Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-12-27
The Railroad Accident in Pennsylvania.
Twenty-Five Known 10 Have been Killed
and Many Others Wounded.


CORY, Pa, Dec. 95.-The following are the |
names of some of those known to have been |
killed by the accident on the Buffalo, Cory and |
Pittsburg railroad last night; Mark Haight of |
Brocton, banker, one leg shattered and the |
other burned off at the thigh and the body |
bruised about the head; Mr.. Osborne of West |
field had the side of his head smashed in, and
one leg burned off below the knee; Mr.. Regau,
internal injuries; L. A. Bell, telegraph operator
at Sherman, bruised in body and head; Frank
Taylor, baggage master of the train; and Con
Mallory, trackmaSter, of Broc:ou.
Among the wounded are W II. Lee OF Cory,
slightly: Jacob Bartland of Irving, N. Y; Levi
Briggs of Angola, n. Y; John H. Hilton of
Rochester; Mrs. j. NJ. Carleton Of Mill Village,
whose child was saved, but whose husband is
still missing; Maggie Carleton of Titusyille;
George Miller of Fredonia; Henry Miller of
Titusville; J. J. Burtis of Titusvlle; W II.
Ticknor OF Titusyille; Eliza Zally Ripley; Jalen
Cowdry of CORY, two large wounds on the left
eye and bruised about the body; Barney Cook,
injured internally and suffering great pain;
John DundaS OF Hamilton, Ont, very severely.
Fay Flanders, the conductor, will. probably re-
cover if his internal injuries are not too severe
He loses two toes on the left foot. His ribs were
broken by being pulled out with chain. Earl
Boen reported dead, is only slightly injured,
having secured the registered letters and eXtri-
Gated himself by a jump.
cred, aud sixteen are so charred as to be nm
known Four are in the Wauagut house
awaiting relatives, and one at Prospect. There
are vet from three TO five bodies under the ruins,
reduced to ashes, and dstinguishable only by
pieces of skull and bones.
The train was going On the down grade OF 50
to IS feet to a mile, and was about 60 rods from
Prospect depot, and had steam shut off. 1t was
about three feet from tile north end Of the tres
tie when the broken wheel of the tender was
discovered, aud when under the impetus Of the
down grade stoppage could not be made.
Every care is being taken of the wounded,
wIossre scattered around in farm houses near
by, and medical attention is promptly furnished.
Tie conductors packet showed thirty.Seven
through tickets taken up and one to Prospect
Therefore 1t is supposed that there were about
fifty persons on the tram, which consisted of
one passenger car, ole baggage car and engine
and tender
ERIE, Pa, Dec. 26.--The immediate cause Of
the accdent at Prospect station was a broken
tange on the tender WHEELS About 60 rods
west Of the station is a trestle work some 90
feet high, over which the locomotive and tender
OF the eastern bound express passed in SAFETY;
but the baggage and passenger ears, only two
coaches being in the train, were tlitOwn from
the trestle and struck top downward, the weight
oil the trucks crushed in the cars, closing in win
dows; and TO render the Situation even more ter
rible, one passenger coach was partially tilted
on its side, so that for the occupants of that side
there was absolutely no means of escape.
Almost Immediately the car took fire, the pas
senger coach burning at both ends, Some half
dozen persons waiting at the station were soon
at the scene of the accident, but they
worked at an immense disadvantage.
