Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-02-10

PoUGHKEEPsIE, N. Y, Feb. 2.
The accident on the Hudson River
Railroad last night at New Hamburg
was caused by an oil train bound north
catching fire and setting the bridge at
New Hamburg also on fire. The Pa
cific Express came up and ran into the
oil train and caught fire also. The
bridge gave way under the weight,
when the train went down in a jumbled
mass. The locomotive. express car,
baggage car, Pullman car and coach,
and sleeping car, of the express train,
went down with crash. The engineer
of the express train was killed; also, the
conductor of the Pullman car, and the
brakeman. Several passengers on the
Pullman and sleeping cars, un-
able to get out when the crash occurred,
were burned to death or drowned. The
scene at the track is a fearful one A
corps Of physicians are there from
Poughkeepsie to attend to the wounded
and dying, and search is being made
for the dead bodies. Further psrticu-
lars and the number of dead and wound
ed cannot be ascertained at this hour
Doc. Simmons, Engineer, Peter Voss-
burgh, conductor of the Pullman car,
and the brakeman, are known to be
killed.
POUGHKEEPSIE, Feb. 7.
The dispatch sent from from here this
morning incorrectly stated the cause of
the disaster on the Hudson River Rail
road. An oil train was bound south,
and when passing New Hamburgh an
axle of an oil car broke and dragged
along the ground till it reached the
dTawbridge, when striking the timbers
it threw the car off its track and upon
the up track and in the face of the sec
and Pacific Express. An attempt was
made to stop the express which was ap-
preaching, but there was not time enough,
and it struck the oil car, and the frag-
ments of the oil car scattered in every
direction, and at once ignited, enve.op-
ing the entire express train in flames.
The express train was composed of
locomotive, one baggage car, one ex-
press car, and five or six sleeping cars.
The locomotive was at once hurled into
the river and the engineer killed. The
baggage and express cars were piled on
top OF the engine. At the same time
the Chicago sleeping car was, one sheet
of flame. Although desperate attempts
were made to rescue the passengers, it is
said not one got out alive. Two of the
other sleeping cars next to it were also
wrapt in flames, but the passengers in
them all got out safely, and thus the
bridge took fire, and in less than ten
minutes afterwards the whole structure
fell, carrying with it the Chicago car,
and burying it and its inmates out of
sight under the water and among the
ruins of the locomotives and express
cars. This terrible result settled all
doubts as to the probability of rescuing
one dead or alive, thus there was moth
ing to do till daylight The names of
the killed as far as known are Sim
mons, engineer Peter Vossburgh, con-
ductor of the Chicago car, and brake
man named Bhrine. 1t is also thought
that Rev. DIR. Deems, -of the Church of
the Stranger, New York City, and his
wife are among the dead, as a gentle
man stated that they occupied a berth
in the Chicago car. Charles Cassius,
the conductor of the train, states that
there were sixty-five sleeping-car tick
cts, and that ffty-two of them found
owners, indicating that but thirteen
persons are missing. The passengers
say, however, that the Chicago car con-
tanned rs or 90 persons, and that not
one got out. All the trains are stopped
at the break this morning, and the work
I of recovering the dead bodies has COM
menced.
Coroner Andrus, of Poughkeepsie
has been notified and is waiting for a
train to convey him to the spot.
On the ice, near the wreck, a body
was found with the entrails torn out and
the head and legs crushed. 1t has not
been identified up to this time.