Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-02-08
APPALLING CATASTROPHE

On the AudsOn River Roaa-An Ofl
Train Jumps the Track Crossing
bridge and Sets a Passenger Tram
| Astre-B0th Trains and the Bridge
Destroyed-Every soul on the chi
cagO Sleeping Car Burned OF
Drowned.
/ NEw York, Feb. THE following
particulars of the accident on the Hud-
son River Rail road last night at New
Hamburg are furnished by the western
Union Telegraph: -,
The train leaving New York at 8
o'clock last evening met an oil tram on
the New Hamburg draw bridge. The oil
train jumped the track and broke In TWO.
An oil car tipped over on the passenger
train and set it on fire, and the locomo-
tive. cars and bridge were all burned up
Three sleeping carss are among those dam
aged. Is persons were killed outright
and many more injured who will not re-
cover. Their names have not yet been
ascertained. @
PoUGHKEEPsIE, n. Y, Feb. The
following is q correct statement of the
disaster on the Hudson River Railroad.
One car of the oil train broke a wheel
and was thrown off its track upon the up
track at the bridge in the face of the
second Pacific express. An attempt
was made to stop the express, but not in
time enough. 1t struck the oil car and
scattered thu fragments in every direc-
tion, which at once ignited, enveloping
the entire express train in flames.
The express train was composed of
locomotive, baggage car, express car, and
five or six sleeping cars. The locomo-
tive was at once hurled into the river and
the engineer killed, and the baggage and
express cars pied on top of the engine.
At the same time the Chicago sleeping
car was one sheet of flame and though
desperate attempts were made to res
cue the passengers it is said not one
got out alive. Two other sleeping cars
next to it were also wrapped in flames,
but the passengers in them all got out
safely, and then the bridge took fire. In
less than ten minutes afterwsrd the whole
structure fell, earring the Chicago car and
burying the car and inmates out of sight
under the water and among the ruins of
the locomotive and express and baggage
cars. This terrible result settled all
doubts of the probability of rescuing any
one dead or alive and there was nothing
to do till day light. --.
1t is thought that Rev. DR.. DEEMS, of
the Church of the Strangers of New
York City, and his wife, are among the
dead, as that gentleman had stated they
occupied q berth in the Chicago car.
Charles Cossum, conductor of the train,
states there were sixty-fve sleeping car
tickets and fifty-two of them found
owners, indicating that but thirteen are
missing. The passengers say, however,
that the Chicago car contained twenty
five or thirty persons, and not one got
out. -
All trains stopped at the break this
morning and the work of recovering the
dead bodies commenced. Upon the ice
near the wreck body was found with
the entrails torn out, and the head and
legs crushed. 1t has not been identified
up to this time.
Partial List of the LOst-19 Bodies
Recovered.
PoUGHKRKPsIE, n. Y, Feb. THE
following are the names of the persons
killed by the railroad accident as far as
sscertained: David Simmons, engineer;
DR.. Nancreed, of N. Y; Vosburg, con-
ductOr of the sleeping car; Jas. Stafford,
of n, Y, baggage master; Vosburg, por-
ter of sleeping car; Rev. Merritt Fowler,
wife and two children of Ba tavia, n. Y;
Mr.. Benedict editor Cleveland Herald
and wife. In the pockets of Vosburg,
conductor, was found memorandum of
the berths taken, containing the names
of Lowell, Fowler and Pesse of Buffalo;
Curry, Sorhis and Germanuel, of Roches-
ter; DR.. Nancreed, of n. Y; Rosethal
and Forbush. Nineteen bodies have been
recovered, but none since II O'Clock.
The report that twenty-fOur bodies have
been found is untrue.
A Tale of HOrrOr-Scenes 10 Make
the Blood Run Cold.
NEW YORK, Feb. THE following
particulars in regard to the terrible acct
dent on the Hudson River Railroad have
been obtained in this city from eyewit-
nesses:
The freight train, which caused the
accident, consisted of about twenty-five
cars, most of which carried tanks filed
with oil. Before leaving Albany, every
car was carefully inspected by the work
men and no defect was discovered. When
the train reached the wooden bridge over
Wappinger's Creek, near Hamburg, about
eight miles below Poughkeepsie, a sud-
den shock passed through the entire train,
almost throwing it from the track. Upon
examination it was found an axle of the
tenth car had broken. The car had then
broken loose from its couplings, the car
on end and one side struck against the
frame work of the bridge and lay total
wreck upon the track.
Almost at the same moment, and be-
fore a signal or note of warning could be
raised, the express train which had left
this city at O'Clock, came rushing along
at the rate of 80 miles per hour. The en-
CINE struck the wrecked car with terrible
force, setting fire to the oil and scattering
the inflsmmsble material and burning
fragments of the car in all directions.
The force of the collision instantly threw
the engine over the bridge into the creek.
The ice was very thick at the time, but
was unable to bear the weight of the 10
connective, which broke through and
sank. The tender also fell into the creek
Immediately behind the engine.
There were two baggage cars,
followed by sleeping cars full of pas
sengers. The flames from the oil tank
soon set fire to these cars, which, after
striking the wreck, fell over into the
creek, a burning mass. 1t is said some
of the passengers in the sleeping cars sue
ceeded in leaping from the car in time
to save themselves, but the rest were
carried with the car over the bridge and
either drowned or burned to death. The
body of P. II. Vosburgh, conductor of