The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-09
TERRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT m GER
MANY.

A Military Train Wrecked near Leipsic-Re-
turning Soldiers ON their Way Home Killed.
Twenty -One Brave Fellows Robbed Of life
and Forty -One severely Injured.
The following is an extract from the Berlin dune
"a, correspondence OF the London Dday Nelrs, CIV.
Ing account OF disastrous railway accident near
Leipsc:--
The subject that attracts the greatest and most
painful interest for the moment Is % very serious
accident which befell military train on "Wednesday
night shortly after its leaving LepsIc its way to
Berlin The jusIier battalion OF the FIRST POme-
ranian Grenadiers had reached Lepslc about mid
night and received very hospltable welcome at
the station The train left soon after one O'Clock,
but had not proceeded rar when the lOcomo-
tive, through some yet unascertalned cause,
became disengaged, without the fact being
immediately observed by the driver. AS
soon as the sIgnal men had called his
attention 20 1t he stopped his engine and then
turned slowly In the direction he had come. Un-
fortunately there Is a considerable incline at this
place. and the detached carriages had continued to
run on with accelerated velocity. The night was
could perceive the danger the collision had taken
place. The three foremost carriages and their living
ruin OF wood, iron and mutated human beings. A
large IRE was lighted TO enable the Survivors to
work, but 1t was nearly three hours before the
debris could be sufficiently cleared away TO admit
OF ths exsricatlon OF all the sufferers and
show The ,sytent OF the calamity. BY four
O'CLOCK no ls+sshan eighteen dead and forty-f0ur
injured for the most part severely, were discovered
ana of tho latter three more died within hour
two making the whole loss twenty one killed and
forty-one injured. The accident would seem all the
more melancholy when we remember that these
siXty-two poor fellows had passed unscathed
through all the dangers Of shell and chassepOt
merely have the life crushed ont of them in the
hour OF their triumph and their return to their
families by undetected flaw In coupling chain.
II the accident to happen at all it IS pity It
was not week later. rather stringent act has
been passed by the Diet making railway COM
panies liable for the maintenance Of the
than by their own faulty and for ample
compensation to the wounded. This act was pub
lished IN the OFctdy Gdzette on June IA, and thus
became law but, according 10 "a special article Of
the constitution for all laws, does not come into
operation TIL fourteen days later, In this instance
on June D. II, therefore, the Anhalt Railway Com
pany choose to insist on Its legal rights It will be
able TO resist all claims for compensation beyond the
very slight ones which could have been enforced
under the Old state OF the law. Should II, however,
attempt TO take advantage Of the accidental circum-
stance that the collision happened on the 2lst and
not "a late as the 2stn OF June, think 1t Will have
public opinion strongly against IL.
The new law IN Germany will place the companies
In n more Instantaneous position than tnat which
they hold In England The burden OF proof lies
entirely with the company and IL Is not SUFFICIENT
10 show mat there was no cuipabe neglect on the
part of its servants, indeed VIII any other plea
relieve 1t of its responsibility except that OF the sole
culpabty OF the person injured. IL mere stranger
even and not traveller. should pass through q
station and locomotive should burst and kill hun,
the company would be liable to the surviving family,
even though It should be able to prove that the
accident arose from such peculiar combination Of
circumstances that no blame attached to anybody.