The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1874-02-21
Terrible Rniirond Accident.


SLATE DAM, Feb. 1G-About 1 o.
clock this morning an accident occurred
on Il c Lehigh and Susquehanna Rail
road, at or near Slate Dam station, be
tween one and two O'Clock, by which
one or more men have lost their lives,
large amount of property has been
destroyed. and several person have sus-
tanned serious and perhaps fatal Injuries.
A freight tain heavily laden, run
ring at high rate of speed ran into
land slide which had completely blocked
the track, large mass ofrock and earth
loosened by the late rains having fallen
from the cut across the road
The engine jumped the track and
hangs over the bank of the river.
Eighteen cars by the force of the
shock were thrown from the track and
piled on each other, smashing freight
of all descriptions, which was strewn
along the road and hurled into the river.
Not one of the train hands as far as we
could learn. escaped without some
injury. The body of the Engineer,
Daniel Shcnton, is not yet found; is
supposed by some to be in the river,
and Dy others to be under the tender.
o to Shannon, the fireman, is very
badly scaldrd 6 burned, and brakeman
named Frank Ryan is badly scalded and
bruised. To AID to the horror of the
scene the stove in the caboOse set fire
to the carand communicating with some
inilammable material, among the freight
it quickly spread until nine cars were
in flames. The scene was awfully grand
and picturesque-the cars burned six
hours and the bright lightrelectedin the
water, the deep black shadows Of the
mountains, the wrecked train and the
gang of men seeking for the injured
and endeavoring to render assistance.
The nine cars and their contents are
completely destroyed.
The locality of the land slide is in a
deep cut where the road makes q sharp
curve. Rising sixty or seventy feet al
most perpendicular from the track is
the face of the rocky cut, and over that
large mass Of earth and gravel slid
and proved fatal obs truction to the
/ approaching train. Even If the land
slide had occurred in the day time the
circumstances are such that the accident
that the followed itwould have inevitably y
resulted.
The train was going north, and was
the through fast freight from New
York and Philadelphia. The engineer
Daniel Shenton, of Ashley, certainly
did not see the obstruction until he was
on TO it. The engine ran clean through
and hundred yards beyond it before
it went down the embamkment on to
TIE towpath, carrying with it some cars.
A portion of the train ran on fifty
yards further. Daniel Shenton went
down With his engine, and his body was
found under it terwards burned to a
crisp. The fireman, Shcnton's step. son,
was thrown on to the ice in the river,
and the head brakeman jumped-both
getting Off with slight injuries. The
conductor and the rest Of the train hands
escaped injury.
The earth and rocks on the track
were piled up to height of about six
feet, and the train ran through the pile.
The wreck was most complete and disas-
trous, as our dispatches stated, the bur-
ming cars, the merchandise strewed
round, &C., maklnga scene of confusion
indescrbable. One car was thrown into
the water, and others piled over the
bank or to the towpath. The unfortu.
nate engineers body was scarcely rec
ognisable, every par: Of him being char.
red to crisp except a portion of the
head. His watch was found a shape.
less mass of molten metal. case and
works all melted together.-[ Morning
Herald.