Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-17
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON THE ERIE
RAILROAD.
A Train PreeiPitated One Hundred
Feet-Thtrseen Bodies Consumed I'm
- fh.. FyuraIng Cars.


RAILROAD.
A Train PreeipItated One Hundred
Feet-Thirseen Bodies Consumed In
the BaraIRg Cars.
NEW YORK, April ia train on the
Erie railroad, which left Buffalo twenty
minutesI past 2 yesterday, P. M, in charge
of Conductor Judd and Chss Douglass,
Superintendent division consisting of an
engine and tender, three sleeping, two first
and one second class, two baggage and one
postal cars, proceeding on time, making
usual stoppage until in the evening, when
the passengers went into the sleeping cars
for the night. About A. NJ. Mr.. Ames
and Mr.. Horton, Of the generallpostefice, in
charge of the postal car, saw the bell rope
strsighten out and break in Two, when Mr..
Judd, running, remarked that he had lost
his rear cars. They ran to the platform of
the car, where the four rear cars were seen
running down precipice from IS to 100
feet high. The scene of the accident ia
thirteen miles beyond Port Jarvis, on the
Delaware division of the road. The sides
of the psecipice are formed of Jagged rocks.
In the descent the cars were broken to
pieces. At the bottom ISIS eulyert through
which flows a stream of water emptying
into the Delaware river. The impression
prevails that the disaster was caused by a
broken rail which threw the rear car from
the track. This displaced three cars run
ming in front, and the connections break
ing, the whole were precipitated down the
embankment.
Conductor Judd and Superintendent
Douglass were slightly injured. The cars,
in going over the embankment, turned
several times before the bottom was
reached, and were nearly demolished The
sleeping car was entirel y consumed BY fire.
The passengers aboard of the cars left
standing on the track Immediately began
to rescue the wounded and remove the
bodies Of the killed. Many of the latter
could not be recognized. Seven persons
were burned to death, and six others were
killed by coming in contact with Jagged
rocks. The wounded persons were placed
on a train and brought 10 Port Jarvis,
which place was reached at nine O'Clock
this morning. Several surgeons were inn
mediately summoned, and everything done
that would in any way relieve the sufferers.
The bodies of persons killed were left on
the ground. A Port Jarvis dispatch states
that there we're about thirty wounded and
twenty lives lost. The people at Port Jar
Wis threw open their houses, and the ladies
of the town rendered all the assistance in
their power Mr.. BlakeIy, of Oleon, New
York, who was on one of the cars that went
down the embankment, states that the train
was the Cincinnati express, due in New
York at eight o'clock this morning. All
four of the cars that went over the embank-
ment were completely smashed, and think
twenty live to thirty killed outright. /
saw FIVE or six ladies taken from the ruins
quite dead and number wounded.
The rear car took fire from the stove
short time after the living were removed
from it, and | should judge there were
about seven dead bodies burned up. There
were in addition three dead bodies taken
out before the fire reached them. The car
ahead Of the one in which | was sleeping
also took fire, but the flames were speedily
extinguished. The catastrophe, of course,
took place in the darkness of the night,
and the confusion and terror was appalling,
and the horror was greatly increased by
the agonizing shrieks and groans of the
wounded and dying.
d. ! hAllAtcY 4 iSoAuGAb VI lit
Southern railroad, and Charles NJ. Gray,
General Freight Agent of the same road,
were on the Inflated Erie train yesterday
The killed and most of the wounded are at
the depot at Port Jarvis. Half dozen
physicians are there from this city. The
engineer of the train says the accident oc-
Cured fourteen miles west of Port Jarvis,
at Cars Point, a rugged bluff along the
side of which, one hundred and fifty feet
above the Delaware, the track was exca-
waited. The story is that rail broke about
four hundred feet west of Cars Point, the
engine and five cars passing over the frsc-
ture safely; the forward truck of the sixth
then got off, the coupling parted, and this
car, followed by the remaining three, went
on four hundred feet, when, coming in con-
tact with some obstacle, it was thrown down
the precipice, dragging the others with it
to the rivers edge. The train was going
at the rate Of twenty to twenty-five miles
per hour. The cars which escaped we're
three passenger cars one postal car and
one freight car. Those thrown over the
cliff we're all passenger cars, three being
sleeping cars. Ii was intensely dark. On
reaching the foot of the bluff, two cars were
lOubu 10 DS-1n tue IiNtLj anu one, the last
car, on fire. There were over two hundred
persons in the seven cars.
A Port Jarvis dispatch late last night
says it is stated there that thirteen persons
were consumed in the burning cars six
bodies were recovered lsstg night. Among
the wounded are Turney Laphom, editor
of the Syracuse Courier A. Sturteyant, of
the Binghampion Standard, and James r.
Heenan, of Louisville. G. G. Dixie, Of
Brooklyn, was coming from the West in
company with young lady, who by strenu-
Gus exertions saved him. His legs are
badly crushed, and he would have burned
to death without her aid
PORT JARVIS, April l5.-P. M.-The
scene of the disaster on the Erie railroad
battles description. The immense height OF
the embankment and the character of the
ground rendered the calamity terribly fatal
The wounded are horribly mutiiated-the
broken limbs aud gashes forming fearful
sight Several will die Of their wounds.
The loss of life will not be less than forty
or fifty. The names of the Southerners do
not appear among the list Of killed and