The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-12-27
F0rty-scycn Persons Burned to Death
and Many Wounded.
Two Car. ar rhe LnSe shore Road Are

Two Cars or The Luke shore Road Are
Thrown from tho Track--They Roll
Down q steep Embh nkh eht- OIIe is
Wrapped in Flames and Only Three
--- taersans Saved---Erightlut scenes and
Thrilling IuCidents--Grnphic Dcscrip-
tidn, with FUIi Details Of the Horrible
Calamity, 'Ht
Ono of the most horrible catastrophes,
perhaps, IN tue history Of railroad horrors,
occurred about 3 o'clock, on Wednesday
afternoon, the 18th inst, near Angola, New
York, on the Buffalo and Erie Railroad,
the details of which arc sufficient TO make
the blood curdlq in the readers veins, as
tho particulars are unfolded. From the
Erie Dispatch We have tho following ac
count: .
TIE Tram AND ITS BtRTgGE. e
Tho train aud It's precious freight which
was 80 soon whirlod into destruction was
the New York Express, which passed Eric
soun after II O'Clock, about two hours late,
consisting of five passenger, coaches. with
the usual number Of baggage aud express
cars. 1t passed Angola station on a speed
Of twenty five miles an hour, and upon
leaving The Grog" which connected the
double tracks at tho station, the last truck
OF the last car Jumped the rails and pounded
along on the lies. Tho signal bell was
sounded, but the train was on u down
grade, with snow on the rails, aud be.
fore any percephble effect could be pro
duccd upon its speed it had reached the
center Of high embankment located a
few obs east OF the station, and the last
cur was running wild over the cmbapk
mont and bridge. Within ten seconds Of
the time when the entire train might have
gotten entirely over the bridge and EN-
bauSments, the last car swung around 80
as to leave the road bed entirely, aud ai
tho most precpitous point of the en-
bautment went over, on u steep slope
into II gulf forty feet below. The action
of this car caused the one ahead of il
to leave tho track aud rush madly dowt
tho opposite side Of the cmbankment, a few
rols further along, at least twenty-five leci
! below the roadsbed. o.. .
Now comes the horror Of tho scene.
! These two cars having parted with the
train which could not be stopped unit
somo distance'had been made, tho last one
| of the train, aud the first to leave the track
! went over on its eud with force whlcl
caused every passengers the stoves and al
4 tho seats OF the car, to sink. like "A deac
! weight in the lower end. 1t turned a com
plete somersault, aud stopped on it's side
near tho bottom OF tho precipicc, forty leel
| below tho track, The other car rolled
down and rested OF its sidc, The sigma
! of down breaks had attracted the alton
! ton OF the people at the station, but mont
! Of them were able To reach the scene soot
enough to render efficient assistance. We
| nrIy ~ a.
aud from the lips of those who werc frs
present, the following particulars OF lt
.|nH ITHE sCENE. 'f-Ht .i.
! The last train of the car had no more
! than stopped its somersaults before II
wAs on FIRE. Tho nature OF the cnbank
ment together with tie ice upon The steel
declivity, would not admit Of immediate
aSsistuhce, even though hundreds OF peo
pie bad been at hand, for no one could e.
! down tho bank hurlioly W tlout fear o
death. The men who were first al the
scene managed to reach the car by going
down. ono holding upon another, thu'
! forming u line from the track to the car
! But they wore TOO LArH. The men, womel
aud children in the car had been so severely
injured by the fall and Sirght that they
were alarmed and helpless, and before the
!
! iZed reached them the car was so Tar On
velopGd in nancs that their rescue wa'
impossible The scene at this timo can
/ not be described = The voices of mel
directed to heaven for help, the shrlck'
aud prayers OF women asking Tor assistance
and ue wailing of children, were the mos
soul.piercing and agoniziug sounds whicl
ever reached mortal ear. The flames wert
gaining rapidly, aud arms were protrude'
through the shattered windows, headI
were extended and the cry for help wa
intcnsihed by the increase Of heat, of pain
OF agony, and tho certain pros pect of dc
shuctibn The reader must picture THU
sceue. we cahnot describe it. Our ear
will never lose the sound of the plaintiv
walls, the besceohings for help tho heart
rending shrieks, the fiery scene, aud tn
last look. Tho Gew men who could, VIII
+ wore not struck dumb, worked mauiuIly
They succeedcdi in taking out three person
who were rom0ved elsewhere to die, bu
| thoy could not suhhue the flames whic
{ where roasting their follow beings aliv,
. They could not answer the prayers OF th
\ agonized victims OF Death. They coul
=. do nothing but look at them roast listo
/. to them shrek, siektn at the sight, an
G pray to God to deliver them from anothe
!. snoh scene As the odor OF burnin
). flesh, human flesh, rose upon the air,
d seemed as though the place had turned il
q to q very hell, and when shlleks came fro,
Y tho flames aud smoke hands were bel
+ aloft through the grim atmosphere; I'll
Y world aud lesh seemed mockery IN y
atty Lot MS close this horrible scene b
d saying that from tho last information "
e could obtain, but five out of fifty of tt
Is passengers in this car escaped. The re
10 .-tull torty.hve-- ,rera 5HfRei diirs!
p. Meanwhile The other car was morcto
lt tuuate. 1t did not take lire. The fir
,e mau ont OF it Was the conductor of q
q train, who was severely injured Othc
came out, aud when assistance arrive
Dl many were found iujured unto death.
"a was soon cleared OF its mortal contents
b. much sooner than the flames could co
n sume tho other car and it's contents.
n the injured ones crept, or were hr0ug
forth from this ear, they were removed
T. the residence of n gen leman near by wi
threw open his house aud dispatched M
ssngers for help. Az one time we count
'e twelve wounded men and women in Il
IS, house who appeared to he dying, A litt
Y, distance of there was another house, whe
ok several more were badly injured, All I'll
w. could be done by the assistance at hN
ne was done with will, but there were
e,t physicians, no stretchers. nothing to alto
'd anything like what the nature of the ca
~ demanded