The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-04-24
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON
THE ERIE RAILROAD.
Twenty Lives Lost = Thirteen Burned
TO Death Sixty Persons Injured.

Twenty Lives Lost - Thirteen Burned
+ TO Death Sixty Persons Injured. s.
Buffalo, April Is.
APort Jervis special gives the following
account Of the accident which occurred this
morning about three clock, on the Erie,
Railroad, 1T Cars Rock, sixteen miles
from this point 1t proves to have been
one of the most terrible enes in the annals
Of American railroadiDg, and SO nearly re-
peats the horrers of the Angola catastro--
phe, and it is scarcely to be placed below
that in the appalling list Of actual ,slaugh>,
ter. However, the victims do not appear
to count up quite SO numerously as in the
Angola case, although it may be, - in
that instance, that the dead will multiply
as thesiaves'igatiou nToceeds. 1t is impos-
slble to describe the agonized state of ex-
element which prevails here, as available
spaces are filed up with the wounded
brought in. Very few can relate anything
beyond unspeakable horror on waking out
of the unconscioussess OF sleep to find
themselves crushed IN the midst of an al,
most inextricable wreck ; but the terrors of
the scene can be imagined, when it is
known that the cars were, plunged down
rugged precipice of rocks some 100 feet
one lodging upon the bank-a heap of
the broken stoves.
Carr s Rock is situated about 102 miles
west OF New I ork City, and 16 miles west
OF Port Jervls. AT this point the bed for
the track is cut in the side of the noun
tain, and is very. narrow, room being al
lowed on the ledge for single line Of
rhor - IL Ll,,T IL
track itself being between seventy five and
one hundred feet above the level of the
Delaware River. The bed was solid and
firm as a road bed could possibly be made,
and the flag man who walked over it in the
evening reported it in good condition. The
train to which the accident occurred was
the New York express, which left Buffalo
at 2:20 on the afternoon of Tuesday, and
was due in New York on the following
morning. 1t consisted Of an engine, bag
gage car, four passenger cars and three
sleeping coaches one from Cleveland, one
from Dunkirk. and one from Buffalo. The
coaches were well filed, the sleeping cars
containing number of railroad men on
their way to New York to attend a con-
vention of freight agents, to be held to day
at the St. Nicholas hotel. r1
Ia New York, April 1e.
The killed, and most of the wounded, are
at fhc depot at Port Jervis, and half a
dozen physicians are there from this city,
The engineer of the train says the acct
dent occurred ID miles west of Port Jervis
at Cars Point, rugged bluff, along the
side of which, 100 feet above the Delaware
River, the track was excavated. The the
Dry is that rail broke about 400 feet west
of Carr's Point. The engine and cars
passed over the fracture safely, but the for
ward truck of the sixth car then got off,
The coupling parting, this car, followed
by the remaining three, went on 400 feet,
when, coming in contact with some obsta>
Gle, it was thrown down the precipice,
dragging the others with it to the river s
edge. The train as going at the rate of
20 to % miles an hour. r
The cars which escaped were three pas
senger cars, one postal car and one freight
car. Those throwE over the cliff were all
passenger cars, including three sleeping
cars. 1t was intensely dark. On reaching
the footsof the bluff two cars were found to
be in the river, and one, the last car, on
fire. r
There were over 200 passengers in the
seven cars. ...
A Port Jervis special, late last night,
says it is stated there that twenty persons
were killed outright, and over sixty more
or less injured. Thirteen people were con-
sumed in the burning car. Six bodies were
recovered last night. ,
New York, April II.
The coroner jury state in their verdict
that, in their opinion, the accident "mig ht
have been avoided had the train been run
at less speed, owing to the unsafe condi-
ton of the road. y
Robberies were committed upon the
dead aud wounded by passengers who were
saved by being in the forward cars. Money
in large sums has been taken, ana rings
torn from the fingers of women. In one
instance file was used to release dia-
mond ring from tie finger of lady who
was. at the time conscious enough only to
be able afterwards to tell the story People
also who were at the scene say they could
not protect the sufferers from this sacri-
lege.
The wounded are generally doing well.
The total DEATHS SO far, are ~.