The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-10

which the train plunged.
The locality takes its name from the
narrow pass on which the turnpike Is
built. From the railroad bridge the
scene is one the finest in the lower val
ley. The narrow pass, the Shenandoah
river. and only mile ..off the Nassau
stton mountain, rising abruptly affords
grand and picturesque view of valley,
river and mountain.
STATEMENT OF DR.. CARTER.
DR.. d. D. Carter, OF Woodstock, Va,
who with other surgeons was summoned
to the scene of the disaster about one
o'clock yesterday morning, says he found
the most of the wounded in cabOose cars
on the side track near the wrecked
bridge. The iljuries as general thing
were very serious, requiring carefh
! treatment, and the cries of some OF the
worst hurt when stirred was Heart
rending.
1t appeared that ''camp" of cars had
been stationed near by for several days
| to accommodate large force OF workmen
who were at work on the centre span of
the bridge. The workmen lived in the
csboose cars, and on the evening of the
accident had quit operations at six o'clock.
Hence when the accident occurred as
sistance was near at hand, and before the
surgeons arrived much had been done to
alleviate the sutferings of the wounded.
Three hours after the accident there
were vet one half of the passengers on
the train remaining buried under the
ruins When DIR. Carter left the scene
! of the ruins, about seven o'clock last even
| ing, the bodies of the engineer and brake
man had not yet been extricated from
the wreck.
The scene, as described by DR.. Carter
was one Of great disaster. The bridge,
as has been stated, spans small creek at
an elevation of ia feet, running from
one steep precipico to another. In the
centre of the space between the two
precipices, but not reaching US high up as
the bridge, was wall OF masonry not
vet quite finished. The bridge, he says,
gave way at about the centre of the dis
lance between the wall and one side of
the precipice. At the bottom of the
ravlne Lamming the creek was the
wreck, piled up against the wall some
thirty IeeL nlSn.
The wreck presented the appearance
OF a horribly mixed mass OF twisted iron
work, shivered timbers. dismantled
trucks. tops of cars, car cases of bulls.
sheep and swine, and various kinds OF
merchandise. 1t was work of great diff
fculty to find and extricate the bcdles OF
human beings from the wreck, owing to
the heavy iron work wedged SO closely in
the wreck, and several persons fouud
alive were in the ruins many hours be-
fore taken out. Some OF the dead bodies
taken out showed evidence of having
been scalded terribly, and some OF the
wounded persons received scalds.
STATEMENT OF A PASSENGER.
Pm. s. Bird, of Mount Jackson, Va,
who was on the train and fortunately
escaped with injuries that are not con-
sdered very serious, states that the pas
senger car was the last one i'll the train,
and he with others were seated, few
awake, others doing, but the greatest
number asleep. He was near :he rear
| enp of the car and at the moment OF the
accident, heard the wheels of the car
make rough, grating noise, as if run
ming over ties instead of rails, and the
next minute there was crash and ter
| rib!e shock.
As soon rs he could collect himself he
! looked around and found he was in an
aperture about iour feet square, seated on
| the floor alongside the seat he had occu-
pied lie was wedged in on all sides,
] L Il .,,A uyQE
parent way of getting out. He could
lear subdued groans, but they came
| from parts of the wreck DIVIDED from
him by masses OF timber irons. &c. lie
shouted, and after probably an hour
| which seemed century, he was eXtrl-
Gated. The escape of Mr. Bird was al
most miraculous, and yesterday after
noon he was the only passenger able to
make any statement regarding the occur
renee.
The New York Herald gives the tol-
lowing
DESCRIPTION OF AN EYE WITNESS.
A gentleman who lives near the bridge
describes the accident as one Of the most
fearful sights he ever beheld. lie saw
by the moonlight the doomed train as 1t
approached the bridge; saw the huge
engine as it went down into the abyss
below, and all the cars, with their
freightage of human life and dumb crca-'
lures, take the fearful plunge upon the
rocks. More than hundred feet below
the train of cars were piled up for thirty
or forty feet. The wonder is that any
thing on the train that had life was not
instantly crushed. Of the large number
of cattle sheep and hogs, but solitary
steer showed u sign OF life remaining.
When daylight came the cars
were found broken into fragments, MAX
ing the wreck complete. The accident
has created deep sensation all through
the valley, and doubtless had mucn to DO
in determining suit for damages which
WAS pending IN our Circuit Court wnen
it occurred. The loss to the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company cannot now
/ be properly estimated, but 1t Will be very
! great, especially if the friends and
! kindred of .he dead and manned seek for
/ damages tor destruction of human life.
/ This is the first serious accident that has
happened on the Valley division Of the
/ Baltimore ana OAlo railroad, ana IL Is
earnestly hoped a merciful Providence
may save us from another.
CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
All unconscious of the danger ahead
this train load of poor dumb animals and
human beings went to sudden ana lear
full death. The bridge commenced 60,
ing down as soon as the engine had
fairly gotten on the first span. 1t wss
a wooden structure, old, and was known
to be unsafe for very heavy trains. In,
deed, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company had been making arrange
ments to rebuild It,, the timbers and ma
terials for the work being upon the
ground.
ATTENTION TO THE DYING.
M 4