Evening star., 1869-07-17
THE ERIE RAILROAD SLAUGHTER
Addit-or-, lttai's o. the Occurrence
GhrilliNS NarI Il VS.

Ndri
The New York papers of " ste-Say give fun
de'' Is OF the sickeaiDg mas ere by crushiI 2
and burning on tte Erie railroad on Thurs
cay. The disaster w?s cau-ed by tue engineer
OF the freight train John Gri.hn, D. ng asleep
upon = post, anu II is stated that he was an
habit ual dr,Dker o. in oxicIt,ng liquors or
all the long ca" iosue OF horrors fuI nished oy
railroad misne ~ -enent, nom h. been more
terrible than this IN its sickenng details, aud
none more u'iCriy r. Xcusable. Here is au ex-
press train behind time, dashing at he rate OF
forty miles an hour past a station where the
conductor knew that be w"s 10 meet q freight
train, and Ilat, therefore. caution was prcay-
sary. The freight train is on the man track
where II ought mo- TO have been, and the coll
lis results.
The New York Tribune graphically de-
scTibes the terrible collision as follows:
The express train was some 25 minutes over
due AT Mast Hope, IL being then ab1ut IL
lock, " hen The engineer OF the fire ight tram.
awahing from comfor liable nap, and pre- sum
ing, II Is supposed, III L the express had gone
by, reached out aud pulled the throttle of his
engine and the tram slowly NOV / forward
ON to the main track. The engine had just
reached the frog, and stood partially on the
main track, diagonalIy to ii, when me expires
train rounded the curve al a tremendous rate,
and quick as lightning crushed into the freight
engine, completely shattering the two locomo-
tive, and ''telescopiDg' the forward cars on
the passenger tram into heap Of ruins. Ths
paG>tnger IL comotive was overturned SC .tter-
ing the fire throughout the splintered WI, ck,
a
brilliant cCnfiagration. The engineers and
nremeE on both trains escaped with very slight
irlurIes, al 'Gough how they escaped rney are
themselves unable TO tell.
The only witness of this terrible collision
was Edward Smith. The nagman on the fire gn,
tram, who was sitting upon The depot pla form
ana was lured by the locomotive as IL
carsened from the track. The passengers in
The rear pas senger cars, who Were thoroughly
aroused by the shock, at once rushed out and
sized by the bands on the freight train, end ay-
ored : D II scue the injured passengers from the
burning wreck. The fire had gained such
neadway thati was useless to attempt TO check
the train were showed back one by one three
OF them being saved by this means. The fire
meanwhile communicated 70 the depot and tele.
graph Office, which were likewise burned 10
The ground. The heat be came so intense tnat
II was impossible to render much assistance in
extrcating the dead and wounded. They were
therefore left to perish in the flames
One Of the most ha. rowing scenes of the dis
aster was the death OF the Rev. ID. B. HaIleck,
Universalist ciertym from New York
city, on his way to Syracuse. He was accom-
paEi: by mis- brother-ip law, who made every
effort to save him, but without avail. Mr.
Hailt ck was caught by the legs IN the ci dshed
umoers OF the smoking ear. and although he
was uninJured, and appealed piteously fCc
help, othIng could be done to save him from
his terrible fate.
The coroner is to summon Jury and iuvesrI-
The New York Herala says: The great.
heavy, painting locomotive of the passenger
train, tearing forw ard in its course at the speed
OF over twenty miles an hour, uck the front
OF the freight tram as il shuffied lazily of ON an
obIque switch towards the depot and literally
rearing up III 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 jumped on the PROSTATE engine, the paiI
express struck seainst the wreck OF iron, the
baggage car against the express, the smoking
car ran pellmell into the fearful ruin, and in
less time than IL takes 20 say il, the entire mass
was in blaze of fire. The shock was terrific
IL reached to the uitermost end OF the train in
all Its intensity, shaking the sleepers to their
feet, and appalling the stoutest hearted men
that hr ara II. No hope at tins awful moment
ior me poor people in the smoking
car. Trucks were knocked from under bag
gage ana express cars and stood locked
IN combat as IL We're, upon the track
The body OF the baggage car lay at one side
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 firery laws OF death
Jets OF fearful flame sprang upwards from the
wreck, or rushed bissng like steam from an
escape pipe along the track and through the
passenger coaches 1t was heartrending and
awfulIy Impressive spectacle 10 see the big col.
umn OF red and roaring flame tearing through
the woodwork and melting away a dozen
human forms without soul under Heaven be-
ing capable OF stretching forth an arm to the
rescue. Death, however. did Its CD ref share of
havoc before applying the torch 10 finish its
chastity work; but, horror of horrors, what a
fate was that reserved for DIR. HalIock Not a
scratch marked himw hen the coliisio occurred
He was IN the foremost sleeping coach, and
was violently pitched forward inuo the tangl
mass Of broken woodwork, but received no 10.
jury. Worse than injury, however, he found
himself in all his strength and seEsibility,
locked up in the heavy beams that made the
foor frames Of the dismantled cars The dre ad.
fol fire from beneath f1arsd up snddenly around
him. Men with biancbed and bewilder d
races stood upon the track or rushed fianti-
DIR. Haliock O. The nre shot ont with the IN.
tersity OF furnace. aud tIiumphantly de ded
any man TO approach and rescue the victims
within its grasp. Above the CRACKING roar the
hrm and intrepid voice OF the doctor, i 1 the
midst of his remarkable agony, was hc ard to
exclaln to the men around the scene, 81 am
not in jured, but cannot esco pe,,