10 water could be had, and the snow that was
scooped up had little effect in staying the
flames. Only two axes were available, and the
woodwork OF the cars was boted together So
firmly and intrcatey that but little Roadway
nttII hn ma will A tha in1nf
efforts were being putt forth, the flames were
steadily gaining, and the shrebs of the imprls-
oned victims, as the scorching heat envelope3
them, was appalling to the bravest heart. Now
aud then 9 rope was put between a creyice, fas-
tened to a form, aud the sufferer pulled out by
main strength Sometimes it would &c life
| less body, and the charred arms, legs and head,
would drop off in the struggle. In three or four
| instances the head was twisted from the trunk,
and in many more cases the body was
| bcreft of its limbs. The body Of q
| lady was thus recovered from the
| flames, the head and one arm swapping off
| Ike piece of charcoal, while the other arm
| was untouched, a kid glove covering the hand,
| and the fingers wearing their jewels and ornas
| ments. The body will doubtless be recognized
with the aid OF the rings. but, Tor them, 1t would
| have been impossible. The bodies of three
| other ladies were taken out, neither of which,
| it is believed, car be recognized In all, It ie
| estimated that fully ten Of the nineteen bodies
| which have been recovered from the burning
| car can be recognized. 1t is supposed that in
| addition to those recovered a number of others
| were consumed in the burning car; and that
| nothing but their blackened bones will be dis
covered when the fire is extnguished and the
| ashes raked over Adding these to the number
of injured that will die, it is estimated that the
total number of lives lost will not fall short of
thirty, the whole number of persons in the
two cars at the time of the accident being about
forty-fve.
After the accident Frank Taylor of Cory, one
OF the rescued passengers, was leaning against
some object, and seeing an acquaintance passing
called to him. The friend turned around and saw
Taylor, apparently uninjured, but suddenly he
said, "Iell my wife, and fell over dead. He
must have died from internal injuries. But the
inmates Of the burning cars were s1reking Tor
aid, and Mr.. Taylor'S friend did not see him
again until his corpse was brought in and placed
with the others.
After the groRns of the dying were stilled in
death, the stencil arising from the burning
bodies is said TO have been Sickening, with no
means of eXtinguishlng the flames, and the heat
being too intense to admit of all the bodies being
extricated, nothing could be done by the specla-
tons but TO stand quietly and see the remains
slowly consumed,
The following is letter from a correspondent
of the Erie Dispatch, who was at the scene of
the disaster:
MAYv1LLE, N. Y, Dec. 26.
The bodies thus far identified are: Mark
Haight of Brocton, N. Y, VIM. H. Osborne of
Westfeld, N. Y. Herman RYAN of Farnham, N.
Y, Edwin II. Bell OF Sherman, N. Y, Con
Maloney of Brocton, N Y, Frank Taylor of
Cory, Pa, John White of Lancaster, N. Y.
Aug. Cardal of Arkwrght, N. Y, Charles Metz
OF Ellen Corner, near Angola, N. Y, Mr.. and
Mrs. Wilbur +. Rice of Titusville, Pa, Joseph
Curtin OF Tiusville, Kate Riley Of Dunkrk, N
Y, VIM Rankin, laborer from Canada, James
II. McCarten of Miller Basin, N. Y. Four
bodies only remain unrecognized. All the
wounded but Maggie Curtin, w. II. Ticknor,
Mrs. COrnelia McCarten, and Fayette Flanders,
left Prospect station for their homes. At the Cha
taqua house, Mayville, are John Douglass, a
Canadian, who has his left shoulder and breast
broken, but he may recover; John Cowdry of
Cory, head cut and internal injuries; Barney
Cook of Lancaster, bad internal injuries, his
recovery very doubtful. All the Others are doing
well. There were thiry-eieht paying passengers
on the train aud five employees back Of the ten
der.
AT the inquest, Henry Miller and J. J. Marks
testified that the train ran very fast IL. H. Lee
and Others cOntradicted it, The fireman says
they were running five miles an hour.
Orvllle Swift of Cory was on the train, and
bis body has not been recognized Two of the
four bodies unclaimed are shapeless masses.
Mr.. Douglass, who was in the burned car
twenty five minutes, says several were killed
outright, the others walking about until sufio-
Gated. Some were conscious until burned to
death.
The inquest adjourned till Saturday, when
the testimony OF Conductor Flanders will be
taken
Fatal Railroad Accidents in Indiana and
Kansas.
INDIANApOIIs dec Tho roo- nor nc Al