Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-03-05
from the n. o. Pieayuns. March Ist.i
I'll RAILWAY HORROR,
FAN Particulars 81 the missiSs
siPpi Central Railroad Aeeis
dent near 0xfaFd.

character. Your correspondent
who happened to DO in the train
with a party Of exeursiOnists, only
half an hour behind the wreck, ar
rived at the scene about 4:30 P. N.
From conversations with the sur
vivors and his own observation, he
gathered tho folio wing particulars,
which may interest your readers:
The train which the accident be.
fel was the regular morning ex-
press. None Of The passengers
leaving Louisville, KY, on ThurS-
day nights run were in It. F0Ftu'
nately, these did not arrive at Hum.
boldt until just as the southwark
train from that point wal ready to
proceed ; and II was decided to run
q Especial" composed Of hursday,s
train from Louisville and three cars
containing the railroad excursion
party.
Both trains were considerably be-
hind time, and the Irregular" SEEM
10 have been driven quite rapidly
on that account, and also probably
with q view to keeping out Of the
way Of the special" Two and
half miles south Of Oxford, Mis-
sisSippi, is q ravine crossed by
what 10 known as Buckner's trestle,
spanning Buckner's Run, a shallow
stream, some forty forty feet below
the level Of the track. This trestle
is approached from the north by
a descending grade and curve to.
wards the right.
The train passed around this cure
at a speed Of between thirty and
forty miles an hour. Col. Samuel
Tate, President of the road, just
previous to the crash, gave or sent
word to have brakes put on and the
speed reduced; but the precautiOn
came too late. The locomotive
struck the trestle and passed over
in safety. But either the engine
or the mail or baggage car, pressing
to the right on the rails forming
the inner arc Ofthe curve, appeared
TO have pressed q rail out Of place
aud thus switched the train Of the
track. Fortunately the leading carl
did not fall from the trestle TO the
ravine Immediately bel0W. Had
that occurred the entire number
must have beeR:piled up one upOI
another, In which case the slaughter
PROBABLY would have been tenfOld
Driven by the impetus already &C
Quired, and assisted by the lOcOm0
dive still pulling away ct its tire
mendous speed, the mail and OK
press car which led the way, passeC
across the tlmbers and plunged int
a ditch'to the right ofthe track be
yOnd the ravine, at O point full 20
feet or more beyond the point q
which the rail was displaced. Tn
baggage aud express car and for
ward passenger coach seem Il
8 have followed after the same fash
ion, neither Of them leaving tn
=, road. bed until after crossing tn
main ravine from l25 to LOO fee
l of the trestle.
But the fearful blows with whic'
they had struck the ties and tim
beers of the bridge-the latter mo
safe under ordinary usago-haI
D meantime torn the trestle work I
pieces, so that the second ono @
the three passenger coaches fell dI
: reclly inlo the r%ayine, draggin
= down with 1t the forward end Q
i the third coach, which crushed 1
the roof Of its predecessor, near th
:, rear, while the real end OF the las
1 coach remained suspended by th
rear truck TO fragments Of the trel
O tie work on the northern side {
, the ravinc, and hung at an angle {
As degrees.
=. Every car in tho train was a CON
plete and useless wreck when tn
halt was reached, except the rea
5 one, and that also, 1t was found NJ
cessary to destroy by THROWN
=, down into the bed Of the stream, i
order to enable the living to resou
C the remains of the dead. The in
pctus with which the forward pa
- senger coach struck the bank
:, shown by the fact that its frame
u work was utterly shattered by til
c shock, so that the roof fell in upo
the mingled passengers aud d.
q bris. Not q seat but was torn froI
it's place, and seatSbacks, cushion.
~ window blinds, pannelling, sashS
: and human beings were mingled j
c n confused medley, from which
a isa wonder that any life escapeI
Strange 10 say, only one 0rtwOtC
! the inmates Of this car appeared !
i have boon killed, though Other
l. were severely wounded or badl
i cut and bruised, while some craW
ed out Of the wreck in which the
were buried, free Of cut or seIatel
The scene Of principal slapghtf
! was in. the middle passenger cOacI
This car fell in such a manner a.
II throw many Of lie inmates "a, q
+ rear, which brOghk them dirsctl
under crushing weight Of the lei
! coach when lie forward end fel
q Here seven dead bodies were take
. out five oftIom laying for an, hoJ
b side By side with young girl, WI
gave her name as AggY Elliot /
!. New York, and who was rescue
alive. Here, too, Mrs. Ann, wi
z Of Duncan X. Turner jast arrive
y from Scotland, via New York, wi
instantly killed, her back beiE
broken. Her husband, sitting i
d her side, escaped with bic lit
y boy, three years Of age, In bis arm
Col. Alexander BpeeFs, & plants
q whose home was &c Brandon,
r miles from Jackson, Miss, was q
other Of the victims who met Il
slant death ct the same point.
=. -. -ma..-eA- A.. 0hN~aa "A