New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-11
Terrible Disaster "A Railroad Train
Wrecked,

From the Knoxville Chronicle of Sunday
we extract the following correct statement
Df the accident, as gathered from the rail
road officials present and passengers on the
train:
Captain Thomas Holloway's train left
Bristol on time, hut when it reached Green
vile was an hour and sixteen minutes be-
hind, owing to an accident to the engine of
the up-train. The train was composed of
the locomotive, two baggage and one e&-
press car, the smoking car, three passenger
coaches and a Pullman sleeper, and was
crowded with passengers, business men
returning from the purchase Of goods
an the North and persons who had
been spending the summer at the Yir-
GINA springs, en- route for their South
era homes. The passengers had had their
breakfast, and as the train travelled along
we're gaily chatting, all unconscious of tile
dreadful sGene that was soon TO be enacted
and in which so many of them were to he
Che victims of fell destiny. The train
dashed on, past fields of ripening corn,
around ragged mountains, through fertile
valleys, slumbering in the soft light of an
October sun, while the fated travellers
dreaming of home, children and life and
love, WERE even while all nature seemed in
peaceful repose, being trailed by the demon
of the rail. The cause of the accident ia
of those inexplicable mysteries which no
human foresight could guard against or
prevent. The catastrophe occurred at
Che trestle which spans the county
road at the point above named, being
about one mile and q half west of
-Greenville When within about It's yards
of the trestle the rear trucks of the mail
car jumped the track and ran to the bridge
on the ties, The engine, fender and bag
rage car passed over the BRIDGE in safety
and remained on the track but the mail
aud smoking cars, together with three pas
senger coaches, ran of the track. The
sleeping car, in rear Of the train, likewise
maintained its position on the track. The
mail and smoking cars, after crossing the
trestle, fell off the track down the em6ank-
nnent on the north side of the road, while
the three passenger coaches were precpi-
Gated into the wagon road beneath dis
tance OF about fifteen feet. The first pas
senger car was completely demolished,
Che second falling upon it, which
had one end knocked out and was
telescoped by the one in the rear, from
which a large portion of the roof and side
was thrown into the second car, the last
car next to the sleeping coach, hanging
with the rear end on the track, while the
other was inextricably mixed with the shat
tered and riyen timbers of the one in front
6n this wrecked and rent mass of wood and
iron nearly hundred human beings strug-
gled in agony and terror, with crushed
limbs and mangled bodies, and shrieks of |
pain and grOanS of suffering rent the air. |
The injured parties were released from their !
terrible position with all possible haste bv |
She train hands and uniniured passengers, |
and everything possible done on the SPOT to !
alleviate their suferings, while messenger |
was sent to Greeneyille for assistance, and |
q dispatch forwarded to Knoxville asking |