Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-03-08
THE MARROW PASS" CATASTROPHE.
Eleven Persons Killed and Many Wounded.

Eleven Persons Killed and Many Wounded.
A Fall or over one Hundred Feet
into q Ynwntpg Abyss Shocking De-
tails Of the Disaster.
The appalling disaster on Monday night,
about twelve o'clock, on the Harper's Ferry
and valley branch of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, at the Narrow Passage bridge, six
ty- three miles southwest OF Harpers Ferry
and the same distance southeast of stanton,
by which train comprising eleven loaded
cattle cars, five freight cars and one passen-
ger coach was =, wrecked, was mentioned In
that eleven lives were lost and seven or eight
persons wounded. The train was precipitated
through the middle span OF WOO len bridge
ia feet To the rocky bottom OF a small
stream. The cars and their contents of nine
teen human beings. 125 head of cattle. sheep
and hogs, were dashed 10 pieces and piled up
In shapeless mass, In which rafters, iron
rails, machinery and maugled flesh and
blood were mixed in inextricable confusion
There were fourteen passengers In the pas
Three train hands were also of the killed
and no one on the train escaped unhurt, the
majority OF them seriously, and some ia
tally. The following particulars are from
''' ''' ''' " TIE AoprKs
OF those who were killed were sent 10 Wiz
chester and placed In charge of an under
taker, who placed them In collins to be sent
to their friends. The wounded were made as
comfortable as possible and sent to their
homes. The conductor aud firem an were
taken by special car TO Sandy Hook, Nd.
and Mr.. Baker. the wounded Baltimoreau,
was brought to Baltimore on the same train.
THE FATAL BRIDGE.
The bridge at which the accident occurred
is midway between WOODSTOCK and Elm
burg, in Shenandoah county, Va. IL is III
feet high at The centre span and about 200
feet long. crossing deep, narrow ravine
formed by Two steep precipices, at the bot
tom Of which runs small stream known
as Narrow Passage creek. This portion OF
the Valley road is part OF old Manassas
Gap railroad. The locality takes its name
from the narrow pass on which the turnpi Ike
Is buiit. From the railroad bridge the scene
Is one OF the finest in the lower valley. The
narrow passage, the Shenandoah river, lad
only mile 10 the east and Massanutton
mountain, rising abruptly, affords a grand
and picturesque view of valley, river and
mountain.
AN EYEWITNESS.
This catastrophe was witnessed by Mr..
Fansler, young man who lived on the pix 2
in full view of the bridge. IL was a bright,
moonlight night, and he distinctly saw one
car after another as with their living frai ght
they plunged down a distance of about %
feet. and settled almost into solid body.
imposed of dead and dying men, cattle,
NJ gs, sheep, engine, cars aud broken brid ge
timbeTs. The cars were broken into spin
tiers. The wreck is piled up to a height OF
about thirty feet. AT the bottom lies the
engine, ard under or near il the boiy of the
dead engiI eer. The dead are lying in the ca s
belonging TO the camp of wOrkmen who We're
THE SCEsE,
as described by DR.. Carter, was one OF great
disaster. The bridge, as has been stated
spans small stream at an elevation OF III
feet, running from one steep precipice 10
another. In the center of the space between
tie two precipiceS, but not reaching as high
up as the bridge, was wall of mas 0nry, not
yet quite finished. The bridge, he says, gave
way at about the center of the distance be.
tween the wall and one side of the preci nice
AT the bottom OF the ravine damming the
creek was the wreck piled up against the
wall some thirty feet high. The wreck pre-
sented the appearance OF a horribly mixed
mass of twisted iron work, shivered timbers
dismantled trucks, tops of cars, carcases of
bulls. sheep and swine, and various kinds OF
merchandise. 1t was a work of great diff.
Guilty TO find and extricate the bodies OF hu-
man beings from the wreck, owing 10 the
heavy iron work wedged so closely in the
wreck, 81 d several persons found alive were
In the ruins many hours before taken out
Some OF the dead bodies taken ont showed
evidence OF having been scalded terribly,
ana some OF the wounded persons received
scalds.
STATEMENT OF A PASSENGER,
L. NJ. s. Bird, OF Mount Jackson, Va who
was on the train and fortunately escapeJ
with injuries that are not considered very
serious, states that the passenger car was
the last one in the train, and he with others
were seated, few awake, others doing but
the greatest number asleep. He was near
the rear end of the car, and at the moment of
the accident heard the wheels OF the car
make rough, grating noise, as II running
over ties instead of rails, and the next min
ute there was crash and q terri BILE shock.
AS soon as he could collect himself he looked
around and found he was In an aperture
anout iour feet square, seated on the floor
alongside the seat he had occunied He va
Eedged in on all sides, above and below, and
mere was no apparent way of getting out.
DE could hear subdued groans, but they
him by masses OF tirIoer, iron. &c. He
sHou'eo' anu ai. " probably an hour. whi"h
.suIued TO him century, he was extricated.
The escape of Mr.. Bird was almost mlracu-
lous, and yesterday afternoon he was the
only pas seDger able to make any statement
regarding the occurrence.