine the frightful wreck to
which the was reduced by its terrible
descent. All, or nearly all its passengers, of
couIse We're precipitated into a mangled strug-
Cling mass at Jne lower END OF the car, buried
under q heap of ruins and even the slightly in
jured, If any there were, unable to eXtricate or
help themselves: The horror of the situation
was sufficient without that which instantly be.
came added by the igniting of the spiute, ed
wreck from the overturned stoves. A moment,
one of the three sole survivors describes 1t,
and the whole was wrapped in flames The dry
wood of the car burned like heap OF kindling:
and ii was little more.
Who can attempt to depict the unim agina.
BILE horror of the Sene that ensued? Nearly
fifty human beings being roasted either in
V 0 frnn hnr NIa
wounds, or in the full vigor of life. buried in an
inextricable position and committed to the
flames without hope of rescue! The shrieks
the groans, the imprecations-let those who
heard them forget this side of eternity ir they
can. How many the flames devoured in this
car cannot be told with certainty. 1t was well
tilled with passengers probaoly-says one of the
survivors, not less than fifty, and only three
are known to have escaped.
THE VAIN ATTEMPT AT RESCUE
1t was some time before any one could reach
the scene to attempt assistance. The second
car, in the meantime-tne first thrown from the
track-had plunged over the opposite side of
the embankment falling a less height, but
suffering almost as complete wreck, and its
few unlpJured passengers had enough tooccupy
their attention. The train, which had run some
distance before being stopped, was backed to
the scene as specially as possible, and those on
board set TO work with promptitude and energy,
But the steep and ice covered slope to the car
most horribly situated was not easily de-
scended, and when helping hands reached it.
they were without weapons for fighting the
flames or for breaking into the wreck.
AS soon, of course, as they could be sum-
moned, the people of Angola and nearer inha6i.
tantR ran to the spot and 1t was not long before
many buckets were employed in pouring water
| upon the burning wreck; but raging fire is not
| TO be overcome with buckets, and those despe-
| rately laboring at the work had to suffer the
| unspeakable 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 smoking cinders was left
| for those gathered round to search into with
! sickened hearts.
| How many of the bodies within were literally
| burned up TO a handful of undistinguishable
| cindeTs 1t is impossible TO tell, nor can IL be
| known in all cases probably for many days who
| they were, Only as distant friends enquire for
| missing ones likely To have been upon the ILL
| fated train, can the terrible list be made up.
THE SECOND CAR.
AS we have already stated the car next the
| rear one was that with which the disaster ori.
| ginated but its fate was less terrible than the
! fate of the CIR following The headlong plunge
| of the latter threw IL over but not until the
| bridge had been passed, and IL made its descent
on the opposite or right side of the embank-
| ment, where the height was not more than
| twenty-five feet. The crash was only less awful
than that already described. It was not fol-
| lowed, however, by the more frightful calamity
| of the fire. Twice the car was kindled by the
| Goals from the broker stoves, but the passen-
| gers were In a less helpless situation, and the
| flames were eXtinguished.
One man only in the car, Mr.. Haywood, agent
| of the road at State Line, met death outright.
| AS the car pitched down the bank 10 was broken
in two rear the middle, the break in the roof
| opening for an instant, and at that instant Mr..
| Haywood was flung upward into the hssure,
| which closed again before ne fell and crushed
his body to Jelly. Several others in the car re-
ceived mortal Injuries, among them our
lamented toWnsman, Mr.. Forbush. who was In
| "a " n when taken and who