Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-07-22

long, loose freight train. Coolly he
whistled down the brakes, while at
the same instant piercing scream
went up from those who knew too
well what that appalling token
meant. The precaution was in
vain. The great. heavy, painting
locomotive of the passenger train,
tearing forward in it's course at the
speed of over twenty miles an
hour, struck the front of the freight
train as it shuffied lazily off on an
obliaue switch toward the depot
and, literally rearing up in air like a
mighty lion in his rage, crashed
through the foremost iron wall of
opposition and then careened over
on the track as though bereft of
further strength. The tender jump
ed upon the PROSTATE engine, the
mail express struck against the
wreck of iron, the baggage car
against the express, the smoking
car ran pell NELL into the fearful
ruin, and in less time than it takes
to say it the entire mass was in a
blaze Of fire. The shock was ter
rife. 1t reached to the uttermost
end Of the train in all its intensity,
shaking tie sleepers TO their feet
and appalling the stoutest- hearted
men that heard it. No hope at this
awful moment for the poor people
in the smoking car Trunks were
knocked from under baggage and
express cars and stood locked in
combat, as it were, upon the track.
The body of the baggage car lay at
one side, the express at the other, a
passenger-coach on top, while
thrown in confusion between them
all, tossed, torn and blazing from
floor to roof, was the baggage car,
with its living freight Caught in the
stern and fiery jaws of death. Jets
of fearful fame sprang upward from
the wreck, OF rushed Kissing like
steam from an escape-pipe along
the track and through the passenger
coaches. 1t was a heart rending
and awfully impressive spectacle to
see the big column Of red and roar
ing fame tearing through the wood
work and melting away dozen
human forms without a soul under
Heaven being capable Of stretching
forth an arm to the rescue. Death,
however, did its chief share of
havoc before applying the torch to
finish it's ghastly work; but horror
Of horrors! what a fate was that
reserved for poor DR.. Halleck.
Not scratch marked him when
the collision occurred. He was in
the foremost sleeping coach, and
was violently pitched forward into
the tangled mass Of broken wood
work, but received no injury
Worse than injury, however, he
found himself, in all his strength
and sensibility, locked up in the
heavy beams that made the floor
frames of the dismantled cars. The
dreadful fire from beneath fared up
suddenly around him. Men with
blanched and bewildered faces stood
upon tue track or rushed franticallv
to and fro crying, lis there no help
for DR.. Halleck ?'' The fire shot
out with the intensity of a furnace,
and triumphantly defed any man to
approach and rescue the victims
within its grasp Above the crack
ling roar the firm and intrepid voice
of the doctor, in the midst Of his
remarkable agony, was heard to
eXclaim to the men around the
scene, Il am not injured; but l can
not escape"
All that could be done by the
people Of Mast Hope who focked to
the depot to give assistance failed
to save the l-fated doctor; but it
is at least consoling to know he
went down to his appalling doom
with all the lofty fortitude and
resignation of Christian. But the
doctor was not alone in this calami
". A man named Daniel Baur was
jammed and burned to death in a
similar manner, and Erastus Whea-
ton was injured in one Of his feet.
At O'Clock in the morning. after
great exertions six burned bodies
were rescued from the ruins of the
smoking car, and at noon of yes
terday passenger by the midday
train reported thirteen charred
bodies lying along the track. There
were comparatively few wounded.
Flying splinters were rare, and the
terrific force and suddenness Of the
shock left nothing to accept but
instant death for those near the
point of collision. Some of the
train men on the express were hurt,
but none killed. Out of one hun
dred and fifty pieces of baggage
only eleven were saved.
General Gibson Abroad.
| GENERAL William Gibson has