The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-03-15
Ehc 6sacusic Disasfcr--G;rapi.ic At-
count by n Es:,sScnSer--Thrce Tons q.
Mail Matter What Caused
the Accident.
From the Hartford Cuurart. 9Th.

From the Hartford tUUrallt alh.
The midnight train from Boston left SPRING
field at I.l0 \. NJ. Or about forty miniltcs
behind regular time. Resides the loromo-
tive and tender the train consisted Of ali OK
press Cur. Il postal ear, Il baggage car, i sno-
king car. an ordinary passenger Ger. and four
sleeping cars. The road OUT from Springfield
follows the river very clnScl Y for conSidcru-
lie distance. at some points the bank Slopn"
down to the waters edge. About a mile and
lalr from SPRINGFIELD is PcciSic station. re-
Gently established, which i at a slight bend
in the road Il curve following This side upon
an cmhunklnrnt from twenty to twenty-five
feet high. directly above the river, and OK
tending only short distance
Ii was hut It few rods below this station
and at the c,irvc-pont where the accident
took placc. That the train was not going al
its fullest speed is evident from the situation
Of the cars, which did not go off the en-
bankment. The officials say il was running
at the rate of twelve or fifteen miles IN hour.
The locomotive. tender, and express car
went by the point of danger in safety. Tho
"hrcak" probably occurred after they had
passed. though Il theory has been advanced
that the rail was broken by the passage OF
the midnight freight train. 1t possible that
Il locomotive and one cur, or more, might
lump" broken rail when the track was
il straight line and the momentum was
sufficient. There is, therefore, 10 DOUBT
that the cause of the accident was immeGl.
atcly connected with the train which sullcrC d
hv it. The postal cur was the first 10
go OIL. 1t went through small clump ol
bushes and was totally destroyed by fire
upon the side of the enhankmcnt. and tho
ire having started by the upScttil" of red
hot stove when the Cur rolled of. The bag
care car rolled down upon the ice, which was
strong enough TO sustain it. and the smoking
and Passenger cars also went to the bottom
Of the cmhankmcnt, turning Il complete SOM
clsvt. The four slceping-cars were left upon
The very edge or the bank. the forward one
slightly inclining towards the river. The
break of Il coupling saved these cars.
The Rev. :. G.. W. Rankin, of Glastonbu.
~, VINO was In the passenger Cur, furnishes
the following graphic account Of the expert
cnceS of himself and some of his frllow-tra
vcllerS:
When the first jar came was wide awake
and knew that something heavier WAS to fol-
low. ! Immediately sprang to my feet and
gra>pcd hold of the hat-rack or something in
the top of the car. While in this position the
car plunged down the cmbankment will
great violence. \ lad in the scat by my sidc
clung to my limbs. While situated in thi:
position the whole contents of the car, III
Guiding broken seats. baggage, and human
bodies, Of all sizes and in al! positions. swept
under nv feet. found myself still ciinSins
10 the TOP of the car, without scratch OF
pain or brliisc The car had made Il complct,
somerset, precipitlting the passengers into The
lower end. piled up without ceremony on ONT
another. My first effort was to make way
of exit from the ruins. The car now lay upon
its side, with one end resting on the ice, both
The stoves doing their best 10 add horror *
the scene by setting fire to the car at caci
end. After some effort succeeded in get
tiny Il window open in the top of the car
out of which lifted two children, who wcri
cared for bv some one who had come dow
the cmbankmcnt from the sleeping cars. The
cries of the wounded and the frightened
and those who were thrown upon the stove
were terrible beyond description.
In the crash the door at the lower end o
the car had slammed to and fastened itself
and broken of the handle, so that it coul(
not be opened. | spran@ ont of the top o
the car, leaped over the lower end among
the rubbish, and after two heavy blows
forced open the door and remained at III.
post until l had passed out sixteen men
women, and children. One heroic little boy
who was damned against the stove, hat
seized very nice sable mufl and crowded
it between his legs and the stove, ant
while he burned some fifty dollars worth
muil, he managed to save Il good many thou
sand dollars worth of legs. As soon as n
was helped from the car, and thence over III
broken track to make room for Others, n
came running back. saying " ! must get III ant
help my mother; my mother is in there, ant
! must help her. To his great JOY bis mothe
was the next person pissed out. Several
the ladies tainted before they could he go
out, and this added to the CONSERVATION