The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-10
THE LATE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
Full Details OF the Appalling Disas-

The following account of the late rail-
road disaster on the Valley division of
the B. " o. Railroad is from the Balti-
more Sun Of the 9TH inst:
THE TRAIN AND ITS CONTENTS.
The in -.ated train left Harrison bnrg,
Va, at G'35 p. NJ, Monday, in charge Of
Conductor James Russell, Florence Don
svan. engineer, and +. Cumming, fire.
man. Of Sandy Hook, Nd: j. Chapman
ind +. Jefferson. trakelnen, Of Winches-
Ter. Va Thrt * was mostly shipped at
Mount Jackson and EIinburg, and sew
er,a OF the pss.ct gers werc persons who
owned or had charge Of the stock. When
the train reached the centre span of the
barrow 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 fear
!uI depth below. The passenger coach
was in the rear, and to this fact Is prob.
ab.v due the fact that some of those on
the train escaped with their lives.
SPREADING THE NEWS.
The news OF the disaster was quickly
conveyed to Edinburg and Woodstock,
few miles distant, by some of the hands
who had been employed in rebuilding
the bridge and soon help came to the
diving and wounded. DIR. A. W. Pres
cotl and DR.. Ballew. of Edlnburg, and
Drs Campbell, McGruder and ID. ID.
Carter, II Woodstock, arrived at the
Icene of the disaster about one O'Clock,
and at once rendered all the assistance
medical skill could afford.
The todies of those who were killed
we're sent to Winchester and placed in
charge OF an undertaken, who placed
them in collins to be sent 10 their friends.
The wounded were made rs comfOrta-
bic as possible and sent to their homes.
The conductor and fireman were taken
by spe.ial car to Sandy Hook, Md, and
Mr.. Baker, the wounded Bsltimorean,
was brought to Baltimore in the same
train.
THE FATAL BRIDGE
The bridge 4. which tie accident oc-
cured is midway between Woodstock
snd Edinburg, in Shenandoah county,
Virginia. Ii is ia feet high at the CEN
ire span and about 200 feet long. cross
ing a deep. narrow ravine formed by
;so steep precipices, at the bottom of
which runs small stream known as
Narrow Passage creek. This portion OF
!ae Valley road is part Of the old Ma
Lassas Gap Railroad,
The original bridge was burnt by Gen.
Turner Ashby, in March, 1862, when
S.onewsll jackson made his first retreat
Up the Valley from Winchester TO RuSe's
Hill, in front Of Gen. Shields. 1t was
rebuilt in 1865, at the close of the war,
BY the Manassas Gap road.
ba! not in very substantial manner,
ot wooden treSslework. When
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany came in possession of the road,
several wears since the bridge was great
" strengthened, and last summer the
company built two heavy stone piers,
with view TO erecting 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 constructed 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 accident.
A NOTED LOCALITY.
The locality is noted and well remem-
oered by travellers through the Shen-
Andosh Valley for its wild scenery. A
short distance below the bridge Narrow
Passage creek approaches the Shenan-
aosh river, running parallel with 1t, at
'he foot OF precipice. On the otRer
sde of the ridge the river courses at
Tie bottom of corresponding precipice,