Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1876-03-14

whom were killed Three train hands were
also of the killed, and no one on the train
escaped uuhur., the majority Ofthem seriously,
and some fatally.
THE TRAIN AND ITs CONTENTS.
The fated train. as the report of the Balti
more Sun says, left Harrisonburg, Va, at
6:55 p. NJ. Monday lin charge of Conductor
James Russell, Eiorance Donavan, engineer,
aud T. Cunning, fireman, of Sandy Hook,
Nd; j. chapman and T. Jefferson, brakeman,
of Winchester, Va. The stock was mostly
shipped at Mount Jackson and Ednburg, and
several of the passengers were persons who
owned or had charge of the stock When
the train reached the centre span of the mar
row passage bridge the structure sank under
the weight of its burden and the entire train,
engine, tender and all the cars plunged head
long into the fearful depth below. The pas
seneer coach was in the rear, and to this fact
is probably due The fact that some of those
on the train escaped with their lives.
SPREADING Tue NEWS.
The news of the disaster quickly con-
veyed to Edinburg and Woodstock, a few
miles distant, by some of the hands who had
been employed in rebuilding the bridge, and
soon help came to the dying and wounded
"a. w I r..
burg, and Drs. Campbell McGruder and D.
D. Carter, of Woodstock arrived at the scene
of the disaster about one o'clock, and at once
rendered all the assistance medical skill could
afford.
THE FATAL BRIDGE.
The bridge at which the accident occurred
is midway between Woodstock and Edinburg,
in Shenandoah county, Va. 1t is III feet
high at the centre span and about 200 feet
long, crossing deep narrow ravine formed
by two steep precipices, at the bottom of
which RUS q small stream known as Narrow
Passage creek. This portion of the Valley
road is part of old Manassas Gap railroad.
The original bridge was burnt by Gen.
Turner Ashby, i'll March, 1862, when Stone.
wall Jackson made his first retreat up the Val,
ley from Winchester to Rude's Hill, in front
of Gen Shields. 1t was rebuilt in 1865, at
the close of the war, by the Manassas Gap
road, but not in very substantial manner,
OF wooden tresslework. When the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company came in possess
sion of the road, several years since, the
bridge was greatly strengthened, and last
summer the company built two heavy stone
piers, with view to -eEecting a new bridge
with three spans two of which had been put
in place, and the third, or middle span over
the deepest part OF the ravine, was being con-
structed in the place of the old span at the
time of the accident In building the new
bridge the old timbers were taken down. so as
not to stop travel. This was the portion of
the bridge that gave way and caused the ac>
cident
PARTICULARS OF THE DISASTER.
An extra OF the Woodstock Herald, printed
off h. E,1I
a cattle train. consisting of engine, tender
and seventeen cars, went down with portion
of Narrow Passage bridge, about three miles
south of Woodstock, on Monday night, few
minutes after twelve O'clock The bridge
is the highest on the road. The distance from
the rail to the stream below is one hundred
twenty five feet of the bridge fell with the
train.
1t is certainly known that eleven persons
were killed and seven wounded. The follow
ing is a list of the killed:
Wa Wightnan, Edinburg, Va; Charles.
i. Noel, Shenandoah county. Va; Reuben
Hammyn, Shenandoah county, Va; r
j.. Wood, Alexandria. Va C. Il. uudgson,
Berkeley Springs, W. Va, member of the
West Virginia Legislature and editor of the
Morgan Mercury J. A Baldwin. Baltimore,
Nd; Henry Q Quantz, blacksmith. Win
chester; a. S. B"wer. commercial traveller,
Baltimore. Md: +. Donovan, engineer, Sandy
Hook. Md J. Chapman. brakeman. Win
chester; T. Jefferson, brakeman, Winchester.
WOUNDED.
Julis Sibett, New Market, arm broken and
bruised.
Jacob Hahn, of Shenandoah, injured about
the head severely, but is is thought not NOR
tally.
II. c. Baker. of Baltimore, thigh fractured.
Bernard Hughes, of Fox Lake, Lodge
county. Wis, fractured leg and clavicIe
Jas. Russell, conductor, badly cut on the
head.
T. Cunning, fireman. arms broken and
badly scalded. His injuries, is feared, are of
a very serious character
p. NJ. S. Bird, of Mt. Jackson, slightly
wounded about the hesd. The two men sit
ting on the seat 10 front of him and one sit
ting in the same scat were killed. His was
truly wonderful escape
The father and brother of the engineer
reached the wreck about 9 o'clock, a. NJ.
WOrkmen were engaged with ropes in pull
ling out the heavy timbers order to reach
tho bodies of the engineer and brakeman,
which were buried under the wreck The
father. apparently unconscious of danger,
rushed forward as il he would certainly reach
his sons body. and with cries which touched
the heart Of every hystander exclaimed. NV
son, my son ~ 1t was utterly impossible
for him to reach the body of his son, and he
was taken away by some friends.
AN EYEWITNESS.
This catastrophe was witnessed by Mr..
Fansler, young man who lived on the pike
in full view of the bridge 1t was a bright,
moonlight night, and he distinctly saw one
car after another as with their living freight
they plunged down distance of about ninety
feet, and and settled almost into solid body.
composed of dead and dying men. cattle. hogs