The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-08
ACCIDENT.

wv
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
A Baltimore dispatch to the New York
Herald of the Both ult. gives the following
strange escape from a terrible disaster: A
tremendous smash-up occurred on the
Northern Central railroad this afternoon, at
about 4 o'clock, near the Relay House, seven
miles from this city. The Cock
south, and the York accommoda-
ton going north, were passing
each other on the bridge over Lake Roland,
about 100 yards above the station, when the
bridge, of about 100 feet span, gave way, and
the baggage car and one passenger coach OF
each train were precipitated into the k
Upton Young, of Woodbury., was In
stantly killed, n George Weisner, OF
Cockneyville, had both legs fractured, one
them being terribly crushed, and
he is not expected to live till morning.
Both were on the northward bound
train, and both in the baggage car. Samuel
Harris, conductor of the train, was severely
hurt, and the engineer slightly injured. A
number OF passengers were bruised. Inc
coaches quickly Tiled with water, not, how
ever, before the passengers were rescued
through holes cut in the tops of the cars.
The. scene of the disaster at 10 O'Clock
tonight was remarkable, the smashed
cars, baggage and tenders ing
piled in an indiscriminate mass
AT LQ6 DOlIOIH Vi bu6 ldht, anu VIC CIucbOu
tubes and rods of the ron bridge sticking
out like quilts In every direction. The
escape of any of the passengers appears
wonderful, and can only be accounted tor
by the fact that one train had Just left the
station and the other was Stacking speed as
it approached the Relay. The bridge had
been thoroughly repaired within two weeks,
and engineers are unable to account fer its
sudden collapse.
The Baltimore papers of the 1st inst. give
fuller particulars of this strange accident,
from which the following additional facts
are obtained: As the bridge gave way and
the passengers felt themselves falling, all
sprang to their feet and made a simulta-
neous rush towards the rear door. The shock
as the forward end of the cars struck the
bottom of the lake was so great that all who
were then scrambliDg forward we're jerked
violently toward the submerged end of
the cars, except as they managed to
seize hold of the seats. Then commenced
a fearful scramble for the upper end, which
rested against the abutments. Every man
was for himself, and struggled for his own
life regardless of all else. The incline CT the
car was so steep that it was not an easy task
in the excitement to work upward, and
many fell to the floor whilst their more for
tunate companions scrambled over them.
Men struggled over the hacks of the seats
fighting almost for feet room. Several in
their wild haste
bSOhE 1h6 ~
and fell into the lake, and but for the aid of
those outside might have been drowned.
Two ladies residing on the opposite side of
the lake seeing the disaster, bravely jumped
into a small skiff and padded across, and
endered efficient service in rescuing three
men and a boy who had fallen into the
water. The news of the accident spread
with amazing rapidity, and in less
than five minutes over fifty persons
had assembled around the wreck. AS
soon as the officers of the trains sup
posed that all the passengers were safe, they
turned their attention to the baggage cars,
which were almost entirely submerged. 1t
was at first supposed that the occupants of
these cars had been all killed, but this fear
was dispelled in a few minutes bya series of
lusty yells which came from the interior of
the baggage car belonging to the north
bound train. At first no answer could be
received from the occupants of the baggage
car on the south-bound train, but a mo-
ment or so later a slight rapping was
heard against the roof of this car,
and it was then known that there was still
some one alive within. The train hands
quickly procured axes, and in less tim than
it takes to relate it holes were chopped in
the roofs of the baggage cars During this
operation the greatest excitement existed
among the passengers, and the crowd was
increased every moment by fresh arrivals
iIOLA NhO AoAAA 1881 $40
country residences. The men engaged
in cutting a hole in the roof of
the north-bound baggage car completed
their work first, and on piercing
through the hole they hal made they saw
the interior of the car filled with water,
while small boxes, trunks and packages
were floating around. Mr.. Harrison, the
baggage master, and a passenger named Ed
ward Kite, were in this car, and although
badly bruised, were foundt to be not seriously
injured. As these men were dragged out
the passengers gave a rousing cheer, and at
the same moment the workme on the south
bound baggage car succeeded in breaking
through the Roof of the car. when
SIGHT
met their gaze. The body of a nan was
found among the baggage in a terribly
mangled condition, while the groans OF
another victim could be heard proceeding
from the middle of the car. The first man
rescued was the baggagemaster, a Mr..
Curtis. Next came a badly wounded man,
whose groans were heart-rending, and
whose injuries were supposed to be neces-
sarily fatal. This man. whose name is
George Weisner, had his left leg shockingly
mashed and lacerated and the right
limb badly bruised. The dead body was then
taken out with great difficulty, one man
having to enter tie water and lift the body
up. The remains were found to be those OF
MIR. Upton Young. of Woodbury.. TIL body
was terribly mangled. The hands of the
deceased still clutched the handles o. a
trunk with such force that the handles were
cutt off, as they could not be removed until
after the body had been taken from the car.
1t appears that Weisner and Young were
both passengers, and had got on the cars
at Woodbury. for the purpose of going
on a hunting expedition. Mr.. Purdy, the
engineer of the south-bound train, was
severely bruised about the face and body,
having been thrown out of the cab by the
force of the shock when the bridge fell.
Mrs. Jane Marshall, a lady passenger on the
north bound train, was severely injured
about the body by being trsmpled upon in
the excitement following the accident. Mr..
Harvey Winder, of this city, a passenger on
the south bound train. was severely bruised