Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-03-11
SHOCKING RAILROAD DISASTER
III PERSONS KILLED md
MANY FOUNDED.


Accident ON the Harnerss
Ferry Valley Branch. R.Ik
! o. Railroad.
An appalling disaster occurred
Monday night, about II o'clock, on
the Harper's Ferry and Valley
branch Of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, at the Narrow Passage
bridge, sixty-five miles southwest
OF Harper's Ferry and the same,
distance southeast of Staunton. by
which a train comprising eleven
loaded cattle cars, five freight cars
and one passenger coach, was
wrecked. Eleven lives were lost
and seven or eight persons wound
ed. The train was precipitatetl
through the middle span Of d
wooden bridge la feet to the rocky
bottom Of small stream. The
cars and their contents OF nineteen
human beings, 125 head Of cattle.
sheep, and hogs were dashed to
pieces and piled up in a shapeless
mass, in which rafters. iron rails.
machinery and mangled flesh and
blood were mixed in inextricable
confusion. There were fourteen
passengers In the passenger coach.
eight OF whom We're killed Three
train hands were also killed and
no one on the train escaped unhurt
the majority of them seriously.and
some fatally.
THE TRAIN AND IT'S CONTENTS.
The fated train left Harrisonburr
va. at 6.39 p. NJ, Monday,in charge
OF Conductor James Russell, Flor
ence Donovan, engineer, and r.
Cumming, firemen, of Sandy Hook.
Nd, j Chapman and + Jefferson.
brakemen,of Winchester, Va. The
stock was mostly shipped at Mount
jackson and Edinburg, and several
OF the passengers were persons who
owned or had charge OF the stock.
When the train reached the centre
span OF the narrow passage bridge
the structure sank under the
weight Of its burden and the entire
train, engine, tender and all the
cars plunged headlong into the
fearful depth below. The passen-
ger coach was in the rear, and to
this fact is probably due the fact
that some Of those on the tain es-
capped with their lives.
KILLED AND WOUNDED.
Killed-A G Bower, commercial
traveller, Baltimore !; J A Baldin,
commercial traveller, Baltimore
w "A Wightman, Edinburg. CT
Noel, Mt, Jackson, Va ;R r HAM
mond, Mt. Jackson, Va; II Il w
Wood, supposed to be from Rich
mond g H Hodgeson, Berkeley
Springs, Editor Morgan Meycury;
Mr. Gav0, Winchester f Donovan
engineer, Sandy Hook, Maryland
Chapman and A Jefferson brake
men, Virginia:
Wounded-H G Baker, with
Flamm, Baker & CO., Baltimore.
left thigh broken and serious in
jury to the spine, with general
shock TO the nervous system; Jas.
Russell, the conductor, Sandy Hook,
wounded in the scalp; T Cummin,
fireman, very seriously hurt, both
arms broken and scalded on the
face and neck (; Michael s Bird, of
Mount Jackson, slightly injured,
and less SO than any Of the other
passengers Seibert. New Mark
ct, Va, j Hahn, cattle dealer,
Woodstock, and Bernard Hughes,
Wisconsin, all sustaining severe
Injuries.
fortunately, the cars did not take
fire, and the bruised and manned
passengers were saved from the
horrible fate of being roasted to
death. The dead and wounded
were placed on a special train and
conveyed to Winchester, Va,
where the company's officials did
all in their power to alleviate the
sufferings of those who, though
sorely hurt, had been so fortunate
as to escape with their lives. Tele-
grams were Immediately sent to
relatives of the dead and wounded
passengers, conveying the informa-
ton of the accident and its awful
cOnSnuupncns