Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-04-22
TnEERIE RAILROAD DISASTER,
Correspondents Of the N. y. Herald


death has dropped his sombre mantle
aud called so many to their final home.
The excitement, 1t is true, has some-
what abated; but whileso many MANNED
and suffering members of humanity are
in our midst, of course, we have our SEN
sation. At present the hotels are full of
the bruised victims Of a treacherous rail-
road and their friends who have hurried
here to administer to their comfort. The
Delaware House, especially, is crowded
with the mangled men and women, who
yesterday morning awoke from dreams
of home and reunion with those from
whom they had been long separated to
find themselves whirlng down the rugged
embankment to the carnival of blood in
the gaping valley below. To-day the
hotels and the private houses whose doors
have been thrown open TO receive and
relieve the suffering present a reflection
of an army hospital whose every room is
crowded to its utmost capacity. A stroll
through the rooms and glance at the
unfortunate victims will make the stout
est heart soften beneath the narrowing
scenes that present themselves on every
side.
The agonizng groans of the wounded,
and the whispered orders Of the attentive
nurses as they softly move from couch
to couch in response to the commands
Of the physicians are echoed through the
edifce. Here is a man in the noon day
of life, fearfully mangled, and unable to-
recognize the devoted wife, who has hur.
ried from distant city to cheer and
nurse him back to life; there by the win
dow is a blue eyed maiden whose mother
bends over her in mute anxiety to catch
the first faint glimmerings of returning
reason, while from all the rooms the ears
of the spectator are pierced by the
lamentations and thrilling cries of the
victims. ~.
About the depots on the arrival of
every train from the scene of the disas-
ter, an anxious crowd collects--some
drawn thither by idle curiosity-within
whose bosoms CLEANS Of hope are har-
bored, eagerly inquiring for intelligence
of the loved ones-missing. Occasion
ally those sought after. are recognized
among the mass Of mangled corpses that
bestrew the dead house. In some cases
hat or coat is discovered in the debris
Of the wreck-the only evidence of the
passage of the owner to the unknown
shore. A r &
| Among the surgeons who hurried here
to alleviate the sufferings of the unfor-
tunate are Drs. Vanettan, Hunt, Cooper,
Walsh and Hardenberg Of Port Jarvis;
Drs Carroll and Appley, of Cochecton
Drs. Sands, @. A. Peters, Thomas Steele,
W. M. Wainright G. Washburn and I.
Shedding, New York. akga
| To-day the coroner summoned jury
and commenced preliminary examina-
| ton into the cause of the accident The
coroner accompanied the jury to view
| the scene of the accident, and tomorrow
| he will enter upon searching examina-
| ton of the facts attending this latest hor.
ror. The preliminary examination en-
| tered into included, however, nothing
beyond critical analysis of all the facts
in connection with the present aspect of
the grounds. Opinions as to the cause
of the disaster are almost. as many as
| individuals at Port Jarvis, which is just
now largely inhabited. To-day in fact,
there is perfect influx of strangers,
most of whom are either relatives or
| friends of the mutilated dead. From the
appearance of the ground and the posi-
ton of the cars, or debris thereof, it was
the general opinion that the accident had
been caused by rapid driving, and there
is some evidence to be developed to-
morrow in proof that this was the case.
The statement of one passenger at least
is to the effect that the train was being
run at rapid rate, say thirty miles an
hour, to gain time, detention of half an
hour having occurred at Salamanca; and
certain it is that the train was not at
Carrs Point until little after three
O clock, while it was due at Port Jarvis at
seventeen minutes past three, Port Jarvis
being sixteen miles from the scene ofthe
disaster This fact confirms the state
ment of the wakeful passenger who AYERS
it was his impression that the train was
running at the rate of forty miles per
hour, which is probably trife exagge-
rated The engineer (Mr. Green) ad-
mits, however, speed of from twenty to
twenty-five miles per hour, which is, on
the other hand without doubt, tritie
too small in the enumeration of miles to
every hours stride of time. That the
conductor (Mr. Judd) anticipated possi-
bic results, or rather was in fear thereof
is also argued from his first remark to
Ames and Horton, Of the Postotfice
Department, to the effect that he had
probably lost his rear cars; while above
all the circumstances of the wreck, so
far as can be ascertained, tend to confirm
this popular theory. 1t is obvious that
the rear car was first whisked while the
train was rounding the curve, and testi.
mony is to the effect that it was dragged
at least a hundred yards before the eli.
max of the catastrophe supervened.
The jolting was first felt in this rear
sleeping car, and most of the passengers
were awake and wondering what was the
matter before the tumble began. This
car, moreover, seems to have been the
first to topple over the cliff carrying
with it the three directly ahead and
taking the van in the terrific descent,
and that the descent was begup at
small acute angle from the line OF the
track is obvious from the position of the
wreck, which is q little diagonal from
that line. Three points, therefore, con.
spire TO induce the conclusion that the
accident was caused by criminal rate
of speed in rounding the curve, which
speed was sufficient from mere centrifu-
cal force to whisk of the rear car, the
three others following in the course Of
from six to ten seconds. The points are
these:
l. The depositions or statements OF the
passengers that the train was running st
q rapid rate 10 make up time, conjolned
10 the further fact that il Is proved to
have been some minutes behind the
schedule.
2. The fact that the rear car was first