The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-01-15
Terrible Scene.

The Erie (Pa) Dispatch gives tho fol-
lowing account of the destruction of the
two rear cars on the Lake Shore Road.
1t says:
Now comes the horror Of the scene.
These two cars having parted with the
train, which, could not be stopped until
some distance had been made, tho last one
of the train and the last one to leave the
track, went over on its end with a force
which caused every passenger, the stoves,
and all the seats of the car, to sink like 8
dead weight in the lower end. 1t turned
complete somersault, and stopped on its
side near the bottom of the precipiece,
forty feet below the track. The other
car rolled down and rested on its side.
The signal OF "down brakes" had attract
ed the attention Of the people at the sta
ton, but none of them were able to reach
the sccno soon enough to render efficient
assistance. We gather from what We
soon afterward saw, and from the lips OF
those who were first present, the follow
ing particulars of the scene:
The last train Of the car had no more
than stopped its somersautsbefore it was
on fire. The nature of the cmbankmcnt,
together with the ice upon the steep de-
clivity. would not admit of immediate
assistance, even though hundreds Of peo-
pie had been at hand, for no ore could go
down the embankment hurriedly without
fear of death. The men who were first
at the sceno managed to reach the car by
going down, one holding upon another,
thus forming line track to the car. But
they were too late. The men, women
and children in the car had been so Sc
verely injured by the fall and fright that
they were alarmed and helpless, and
before the feeble assistance, which was
hastily organized, reached thcm, the car
was no v,loped in flames that their
rescue was impossible. The sceno at this
time cannot be described. The voices Of
men directed to heaven for help, the
shrieks and prayers of women asking for
assistance, and the wailing of children,
was the most soul piercing and agonizing
sounds that ever reached mortal ear. The
flames were gaining very rapidly, and
arms were protruded through the shatter-
ed windows, heads were extended, and
the cry for help was intensified by the
increase of heat, of pain, of agony, and
the certain prospect of destruction. The
reader must picture this scene, we cannot
describe it, Our ears will never lose the
sound of the plaintive walls, the beseech-
ings for help, the heart-rending shrieks,
the fiery scene, and the last, last look
The few men who could, who were not
struck dumb, worked manfully. They
succeeded in taking out three persons
who were removed elsewhere to die, but
they could not subdue tho flames which
were roasting their fellow-beings alive.
They could not answer the prayers of the
agonized victims OF death. They could
do nothing but look at them roast, listen
to them shrek, sicken at the sight, and
pray to God to deliver them from another
such scene. AS the odor of burning flesh,
human flesh, rose upon the air, it seemed
as though the place had turned into a
very he'll, and when tho shrieks came
from flames and smoke, hands were held
aloft through the grim atmosphere, the
world and flesh seemed mockery in
reality. Let us close this horrible. scene
by saying that from the best information
we could obtain. but FIVE out of forty of
the passengers in this car escaped. The
rcst-tully forty-,Dere buried aliue