Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-12-30
The Bridge Disaster.

The Bridge Disaster.
CLEVELAND, o., Dec. 3U-l:5O IA. m.-ll l.
po@ kuowu that there are Is persons III the
wreck Ct the train, but it cannut DC asc rtaiucd
whs.hrr auy of them are alive. The Cleveland
So, cial relief tralu has arrived and the surgeons
!!av" begun their work.
CLEVELAND. o., Dec. 3O-2:30 l.. m.-ihc
VII latest Information gives I'll u, The Duucer
Of "eu9Jcd and 100 killed. 10 the lis! Of
wounded is TO be added Mrs. Fran, Of Rcch
ester. n Y, who is not expected 10 live.
NEW YORK, Dec. 30.-A special dlsp"tch
from Ash;anula, giving an acc 'unt OF the accl
dent m the Lake Shore and Michisau South
era r .liro"d, says: Oae {. the most furious
suJw st,rms ever kuown 10 this vicinity had
bceu ragiog nearly all day, and deep driIts
maize rv,ry roadway impossible. So severe
was the Storm that very few OF the business
places Of Ashtabuia kept open doors after four
o. five ci, OK 10 the evening and the trains !rrn:
all directions were several hours behind iIand.
At abyut light 0 clock p. u. the wno!c village
was aroused bv a genera! fire alarm, aGi t!.e
word soon spread that passenger trAlD No. )
from the East, had gone through the high
bridge over AsntabaIa river with s large Hun.
Der Of passengers aboard. and that the wnolc
train was oH ir.. La spite of the terrible uig:it
ULoly III "!iAi~ i'hS oik ~ ~ NHS 49, ~
gi1~s W r. soon ~ route 10 the depot, when
is situated about . ,uile distant from the vi.
Iagc. Tie train was due al Ashtabula at a
quarter PAST five, and vas nearly three hours
late. Ii had eleven cars, Including a drawing
room car, The ~sicepers, one Sinking car, tvs
frs class coachc-, and four ba gage AID TX.
press cars. 1t Was lrawo by Two cus'nns.
Danle! MrG ulre, c%oglnncr OF the forward en-.
glue, relates tha. the tram Wa. ru0UlGg at q
slow rate, and just aS thry had ia!rly crossed
High bridge, which is no. more than forty rOis
distant from the depot, he felt a VioleGt jar.
ard in an lnstaat the coupling b:tw.en ;he Two
engines bad br1kcO. AID the whole train was
prcci "i,It d with the bridge into the rv
or below. McIuire says that this en-
gina VS. pulled back nearly 10 the edge
Of the broken span h.torc the cruptlug
severed. aud it rc.aiued lis forward mo-
tiuu har~ y IL tiiuy 10 save Itself. Tn" bridge
over Asiil.hu!a river was an iron t*us> brligr
AID la: ;,yco in u.s. II years. The span L.
ABOUT 100 Get witc aud through ii" Sl'ace be.
tween Il So Tie river about lou: or five iccI
deep Il: thi. lime, Tricky C .vrrci witt. lce.-
| Into th's SPACE w.re the | crs and Que engine
end tender rec p ,alcd. The fall nl TO feet
break z h oIgn the &c; covering S~i:i:Crcd
[ I" car IL II Il mll:z:Ic ~ nitro Glyc ri"c hat
cxpIoi i tcochth taeD. The scva' pass uger
coaches alt rrih@r con alucI about l63 adults
besides IL uu;rbcr OF chlldrcn. ln the drawing
room car which was bound Tor Cleveland we're
9 persons all of whom are supposed TO have per
lshcd by drlwning or fire. ln the = slecpers
bound for Chicago there were 50 passengers,
but most of these in the forward car are saved
with Injuries more or less severe. Withlna very
few moments alter The crash the flames burst
III s,,pulta M, sly fran ppariy uyprv rar \ upu.
ticman who was irSE at the scene says he saw a
young and iueIy dressed girl OF about 10 years
OF age, struggling 10 vain TO release her hips
FROM the weight which was crushing her slcn-
der form, and close behind her were the H.nes
which, IL another Instant, "ntolded her II their
embraces. Th,re Was a fac appearing geulie.
man, Of middle age, sitting bolt upright IL ills
seat, aud u1abie to cXtrlcate himsclt, calmiy
awaiting the d ines, which soon claimed Their
victim. There we're bodies hJalI"g out from
| the wreck. A crowd soon made their way to the
burning debris, and with the aid Of axes aod
ropes many were extricaled, placed on slretclsers
aud taken to the top of the hill, where the bes!
of assistance awaited them. The hotels at the
depot were 5000 filed and private houses we're
thrown open throughout the Town. he ,ur-
gcops of the town rendered all the assistance in
their power, but many persisted, ootwithstand.
ing the best of care, durlcg the night. OILERS
are DOW lying IN u suffering condition 10 the
hotels and private residences.
New YORK, Dec. 3J.-A dispatch FROM the
scene OF the accident on the l. kc Shore Rail
road reads as tolIows:-
up to 1000 of the one hundred and sixty.
five passengers less than sixty are known to be
saved with injuries mere or less severe the los;
are so totally ~dlsigured by the fire that ldeutiti
cation is utterly impossible. It's believed that
but few if auy bodies are under the ice. OF the
dead the name of but Que is koown which is
that OF a child of Mrs. Bradley. Of San Francis
CO." Another dispatch says, "Ihe list OF the
saved from the wreck has been nearly completed
and shows l2O persons missing besides those
hurt. A good many victims were drowned.
All of the cars are burned to cinders. The ac-
cident was caused by the train running off the
track and striking the bridge, precipitating the
structure and the cars to the ice below, result
iDp in a mass of ruins,