Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1868-04-22
TERRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.

no man was IuOTe suIpllsed Ludu ulLuSeH
at the compliment.
TERRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
A terrible railroad accident occurred on
the Erie Railroad, sixteen miles west Of
Port Jervis, on Wednesday. The cars
were thrown down an embapkment some
seventy feet, by the breaking of a rail.
Twenty persons vera kiled-sevcn
burned to death, and over fifty badly
wounded.
The scene of the accident is thirteen
miles beyond Port Jervis, on the Della
ware Division road. The sides of the
precipice are formed of jagged rock, and
in the descent the cars were broken 10
pieces. AT the bottom is culvert through
which flows a stream emptying into the
Delaware.
The disaster was caused by a broken
rail which threw the rear car Immediately
IN front, and the whole were precipitated
down the embankment. The cars on 60
ing over the embankment turned several
times, before the bottom was reached, and
were nearly demolished, and the sleeping
car was entirely consumed by fge, The
passengers Immediately began to rescue
! the wounded and remove the bodies Of tha
| 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 the Jagged rocks.
The wounded persons were placed IN the
| train and brought to Port Jervis, which
place was reached at o'clock this morn
ing when several surgeons were immedi-
ately summoned, and everything was done
TO alleviate the sufferings of the injared-
The bodies of the killed were left on the
ground. Three children escaped with
only slight injuries. Mr.. Horton, Postal
Agent, appeared at the postotfice to day,
covered with blood, caused by assistance
rendered in rescuing the wounded.
THE SCENE OF THE DISASTER,
Had it been necessary to select a place
for this devils work, more fitting or
appropriate spot could not have been
chosen than Cars rock. The road here
runs along an abrupt aud shelving prcci-
pice To the right there is wooded
height at the altitude of 100 feet, covered
with sparse shrubbery. To the left the
beautiful Delaware, quarter of a mile
wide, chanting muslcaIly over It's rocky
bed, which lies equidistant between Pike
county, Pa. and Sullivan county, n. \.
These stretches the gigantic shelf or
gallery overlooking a sheer preciplce OF
one hundred feet on the Delaware, aud
showing along its narrow edge enormous
natural abutments Of scanned and river
! rnnL as thnuuh thsu un"n rl~"na TO sup =
port the fearful pathway traversed by the
trains Tie passenger in Looking out OF
the car windows must naturally feel a SEN
satOn Of awe as be looks down in the stu
pendous depths below. The rive. is sub
lime, but terrific. 1t was At this point
that this accident happened this morning
which has deprived twenty persons OF
their lives, and has seriously injured sixty
others. 1t was 3.25 clock.
The night was dark, the heat in tie
train was oppressive. In the three sleep
ing cars a hundred persons were slumber-
ing, few in the passenger car awake or
doziug uneasily, and shifting abont, as is
common in a long railway journey
Many of those asleep in the bcrths were
in their night attire-young and strong
men, weak women, and trusting children
Ia the smoking car a score of men putting
at their cigars, or drawing conso oiation
from pipes. The steam engine teas
through the threatening space with
iron front all aglow, like the furnace of
hell, its brazen throat emitting a steady,
painting stream, and the silvery Delaware,
one hundred feet beneath, sings the same
romance it did three hundred years ago
to the Leuni Lcuape, when locomotives
were not. The train was travelling thir,
tv-fve miles an hour. Suddenly death
burst in with the speed of lightning upon
these two bundled men, women, and
children. The engine and the five first
cars have passed safely over the culvcrt
which crosses a quiet little creek that emp
ties from a plateau eight feet above the
river into the Delaware. The day car
crosses a rotten rail, which snaps asun-
der; and. loosening from the five first cars
and locomotive, is preclpjtated over the
embankment, followed by the three sleep
ing cars, to the plateau above the Della
ware.
The "CoMIMG MAN.'-The Wash