New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-26
ORLEANS SATURDAY. AUGUST 26, 1876
The Accident ON the jackson Road.

The Accident ON the jackson Road.
The following account of the recent dis
sster is from the Vicksburg Herald of the
twenty-fourth:
The regular mail train over the Eicks
burg and Meridian railroad, due at 10 A.
having been detained at jackson awaiting
the arrival of passengers by the down train
ON the New Orleans and jackson road
From Mr.. Fred Miles, who was passenger
on the train which met with the accident on
the New Orleans road, and who arrived in
the city yesterday, we learn the following
particulars of the accident:
Mr.. Miles was sitting in the rear passen-
ger coach, with his head resting on his
satchel, and partially sleeping. He was
reused by feeling q success ion of Jars and
jerks, and then all grew dark. When he
returned to consciousness he was on the
side of . bank of swollen stream, OF
rather on q piece of timber just over the
bank, and he felt sensation Of falling.
In another instant he had struck the
water, and sunk below the surface. The
contact with the water restored his con.
sciousness completely, and he struck out
manfully to swim ashore, but had scarcely
done SO when . piece OF timber struck him
Al tuO oluO 0uU uC 0dnA OK pun AI0lA =
again he succeeded in reaching the shore,
but had hardly done go when he heard the
cries for help of struggling untortunates
who, like bimself, had been violently
plunged into body of swift running water,
and were pleading piceously for aid and
assistance.
Looking back through the intense dark.
ness he distinguished three forms strug-
Cling desperately with the current of the
swollen stream, and going back to the
rescue he caught hold Of one and succeeded
One OF the other men struggled out and the
third sue cumbed TO the force of the current,
probably being unable to exert himself by
res son of the injuries sustained in the fall.
After getting ashore the second time Mr..
Miles attention was attracted to little
girl who Yves crying On the bank. He
picked her up and arried her into q sleeps
ing car, and after that he saw no more of
tho struggles of the unfortunate passengers
in the water or Of the wreck until the early
dawn had made the darkness visible.
The accident was caused by heavy rair
which fell Tuesday afternoon, swelling q
small creek near Tugal00, nine miles north
of jackson, unusually high and under
mining the foundation Of the bridge
When the south bound train came along
there at one o'clock yesterday morning il
was running at the rate of twenty miles an
hour, the officers unsuspecting any danger
ahead. When the :reacherous bridge was
reached the engine dashed across without
ran off the track and rolled down into the
creek, the baggage car followed, and
crOwdiDg on top OF these came the two
passenger coaches, which we're literally
torn to pieces, and nearly every passenger
in them more or less hurt, except those who
sat in the rear end of the ladies' car. The
two sleeping coaches were not drawn into
the vortex, and their occupants expert
enced no other injury than severe jar.
ring.
Early yesterday morning q train went uE
distance came down from Madison station
everything was done that could be sug
gested for the wounded and suffering
travellers. 1t was reported that two per
sons had been killed, white men. whose
names we could not learn, and q c0l0red
woman had her arm broken, the flesh torn
from her face, and such severe mi uries az
caused her almost immediate death.
The wounded numbered between fifteen
and twenty, some of them only slightly
and few others seriously injured. Tht
conductor of the train received confusion
on the head and some gashes about thu
face, while his hands and fingers were
badly bruised. Notwithstanding his in
juries, however, he was unremitting in hi
attentions to the passengers. and did al
that a man could have done under the cir
cumstances to save life and property, ant
prevent suffering. None of the other Off
GERS, as far as we could learn, were hurt ex
cept one of the men in the postal car VIII
had his hand badly crushed. Glenn Davis
who was in the postal car, was uniDjured.
When the baggage car went through tn
bridge the baggage of the passengers role.
| into the water and the current of the creel
was go strong as to float some of it away
| but most of the trunks and valises were re
covered after daylight, the creek havin
fallen so much since the night before as {
| enable them to search among the debris Q
the train and pick up the trunks and satct
els along the bank.
As soon as the passengers could be gottel
ready they we're taken aboard the trai
sent after them and taken to Jackson, wher
they were kindly cared for until they coul
continue their journey. Mr.. Miles, VIII
came to this city, was completely covere
with blood when he reached here, but upo
| examination it was found that he had sul
tanned only slight confusion of the heat
though he suffered good deal of pain froI
| the aches in his back and side. He will b
all right, however, in day or two.