, 1873-08-30
The Atlantic Express Stops on the
Main Track Of the Hudson
River Railroad,
The Conductor "Forgets that An
other Express Train Is But
Twenty Minutes Behind.


AC kku1KTN14u ,AEE1t1GHk l1tt&T&
Mich.
Special Dfspatch to The Chicago Tribune.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, Aug. 2o.-I have juBt
returned from tho scene Of d shocking disaster
on tho Detroit l. milwaukee, Railroad, "a miles
cast Of hero. Inst nights e1proas, which
should have loft Detroit at 10:40, left ut 11.05,
which wero placod bohinl tho Sleep
this road. Tho conductors name was
FrankK kKniell. 1t Owasso it passed No. IS through,
freight, which left the depot threo hours earlier.
1t usually pasBca No. 13 at Lowell. 48 miles woat
Of Owasso. No. 10 was drawn by tho engine
Ontario, Horny T. Montruel ,ongineer, James
Sherman, conductor. The express which was duo
at Muir Village, milos east Of Ionia, at 4:80
o. M, was approaching Muir, still twenty-five
minutes latc, aa whom 1t left Detroit. Ono and
quarter miles east Of Muir tho drivo-whcol
broke OF at tho axle, and the train oamo to D
stop. It waH then ton minutos to s. In fivo
minutes moro it should have arrived ut Muir.
Tho conductor sent Brakeman Mcneil to
tho front and tclcgraphcd back to st.
John to stop No. l3, but it had
passed. There wore two other small stations
between st. John and Muir, but no night opera
sNAs uAENtA 4ttAIuEu u Lua LIHlD On q Qa1U-
car. with tho section foreman, Isaac MoMullon
Conductor Knill had sent Daggageman Dar-
vey and Brakeman ". P. Brown back to Aag
No. Is. 1t was foggy, and they could
not SOC moro than hundred yards.
The fiagman wont only third Of O milo, and
waited ut tho bridge across Stony Crock. Nc
Neil, returning, followed tho flagmnn. He or
the conductor put torpedoes on tho track only
Inn vhr1u mat ~ 4hn II.
fog-signals. Section Foreman McMullon also
OIL furthor. They replied: "Who III doing this
tagging 2" 1Io said no moro.
This from my interview with tho partiea
named. Brown, hagman, told mo ho waited
there fifteen or twenty minutes nfter McMullon
came before No. IS came in sight. Eneincor
Montruol hoard the torpedoos aud eaw tue fa:
signal, 100 yards ahead, ut tho same time, aud
whistlcd down-brakos Tle brakcmon quickly
responded. It is down-grado forty to fifty
feet to the mile into the valley of tho Maple
River from pewamo, small station miles oast
Of where tho train 1as tagged the last fow
tlnleH.
Condensed from testimony on t1e in
quest: The fact Of hoayy grade tlore is wcll-
known. Had not used steam for tho
last milo before seeing tho signal. Re-
versod the ongine, opened the Band-box
while tho fireman aot up the brake
on tho tender. Having dono all that was poesi-
bic to loosen the catastrophe, tho engineer and
firoman jumped from tho engine. There wero
thirty freight cars, mostly loaded. mov-
ing at tho rate Of IL miles an hour
in the rear of express outward-bound freight.
The track was wet with fog, and tho train could
not be checked, but elid rapidly OIL at tho ratio
of at least ten milos an hour, when it struck tho
rear of the express. The engine, one Of tho
1argost and heaviest On tho road, drove into tho
rear Of an emigrant car clear to the cab,
tearing up the floor, raising tho roof, mud
springing tho eidos, but leaving some
seats in tho forward end not misplaced. All tho
emigrants but two or threo at the foremost eud
had been alarmod, and cleared this car. Those
few remaining were hurt, but not fatally. Tho
next car ahead. also emigrant car, il MS totally
demolished Us it is possible to conceive,
-maBhed into space of s foet, by
my measurement, betwoen tho elecping-car
and tho engne. It Ia perfectly marvellous how
any ono escaped alive. There woro fifty-iiyo
Germans and swedos in that car, about thirty
remaining inside. Swedish family namcd
He'd suffered severely. The mother was thrown
against fonco, breaking her back and ruptur-
ing her bowels, Skilled instantly. Her daughter,
Tilda, II years old, lad hor legs broken in
several placos,-died On reaching Muir, throo
hours Inter. Another daughter, salinn, 10 yoars
old, bled inwardly, and son s yenrs old, both
died at Muir In the afternoon. The latter had
his jaw and thigh broken. These four woro still
inside the car that waa entirely damoliahed.
Elizabeth Kurohmonck, Austrian, lived five
years In Now York, attempted to escape
from tho front ond Of tho demolished
car. with hor son, year old. had her arm i'm
palod againat tho e1eoping-car, and tho boards
splinterod into onds, all threo running through
hor body, and one through the child boaides a
timber mashed tho ohilds' head through tho end
Of tue sleeping-car. Not gasp Of llfo remained
in either Of theao. Blk are all TINT have lost
thoir lvos, and mono others arc fatal
ly injured. Tho dead and wounded
wore taken to Muir in box-oar by man-power.
Tho dead were lald out in tho warehouse loft at
tho depot, mud tho worst injured woro taken to
the Olmstod Hotel, whore the two Hcd daugh-
tors died. Tho next worst wero taken to Fink'a
saloon, whore Holds little boy died. Lotta IIed,
1G yenrs DID, is also ut Fink's, badly hurt, but
will not dle. Her father md G-yoar old brother
wore not hurt. Others, not so much injured,
were taken to priyato houses.
The citizens OF h1uir, especially tho doctors
and ladles, showed oyory kulness In tho caro- Of
the sufferers. Mrs. j. 7. Hoatler, Of Graud
Rapids. or GRIND Haven, passenger on tho OK
preaB, and bravo and holpfal lady, rendered
olllo!cnt Bolf-lonying sorylco at tho wreck.
The sloeplng-car was Bomowhat damaged. No
persons WHO romainod In that or cars ahead were
injured. llalf tho material Of tho demolished
cur WaB driven with torrt!lo force clear mast fla