The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-20
Another Railroad sl.ugnter.


Another Railroad Slaughter.
The'wholesale slaughter at Richmond switch
yesterday morning has brought sudden be-
reavement into scores of families and adds
another to the sad memories which will rise
unbidden in the mind of the traveller az he
seats himself in railway car. Fourteen miles
east of Stonington, on the route to Provi-
dence the Shore Line Railroad crosses Paw
catuck River, the boundary between Connec-
ticut and Rhode Island. The bridge was a
short one, without draw It must also have
been without Waterman. At eleven clock
on Friday night train crossed it coming
above the crossing was swept away by the un-
usual torrent of the Spring freshet The rush
of water escaping from the pond undermined
the railway bridge and carried it away, leaving
a yawning chasm, soon to be the common grave
of an uncounted multitude. AT half-past two
Stonington taking the passengers from New
York by the evening steamer whose number
was increased by the fact that the boats of
the Bristol and Fall River lines did not make
their usual trips. One hundred and fifty per-
sons considered themselves safe in this train
rushing towards disaster. death and manning
at the speed Of thirty-fve miles an. hour,
Twenty minutes brought them to halt
many Of them to the end of life's journey.
Without word or sign of warning the engine
under full pressure of steam, and with the
momentum of the trains weight, jumped
clear across the stream, wrecking itself on the
eastern bank, while the cars crashed the one
into and upon the other, and at once took
fire. Only the smoking car escaped, remain
ing on the western bank. In the mass of
wreck men were drowned crushed and
burned. Mangled and hardly recognizable as
human beings, some eight or ten bodies have
been recovered Probably the fatality will
reach double that number. The injured are
estimated at forty to fifty. Only the addition
Of freezing to the deadly horrors is lacking to
complete the parallel with the CHASTITY scene of
two years ago at New Hamburg. In the
twinkling Of an eye death closed the account
Of these men, till then full of life, courage
and hopeful anticipation.
Our dispatches assure us that this whole
sale, sudden and needless slaughter resulted
from no negligence; that the company is
fully exonerated from all blame. Hundreds
of the bereaved will traverse this assertion.
Perhaps the public, too, which supports rail-
road corporations, will side with the victims.
No railroad track is safe for the transit Of
fast and heavy trains unless it is thoroughly
and constantly watched. This company took
it for granted that this bridge was safe. All
bridges are till they fail. Every stream is
swollen during Spring from rains and melting
snow, and shore roads, like the Stonington
and Providence, cross rivers and creeks 10
almost every mile. Yet this company had no
watch at this dangerous place, where there
seems to be q switch, nor any telegraph sta
ton nearer than Stonington. The wages of
Waterman at the Pawcatuck would have saved
a score Of lives. Possibly this company will
find itself much the poorer for emitting
the precantion of thoroughly watching
its line, and especially, in Spring,
its bridges. When all railroad companies
shall act upon the rule that every rod of their
lines need inspection between the transit of
each train, and that Changer is to be
assumed unless the signals announce "all
right" then there will be large reduction of
these too common accidents" for which the
public is asked in charity to believe there is
mo fault or neglect of the company"