New-York tribune., 1870-08-19
ERIE DISASTERS.

| MISUNDERSTANDING GS-DETENTIONS-PERILS Oh
Hh THE ROAD. assfflu iilU
| During the past week or ten DAYS series OF
disasters have taken place the Erie Railroad of which
very little has been said the telegraph merely indicating
that some accidents had occurred .-...
sUsQUEHANNA.
The first OF these was near SusquehaIna early las,
week bridge close the station took fire from the
spark Of passing engine. For several days the through
trains were, In consequence, delayed from five to
hours each day. IL necessary to have the
gers walk nearly mile the break, to take train
the opposite side Baggage also oil transferred
| causing great delay. The detentiOns, which many
travellers thought could have been avoided, occasioned
much hard feeling. No notice given of the break TO
patrons of the road, and they subject to the
tentions for a number of days.
ALLEGAsY STATION.
Another disaster attended with considerable loss Of
life. took place Saturday last Aegany Station
the Western Division when construction train
into by the day passenger express The engineer of
the construction train wrongly calculated that he could
reach station in advance Of that where the express
should have passed, and without waiting for orders,
pushed on 10 make the attempt The express was only
few minutes late, and had no notice OF the construction
train being in the road in advance and in the way Tie
latter was OyeTtaken and COLLISION toot piCe Ihiee
latter, Ii is said, have since died
HoRNELLsvrLLE.
On Sunday collision took place near Hornesvlle
the Buffalo Division, between freight and immigrant
train. This disaster was also attended with loss of two
or three lives.
BELvIDERE STATION.
serious, though fortunately not fatal accident oc
western Division involving the destruction Of a large
amount of property About in the morning oiltran
west Of the depot four cars became detached from the
train by the breaking of the coupling The engine and
tachcd cars before the separation was discovered The
engineer sgnaed the brakeman to "down brakes on
the detached cars but, through some misunderstanding
the brakeman eaped from the and back TO signal
a train which followed At this point the cars had
motion accelerated the brakes not being down Tie
engineer was unable to go beyond the station as the
TO get i'll its way. The result was that the de-
tached cars struck the train with such force that
rapidly from both sides. freight train was standing
on switch alongside or the oil train, and in short
me the oil reached the fire the engine attached to
the former. In second everything was in blaze. The
track and surroundings Of the depot had become well
covered with OIL and quickly the fire communicated
70 everything the oil had touched. The engineer and
fireman of the freight train had barely time TO escape
with their lives, although they badly burned The
depot immediately caught tre also the ears composing
tracks were loaded with lumber ready be sent away.
These also enveloped in the flames and destroyed.
these in turn were burned. The telegraph poles also
caught fire, and for time no communication could be
Everything in and around the depot in flames and
all burned The ticket agent and express agent
had time to their effects, each saving but
portion Of the matter in his charge The fire continued
70 9 ~ itb tHe Y"S % fb bet % iste3 f6 TaIs H
out of position and the ruins of the fire ncumbered the
~.
sideraby increased by the destruction OF the goods con-
tanned in the the loca mail for the West had just
been taken the depot and was lost i'll the general de
sructiOn Fortunately the day express bound East had
q great loss of life would, probably, have resulted as
there 10 time scarcely to escape
IL is estimated that the loss viii amount 10 over
100000 most OF which will 1a on the railroad company
Lumber valued at $4,000 $4,000 piled near the
track and the Probably half of this was ruined
But little had been Effected, it Is believed on
any of the property burned. The disaster involved the
destruction locomotive, and their contents,
the depot and freight house woodshed six houses four
shanties, and the lumber mentioned above.
The express train from the East, which was due aDont
the time broke ont stopped at Hornellsyle,
and unable 10 pass the fire until about II hours after
the time IL due In the meantime construction
train ordered t. Bclvdere, and the hands had
cleared the debris and relad the track so that
trains we're enabled in the night, and on Wednes-
dav were running regularly. In addition TO the above
the road which have occasoned yeXatious delays though
serious in their consequences as those detailed
OTHER RAILROAD CASUALTIES.
As the a. N. train on the New-Jersey
road was passing Rllroad-place aud Rverst, Newark,
Yesterday, an Old man named John Mcdonald was
attempting the track struck by the cross
beam of the engine. and knocked under the car His
lett leg was severed below the knee his head was
terribly cut and he was otherwise injured McDOnad
Irish by birth, member OF the 18TH New-f ork
Volunteers, and had arrived in Newark day or Two
before in search OF work He was taken TO ST. Mlchaeis
Hospita where his wounds were dressed.
! FrNnchman whose name could not be ascertllned
was run over and Killed, Wednesday, by Train on
the Northern Railroad Of New-Jersey, near Norwood
Station His head completely smashed ana poih
legs OF The body taken 10 the statiOn-housc at
Norwood, and the Coroner notified