The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-03-03
The Late lDiBmsaIer 4
AUTHEErTcs "DETAILS.



Agency of this city, who was at Water VAL
ley, and visited the scene of the wreck an
hour after the accident occurred aud assisted
In caring for the uafortunates for the fol-
lowing detailed account of the late fearful
disaster on the Mississippi Central Railroad :
The scene of the disaster was the trestle
bridge known as s'Buckner's trestle,' miles
South Of Oxford, and 10 miles North of Wa
ter Valley, the bridge was 45 feet high and
about l50 feet long, and SO far from being
rotten aud insecure, was thoroughly over
hauled and repaired some four months ago
under the immediate supervision of Mr.. E.
ID. Frost, General Superintendent. The
train was made up of 3 passenger cars, ex-
press car and mail car; the mail car left the
track at the moment of its reaching the
bridge. the locomotive being under full
Roadway and dragging it on the timbers
caused the breaking of the cross-ties which
let the train down.
The first passenger car was occupied prin-
cipally by negroes from Virginia, and the
| second by Germans and other emigrants
/ from Chicago-the first car, although terri
| bly, broken up, had none of it passengers
killed, but great many wounded. 1t was
| in the second passenger car that the carnage
| OF death was almost exclusively confined,
and but for forty emigrants leaving that car,
! principally at Oxford, their point of desti-
nation, the sacrifice of life would have been
still greater. The killed were generally
| struck in the head, and, in several cases, one
in a seat was killed aud the o-her not hurt
There was not single one of the dead who
was torn to pieces, as the debris of the
I WRECK VOul6 LODI 70
That the mail and express car jumped the
track because improperly loaded is general
ly believed, though it is not impossible that
an axle was broken Also just before reach
ing the bridge. Mr.. Corley. of Murfrees-
boro, Tenn, asserts that just second before
the disaster, Mr.. Covin2ton, who was killed,
said to him that he believed the train was
off the track. Jim Moore, colored, an old
railroad employee, states that the express
and mail car was the cause of the accident
He says he told Mcdonald that that car was
improperly loaded, and that Mcdonald said
it should be overloaded at Water Valley
Immediately upon the receipt of the news
at Water Valley, Capt. Frost ordered a train
got ready and with large force of
railroad hands, physicians and citi-
zens, and supply of medicines &C. repair |
ed to the scene of disaster, rendering all the |
aid possible in recovering the dead ard re-
moving the wreck. Most of the wounded |
and many of the dead having been removed |
by the surviving passengers and other help |
before the arrival of our party from Water /
Valley. The most of the wounded and four |
of the dead were sent up to Oxford by train
by little after eight that night; others to |
Water Valley, while the balance of the |
wounded were provided for in houses near |
the wreck, Next morning the balance of /
the dead were sent to Oxford, and the /
wounded still near the wreck brought down /
to Water Valley, where Colonel Tate, Presi-
dent of the Lessees of the Road, had given
orders for all to be provided and cared for |
at the expense of the road. l met many of
the immigrants at the Hotel who spoke in /
high terms of the kind treatment they were
receiving at the Valley at the hands of the
Railroad officials and citizens. The people /
of Oxford, too, acted nobly, her best citizens |
coming forward with wagons, ambulances, /
beds, &c, to remove the dead and wounded |
from the up train on its arrival. | was pres
enJ and never saw so eager crowd to lend |
assistance. The steward of the University. /
to his honor be it said, provided supper for |
fifty or sixty OF the wretched passengers
remained but a few moments at Oxford.
As might be expected, there was some |
stealing at the disaster, who by, will prob
ably never be ascertained. Mr.. COvington's |
body is said to have been robbed of $500 /
while others were robbed of coats, shawls,
sc. So soon az Capt. Frost arrived upon the
ground he appointed Capt. Morrison, of
Water Valley, to take charge of the papers
money, &c, of the dead, and relatives of the
dead can write to him upon the subject.
The disaster was fearful one, and one at
which all will shudder, sending many an
soul suddenly into the presence
of his or her Maker, violently tearing apart
man and wife, separating bosom friends who
were journeying together, and sending to
eternity immigrants who had given up |
home and kindred to cast their lots in the |
South that they might better their condition.
Who was to blame? if any one at al, the
public must be their own judge.
Below you will find a correct list of the /
dead and many of the wounded, many |
of the latter leaving without their |
names being obtained. ] may remark /
that the number of seriously woun-
ded is very small, only one dying so |
tar, Charles MeConnieo, most promising |
and worthy young man, and SON of A. j.
McConnico, Esq, Treasurer of the road.
The debris of the wreck was burnt by or
der of Capt. Frost, and it is understood that |
a new bridge has already been completed
KmLED-G. W. Mcdonald, Road Master, |
Bolivar, Tenn; I. B. Harris, New York; j.
Covington, Woodbury., Tenn; Col. Alex
Speers Brandon, Miss; S. w. Conn, ILL.,; Il.
B. Moore, Evansville, Ind; Thos. Watson,
Arm Turner, Glasgow, Scot
land. Colored woman, unknown, and two |
colored children, unknown; two colored /
L. G.. Moorhouse, Elkhart, La.
WoUNDED.-Col. Sam Tate. Charles Nc
Connico. Z. M. MAINLY, w. Talliaferro, all
of Water Valley; Sam Frazier, Nashville;
c. r. Boyd, La; FL. c. McCarlen, route ag't,
Jackson, Tenn, S. Lehman. jackson, Tenn,
s. p. Mcdonnell Texes, Chas. $. Young,
C. Hildebrand, Illinois, Judge Richard
Busted, Alabama, lady unknown,
going to Texas; Capt. A. b. Schell, Louis
vile; James Moore, (col.) and an imni-
grant family of ten or twelve persons all
more or less injured; Also, w. J. Bergman,
wife and children, from Glasgow, Scotland.