Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1876-03-11
Horrible Railroad Accident
r,rvEN PERSONS KILLED AND
= 80 MANY WOUNDED.
Accident on the Harper's Ferry and
valley Branch Railroad

We Give place to large portion OF
,nr n,ner to the following account OF
.bo horrible railroad accident which we
elm from the Baltimore Sun of We'd
uesday - ,t.'s
An appalling disaster occurred Mon
dav nj ght about twelve o'clock on the
Uarpers Ferry and Valley branch of
the baltimore and Ohio railroad, at the
Narrow Passage bridge. sixty-three
miles southwest of Harpers Ferry and
the same distance southeast OF Staun-
TOD. by which train comprising eleven
loaded cattle cars, five freight cars and
one passenger coach, was wrecked
Eleven lives were lost and seven or
eight persons wounded. The train was
precipitated through the middle span OF
wooden bridge Ia feet to the focAy
bottom of small stream. Inc cars
and their contents OF nineteen hu''iai,
beings, l25 head Of cattle, sceep anu
hous we're dashed to pieces and piled
~ il a shapeless mass, in which raiterS'
r., Ills machinery and mangled flesh
.n5 llood were mixed in inextllcable
roufr,ion. There were fourteen pas
sanocrs in the passenger coach, eiSnt
- ~bom were killed. Three train
Ia,js were also of the killed, and no
,na on the train escaped unhurt, the
majority OF them seriously, and some
taially.
TIE TRAIN AND ITS CONTENTS.
The fated train left IIa:risonburg,
Va. at 6.35 p. NJ. Monday, in charge
If Conductor James Russell, Florence
Dcnavau, engineer, and T. Cumming,
fireman, of Sandy Hook, Md, j. Chap
man and f. jefferson, breakman, OF
Winchester, Va. The stock was most
" shipped at Mount Jackson and EdIn-
burg, and several of the passengers
yere persons who owned or had charge
1f the stock. When the train reached
Inc centre span OF the narrow passage
hrldoe the structure sank under the
veiGht of its burden and the entire
main. engine, tender and all the cars
piupged headlong into the fearful depth
below. The passenger coach was IN
the rear, aud to this fact is probably
due the fact that some of those on the
rain escaped with their lives.
SPREADING THE NEWS.
The news OF the disaster was quickly
conveyed 10 Edinburg and Woodstock,
few miles distant, by some OF the
hands who had been employed In re-
building the bridge. and soon help came
20 the diving and wounded. DIR. "A. W.
Prescott and DR.. Ballew, of Edinburg,
and Drs. Campbell, McGrudcr and D.
y. Carter, of Woodstock, arrived ut
the scene of the disaster about one
o'clock, and at once rendered all the as
sis,ance medical skill could afford.
The bodies of those who were Killed
were sent to Winchester and placed I'D
charge of All undertaken, who placed
them in coflins to be sent to Their
friends. The wounded were made as
comfortable as possible and sent to their
homes. The conductor aud fireman
were taken by special car to Sandy
Hook. Md, and Mr. Baker, the wound
ed Bal,imorean, was brought to Balti-
more in the same train.
THE FATAL BRIDGE.
The bridge at which The accident
occurred is midway between " oodStock
aud Edinburg, in Shenandoah county,
VA. Itisll4 feet high at the centre
span and about POD feet long, crossing
q deep, narrow ravine formed by two
steep precipices, at the bottom OF which
RIMS small stream known as Narrow
Passage creek. This portion OF the
Valley road is a part OF old Manassas
Gap railroad
The original bridge was burnt by
Gen. Turner Ashby, in March, 1862,
when Stonewall Jackson made his first
retreat up the Valley from Winchester
10 Rude's Hill, in trout ofGen. Shields
1t was rebuilt in 1865, at the close OF
the war, by the Manassas Gap road, but
not in a very substantial manner, OF
wooded tresslework. When the Baltl-
more and Ohio Railroad Company
came in possession of the road, several
wears since, the bridge was greatly
strengthened, and last summer the COM
pany built two heavy stone piers, with
a view to erecting a new bridge with
three spans. two of which had been put
in place, aud 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.
4 NOTED LOCALITY.
The locality is noted and well re-
membered by travellers through the
Shen andoah Valley for its wild scenery.
A short distance below the bridge Mar
row Passage creek approaches the
Shenandoah river. running parallel with
it. at the foot of a precipice. On the
other side of the ridge the river courses
at the bottom of a corresponding pre-
c;pice, leaving just room enough on the
top of a high ridge between the two
streams tor the Valley turnpike road
The traveller in passing over the turn,
pike finds himself between two precl-
piees, with the river and the creek on
either side far below, and to the west
ward, high above him, spanning the