The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-16

fog the door. They were rot back
into their seats and quieted. Tne
door was opened and the men got
out, leaving the ladies sitting inside.
When they were out they saw what
appeared to be q whole train on fire
excepa he three last cars. The con-
ductor, with the assistance of the
passengers, uncoupled the three cars
and ran them about 400 yards down
the track. They endeavorsd to save
the next car, but the coupling pin
was 30 bent that they oouid not re-
move it. In the meantime other
gentlemen wers engaged in getting
the passengers out Of the cars that
wore in flames. The Buffalo
sleeping-car, in which al tho people
were burned, WAS thrown from. ito
trucks of the bridge, aud became
involved in one entire sheet of flame,
making it impossible for any one to
give the inmates assistance, or for
them to get out oft.
When that conclusion came he
looked out of the window of the car,
and saw . train Of cars standing ON
the down track, the rear car of
which was about $50 feet south of
the rear car on the up train. That
train had an engine attached to it,
and it appeared to have an engine on
the other side Of the cow.catcher ~
a sort of . pusher. which was on the
other side of the break. He was
told that that engine hauled back .
portion of that tram toward New
Hamburger, having unhitched from
those that were burning, and that
the disaster was caused By the break
log Of an axle on tho hind track of
one Of the barrel cars; and that they
discovered it just after they came
through the tunnel, and that they
were going with such velocity, it
being : down grade, that they found
it impossible to stop the train until
it struck the drawbridge, whore it
spread tho track, and two or three
oil cars ran of on the up track. And
just then this express train came
along, and the collision occurred.
The engine on the express train
must have struck the oil tank, throw
ing it back on the passenger train,
in . sheet offAme.
There was not . moan, nor . cry
of distress from any one. There
was no evidence of Distress. The
persons in the car must have been
almost instantly suffocated. Every.
thing about the car and on tho ice
was q sheet of fire. The air was 1t
once cut off by the flames, 20 that
no one in the cars could breathe.
It is probable that the victims died
before any fire reached them. Their
breath was taken from them in an
instant.
BRUTALITY AND PILLAoE.
This gentleman, and many others
who were saved, complain bitterly
of tho brutality Of the railroad EN-.
ployees aud the people who were
employed in getting ont the bodies.
There did not appear to DO any one
in authority, and the trunks were
brokenopen and pillaged by whole
sale. Nor WAS this oil. One Of the
unfeeling got . book Of written SER
mons, probably belonging to the un-
fortunate Mr.. Fowler, which he read
ale ad amid the jeers and laughter Of
thu uafeeling crowd. Articles of
female tpr-rei would be pulled out Of
the trunks, and held up to view in
sport, Z Id the bodies themselves were
roughly fished out - ii they were 90
much clrrion, and then . rope was
passed round them and they were
dragged over the rough leo 70 the
car, which was some distance of, the
rough edges of the loo cutting into
their flesh and marking the track
with blood, which will account in
part for the mutilated condition Of
the bodies. From all accounts, the
railroad people did nothing except
commeaoe the work Of repairing their
bridge, and the surviving passengers
were left to care for themselves a.
best they might.
At about noon, DR.. Andrus, the
Coroner, arrived from Poughkespsie
with an undertaken. He had been
ready to 60 from an early hour, but
could get no train. After his arrival
he communicated with Superinten-
dent Toucey, who authorized him to
take charge of the bodies and their
effects, and that the company would
be responsible for the expense. After
the arrival Of the Coroner, the pill
Laying was stopped, and that gentle
nasn proceeded to examine the
bodies.
ExCIr1MENT AMONG TAMMANYIrHs.
From the N. Z. Times. Feb. 9.
The rnmor that one, if not moro,
of the Democratic Assemblymen
who went up on Monday night to
Albany. was included among the
victims of the fearful disaster, caused
the widest CONSERVATION among the
Tammany politicians around the
City Hall, and was the theme Of ex-
cited talk and anxious speculation in
the various public Offices and courts.
Tho cry ran among them that tho
majority in the Assembly which they
had wrought 80 hard to obtain had
been destroyed, and that the State
Legislature was lost to the Demo.
cratic party. Their apparent grief
on this account seemed to far exceed
the horror and the deep and sad feel
ings of sorrow which such an awful
holocaust of human life is well cal.
culated to excite. The changes and
in the local govern
ment which such a result would
cause were canvassed by excited
groups, as if the rumor were true
beyond the possibility oe DOUBT,
and it began to be the belief among
hem that the shock Of the collision
would be felt even in the very heai
If tho city executive itself. B
when the rumor spread that Pei
8. Sweeuy was in the ill-fated traii
he excitement among the Tammany
became perfectly indies
,ribable. Aldermen and other petty
,fficials ran around the public Offices
nd everywhere that they thought
he least CLEAN Of light and hope
ould bc thrown on the rumor. The
flee Of the Department Of Public
Works was literally bsseiged by a
i. n.o,,o crowd nf nAftv office. I