The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-02-14
A Terrible Railroad Accident.

4 terrible accident occurred near New
Hamburg, on the Hudson River Railroad,
.on Wednesday night last, The first ac-
counts received report that an oil train
bound north caught fire near the bridge,
at that place at a late hour.
The express train came along and ran
into the oil train, catching fire also. The
oil train set fire to the bridge, and com
bincd weight Of the two trains broke the
bridge in two, and the cars fell through
in mass Of wreck and confusion. Sew
eral persons, unable to get out of the
cars when the crash occurred, we're burn
ed to death or drowned.
The engineer, conductor and brake
man of the express train are known to
be killed. The scene at the track was
fearful. Three sleeping cars are among
those destroyed. Eighteen persons are
known to have been killed outright, and
many more are injured. Later despatch
es say that the oil train was bound south,
and when passing New Hamburg an axle
Of the oil car broke and dragged along
the ground till it reached the drawbridge
when, striking the timbers, it threw the
car off its track and upon the up-track
in face of the second Pacific express. An
attempt was made to stop the express
train, but not in time enough, and it
struck the oil car, and fragments Of the
oil car were scattered in every direction,
and at once ignited, onvcloping the entire
express train in flames.
The express train was composed of
locomotive and 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, and the
baggage and express cars were piled on
top Of the engine. At tho same time
the Chicago sleeping Car was one sheet of
flame, and though 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
wrapped in flames, but the passengers in
them all got out safely, and then the
bridge took fire in less than ten min
utes 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 locomotive and express cars
As soon as the intelligence of the dis
aster reached New Hamburg, two fire
engines were hastened to the scene, and
by their aid the flames were soon sub
dued, and search was begun for the bod
20 ,r L. % 4 ID. II
Horrible, indeed, was the spectacle as
one after another of the charred and
mangled bodies were brought forth. BY
II o'clock all the bodies had been found
except that Of Simmons, the engineer
They were placed in baggage car, and
fire was built to thaw the frozen cloth
ing. 1t was almost impossible to identi-
fly them, as in many cases the faces were
so burned that scarcel ly feature remain
ed.
The conductor of the sleeping car could
only be identified by the diagram con-
tanning the names of the passengers. When
among the rest, the body of a woman,
with child grasped closely to each arm,
was drawn out, gentleman who had
been walking to and fro since the dis
aster at once recognized them as his wife
and children. He said that just before
the collision he left his family to go to
the smoking car, and had hardly stepped
into the adjoining car when the shock
came, and separated them from him for
ever. One of the children was wrapped
closely in shawl and was not burned at
all, though it had been drowned. The
other, as well as the mother, was badly
burned about the face and breast.