The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1869-07-27
rRg E.ssT W.SI' ROAHoR.

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RE E.IsT AGTL K.GI' ROAHoH.
All accounts received Of the terrible
affair on the Erie Railroad at Mast
Hope Station, at midnight on Wednes-
day, July 14th., intensity the horror Of
the scene
1t appears the special reporter OF
the Sun says that James Griffin, en-
gineer of the freight train on the
switch, though he had been less than
four hours on dnty, had fallen asleep at
his post The Conductor Of the freight
train, j. d, Brown, was in his caboose,
forty or fifty cars in the rear. At this
iuneture the $50 p. N. express train
from New York, Chas. L. Cofey, en-
gineer, came sweeping around the curve
at thirty-hve or forty miles an hour,
fastening TO make up lost time, The
noise Of his approach startled the
sleeping Griffin He thought the
switchman had called him 10 60 ahead,
and 90 ahead be did. Dreamily seiz
ing his lever he turned on steam, and
and moved cars longth or SO, till his
fore wheel caught in the frog Of the IN.
opened switch, just far enough to
thEnst the side of his engine across tie
path Of the express, and in n moment
tho lightning train was upon him,
strikiD8 the outer rim OF his left cyl
inder head The shock to tho freight
engine threw il off tho track, while tho
express few in the opposite direction,
ran a couple Of hundred feet, and,
swinging around at the outor verge Of
the depot platform i'll her hoad lay
east, she turned over bottom upper
most, tho steam bursting from her
broken pipes and the frey Goals from
her ruptured furnace, forming an in
yiting pyre for the sacrifice And the
sacrifice came dreadful sacrifice
The postal car, with its combustible
cargo, leaped upon the blazing pile,
followed by the express and baggage
cars behind, the latter teleseoping
into the shocking car Immediately IL
its rear.
In the shocking car, asleep and
awake, were some fifteen or twenty
people, old and young, mainly men,
though at least one woman was there
with her three children, immigrants
bound for the glowing, bounteous West,
and liberty, 10 live and thrive. They
found haven nearer and more heay-
enly than they dreamed,
The inburst OF the forward car swept
the seats from their fastenings, and
hurled TIE wakeful aud the sleeping in
one vast heap toward the rear. The
shock was terrific the scene that en-
sued beggars all language to tell. The
strong and the weak we're alike help
less, bound down by the ruin Of iron
and wood that overwhelmed them.
The cries Of strong men for help, the
shrieks Of the woman, the vail Of her
babes, made mournful the midnight
air.
Men rushed to aid with bars and
axes. From within and without they
worked with viii, but a rnightier ele-
ment than human strength was oppos-
ing them On both sides Of the track
were the two monstrous engines, With
bursted valves, roaring like demons,
tie escaping steam rolling back in the
cars in scalding volumes. From the
overturned one, too, rose a FIRE that,
kindling the mail-bags aud woodwork
.of the postal car, swept under the
doomed train mighty flames. that lick
"a ny aud soon deyoure1 all but the
three rearmost passenger ears.
Before this terrible onset the strong
est had to quail In vain tho poor
mother strained her babe TO her bosom
and struggled to free herself and her
little ones in vain tie clergyman, nm
injured, but helplossly transfrsd BY the
s8p rahnnisnt mass appealed 10
Heaven for anccor III vain ISL, aH ii
vain. The helping friends fed weep
ing before tie hray blast, % which now
ne blazing Zero. was adding forot ana
volume, ald il fsw seconds az that
rAs mottal within tlat supofAea.sl
furnace lad ceased 10 be
WhsE tie James subsidized, aud the
sal came oat upon a hlAp of smeul-
aefing ashes. olly q few eharrcd
bones. q fcw shape'est nasses that
held ham2a hearts All human bopoF,