The New York herald., 1872-07-12
A Railroad Train Precipitated Into
the Greenbrier River.
Six Men Killed and the Surviving Corps Of La
bOrers Fearfulfy Bruised and kanged.
CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.
A New Bridge Yields Beneath the
Weight of tho Cars.
NAMES or the KILLED AND WOUNDED.

GREENDRIER WHITE SULPHUR spRINGs,(
w. Va, July IL, 1872
An appalling disaster occurred this morning on
the Chesapeake ana Ohio Railroad, fourteen miles
west of the White Sulphur Springs, in which six
persons were killed outright and nine were
wounded, three of the latter mortaly. The news
reached the Springs half hour after 1t happened
and, In company with an engineer and two physi-
cians the HERALD correspondent set out on an
extra train for the scene OF the terrible catas-
trophe which was found to be at the second bridge
over the Greenbrier River.
Immediately preceding the bridge on the railroad
is Harveys Tunnel 200 feet long. This morning a
material train consisting of q small engine known
as the David Anderson, and Ave small flats, loaded
with crosstles and having on board some fifteen
employees. emerged from the tunnel, going at the
rate of four miles per hour Steadily it moved on
to the bridge, which was 800 feet long and 1fty
feet high from the bed OF the river.
THE FATED TRAIN ADVANCED CAUTIOUSLY
and was soon on the bridge between heaven and
earth. The centre was reached in safety; in mo-
ment more IL was passed. and now the train nearly
covered the two last spans OF the bridge Just
then noise was heard and few spectators OBJ
served the bridge to sink gradually for a second or
two, when, horrOr
DOWN WENT THE STRUCTURE WITH CRASH,
the five flats with their living freight following and
dragging the tender and engine after them. The
noise is said to have been like the prolonged dis
charge Of a park OF artillery and the whole train
was precipitated into the bed Of the river Not
living being escaped without injury. The poor
engineer, with the instinct of selfpreservation,
jumped from the engine, but 1t was only jump for
death. The engine followed aud the driving
wheel buried him In the bed OF the river.
At this time
THE SPECTACLE WAS uoRRIFYING
in the extreme. The yells and cries of the wounded
mingled with the screeching of escaping steam the
creaking OF dismembcred tmbers and the Kissing
Of the waters, while the people on the river banks
added to the din by their frantic cries. The wreck
of the bridge and train were now mass Of broken
timbers, twisted rails, smashed iron and the man
ged forms Of the victims
THE FIRST ASSISTANCE RENDERED..
Mr.. Baird, the telegraph operator, who has his
office at this point in car was the first to rush to
the rescue lie waded into the stream. and, reach.
ing the engine first, found the engineer dead be-
meath the driving wheel, with his face badly
scalded, probably after death. Baird was followed
by others. and the fireman was then found still
alive, under the tender. He was the first extri-
Gated. Proceeding then to the fats, one by one
the wounded were taken from the mass of debris
and carried to the river bank, where they lay
moaning piteously.
Next the removal OF the dead followed, and in
two hours the whole number on the train, the
living and the dead, were lying side by side sur.
rounded by negroes, who did everything they could
to alleviate the sullerngs Of the wounded and care
for the dead. Aid was imme jatcly telegraphed for
and 1t was as promptly on the spot When your
correspondent arrived upon the scene the wounded
were being removed on hand cars and nats to Rom
covert, three miles east Of the bridge and about
eleven miles beyond the White Sulphur Springs
The dead were also removed TO this point later in
the day.
The following is a
LIST or THE CASUALTIES
Whites
J. c. Hill, engineer, OF Hanover county, Virginia
killed.
Parker Upshur, fireman, Of Albemarle county
mortally wounded and probably since dead.
A. M. Perkins, conductor, OF Louisa county, va
scaped, fracture Of the skull and injury OF the
spine, mortally.
Charles Myers of Greenbrier county, jaw broken,
head injured and hip broken.
Negroes
Wade Perkins, Ben. Franklin. David I.iggon,
George Washington and Harvey eileen, killed..
James Garrett, leg broken and side bruised.
Nelson Smith, head fractured and hip and leg in
ured.
JEFF Turner fractured Jaw and brokenlcg.
Andrew White, compound fracture OF leg, NOR
tally.
Peyton Morris, fractured thigh and Jaw.
william Harris spine, head and leg injured.
Recapttuldtion.
sig killed and nine wOnded, three mortally.
The engineer was a young man and great fa-
voriJe on the road. He was engaged to he married.
and his wedding was arranged for the 10th OF Sep
tember next. When rescued his watch was found
to be broken, and the hands were stopped at ex-
actly seven minutes to eight O'Clock, thus record
ing the time OF the DISASTER the death of Its owner
and the hopeless destruction Of ITSELF The fireman
was only temporarily serving in the place Of the
regular fireman, who had been on leave Of absence
for several days, and for the first time made his
appearance to-day just after the disaster occurred.
His grief at the death OF his friend Is intense and
he feels terribly mortified that life should have
been sacrificed in the voluntary performance Of his
duty.
THE BRIDGE
is 300 feet long and ftyfour feet nigh. It Is deck
bridge, constructed by Clark & Rives, OF Phlla-
dephia. There are three masonry piers, and two
abutments OF the same material upon these piers,
which are only twenty-five feet high A shallow
and rickety trestc work is erected, on the top Of
which the track Is laid. The whole structure is
only temporary, and was built so as to allow of the
erection Of an iron bridge on the same foundation.
On Friday last it was completed by the contractors
and turned over TO the railroad company, and
since then the same engine that to-day is mass
OF mangled iron has been hauling iron ties and
material for the construction of the road west over
It, No later than yesterday the engine passed over
the bridge with eleven large nats, heavily laden
with iron rails, with safety, and to-day, while
passing over with only five loads OF cross ties,
two spans of the bridge gave way and caused this
terrible loss of life and destruction of property. It
would seem from this that
THE CONTRACTORS ARE RESPONSIBLE
for this disaster. The officers OF the road never