Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-02-09
THE HUDSON RIVER RAILROAD
DISASTER

The following is full account of the hor-
rible accident at New Hampshire, a. specially
reported At 10 o'clock Monday night q
train of petroleum oil ran off the track near
the depot, and in crossing the bridge below
the station, one of the cars was thrown on the
top track. At this moment the express train
leaving New York at 8 o'clock, appeared in
sight, twenty yards distant, running at light
ming speed. The next instant the engine col
lided with the oil car, breaking open one of
the tanks and setting it on FIRE. In ten sec
onds the other tank exploded, and the whole
scene was enveloped in a cloud Of fame.
Parties in the rear cars rushed, and all es-
capped save those in the Buffalo sleeping car,
the baggage car, and the engineer. From the
shock of the collision and the explosion, as
well as the weight Of so many cars heaped on
1t, the bridge gave way and the cars sank on
the ice. The Buffalo sleeping car burned its
way down, and lay covered with water, and
containg all its passengers save those who on
Tuesday were extricated. The place was
| mass of blackened ruins, smouldering or burn
ing wildly in places. As soon as It became
| sufficiently light to work, ana help had ar
rived, search was made for the bodies. There
were thirty in the Buffalo sleeping car alone.
The following is description of the bodies
found up to noon Tuesday. First, a man
dressed in black suit, white shirt, laced shoes,
gold studs and black neck-tie, features Of q
Jew, thirty five years of age, found lying on
his face, hands extended, and back of his
head burned to a crust. The second man
found was also evidently Jew. He was also
lying on his face, and his head was burned
fearfnlly. Strangulation had been added to
the fortunes of burning, drowning and being
crushed to death, as his appearance with his
tongue thrust out indicated. A mother with
tuyo chil1ror, in, hor 1ruer hor
back, her face only presented to the surface
Of black skull. The next body found was
that of man of about thirty-eight. His face
was blistered frightfully by the fire, and his
beard and moustache, which were nearly
black, are crisped to the roots. His
hands and teeth were tightly clenched, and
his whole appearance betokened the agony
and horror Of his rude death. The next body
| found was that of woman wearing black
| silk dress. Her face was so charred by the
violent flames and bruised by fall or blows
as to be entirely unacceptable. A watch
was found on her person and bearing the in
| scription: presented to f. j. Perry by Wal
ter B. Forbish." The body has been identified
as that of Mrs. Pease, of Buffalo. The bag
gage car, which has been employed as a tenn
porary morgue, contains a spectacle most
appalling. The mother found with her babes
in her arms was CHASTITY sight. The young
er, an infant of about l6 months, is stiffened
by the frost, and, as it lies exposed in the
dead car, seems to extend its little arms to-
ward its parent The bodies have been Crap
pied for since midnight, but no corpse was
found until nine o'clock Tuesday morning.
The following are the names of the killed
and wounded as far as ascertained: Rev.
Merrill Fowler, wife and three children, OF
Batavia, N. Y; George f. Benedict, editor
of the cleveland Herald, and wife; w. c.
Carry, of Erie, Pa. l.. A. Root, A. A. Gil
bert, Messrs. Lowell, Rosenthal, Forbush,
Mrs. f. s. Pease, of Buffalo, DIR. Nancrade,
Rollin German, Geo. F. Thompson, E. H.
Simmons, engineer, Jas. Stafford, baggage
master, X. H. Vosburg, conductor, porter OF
sleeping car, and f. L. Mooney, brakeman,
all of Newburgh, N. Y. Nineteen bodies
have been recovered. Rev. Mr.. Fowler
preached his farewell sermon and assisted at
the communion in the chapel of st. Chrysos-
tom of New York last Sunday and was on his
way to mission at Salt Lake City to take
| charge in connection with Bishop Tuttle. The
bodies of Mrs. Fowler and her two children,
of which the arms yet remained, were dis
covered closely embracing each other, and
| it is surmised that, finding egress impossible,
they resolved to die together. Mr.. German
was 90 years of age and leaves a wife and
family of four or five grown up children.
His permanent residence was in Buffalo,
whether he was bound. The thermometer
was below zero all night, rendering the efforts
of the citizens to recover the bodies very
difficult and hazardous. Several were badly
frost bitten. All travel on the road is sus-
pended. 1t will require four days for repairs
before the road can be reopened.