The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-01-04
Terrible Disaster.

VII tHc evening OF lHc ZJCn OF DccelnDeT.
a terrible disaster occurred on the Lake
Shore Railroad, near Ashtabula station,
Ohio. The train included eleven cars, and
was drawn by two engines. A binding snow
storm was falling, driven before furious
gale, and made it impossible to see more
than short distance. OF the eleven cars,
six were coaches and drawing room cars, all
OF Which went down sheer plunge OF IS
feet, and were burned. There were 100
passengers, over one hundred of whom were
burned, killed or frozen, and the rest mashed
up or injured so, that the most Of them may
not survive. The iron bridge which gave
way and caused the disaster. spanned Ash
tabula creek, and was suspended about 70
feet above the bed of the stream. OH both
sides of which are high entertainments.
The remains OF thirty -four of the lost were
taken out, but SO chared and disfgured as
not to be identified, except by means of
buttons, jewelry and other trinkets known
only to their friends.
When the train fell the sleeping car Pala-
tine, the last of the train, went down near
the eastern abutment, striking upon the top
OF another sleeper and rolled over on its side.
Steward, the colored porter Of the Palatine,
succeeded in raisinga window and escaping.
He Immediately set towork stamping on
the other windows, thus breaking them in
SO that the passengers could get out. By this
means he rescued all the passengers i'll his
car, some twenty in number, with the eX
certion of one, who was sick and unable to
help himself. When Steward discovered this
man, he called OH others to stay and help
him. Only woman and one man, appar-
emily i'll, stayed to assist him, however, and
Steward, with theira aid, succeeded in getting
his man out, thus rescuing every man under
his charge.
1t is believed the bridge was weakened by
the cold weather. and that while the train
was crossing, the coupling between the two
engines broke, and the jlr occasioned by the
breaking, though slight, was the last straw
on the camel's back
There were many incidents of thrilling
and fearful character. Among them we
find the following as related in the Cleavland
Leader:
Charles S. Carter, of Brooklyn, N. York,
says he was sitting in palace car, with
three other persons, engaged in friendly
game OF cards, when suddenly he heard the
window glass breaking in the forward part
of the car, and almost instantly the car be-
gan to fall. He was seated with his back to-
word thp front end Of tho oar ou5 oc l,o
went down he sat as quietly as he could, and
held on. When the car struck the ravine lie
found himself almost unhurt, although one
OF the men who was playing cards with him,
whose name he did not know, was killed,
while another, Mr.. Sheppard. of New
York, had his leg broken. Mr.. Carter says
the front Of the car was much lower than the
rear, and the flames in front began to eat
their way upward, and spread with great
rapidity. He turned to assist Mr. Shep-
hard, and with great difficulty succeeded in
getting him out. When Mr.. Sheppard was
fairly out, Carter returned to the assistance
of woman, who was calling for help at the
front end of the car. lie got her out, and as
coat. After reaching the hotel he found
himself severely bruised in several places. A
man rushed down to the scene of the disas-
ter ready to help in tile rescuing. He saw
woman struggling for lie ard went to he:
assistance. He carried her by main force to
the solid ice, and then urged by her cries
went back to rescue her daughter, sweet
child OF three or four years. The wood
in splntering had caught the child in its
grasp. and the fire completed the horrible
work. The man was compelled to see the
child enveloped in flame, and to hear her
''HELP ME, MOTHER"
ringing out in the agony of death. In
moment she was lost, swept UP by sharp
tongue of flame, while the mother ia helpless
agony fell to the earth in a deadly swoon.
There was on board family named Ben
nett, on their way from New York State to
Jefferson, Ashtabula county. The father and
mother got out of the wreck, and the chill
dren were only saved by being tossed from
the arms of one to another over a pile of
burning wood One of the four children
was seriously injured, and all were slightly
scratched. This morning the mother, who
was enciente gave birth to child, the event
being fastened by the excitement sine had
undergone.
Mrs. Frame, of Rochester, was SO badly
burned about the body, is in critical con-
dition, and has but a slight chance for life
Sheppard, whose rescue was previously de-
scribed, had one leg fearfully crushed, ne.
cessitatiEg amputation, and he is now doing
well. 1t seems that the train had just about
covered the bridge when it fell, as the frag-
ments lie across the rayine, touching tile
abutnents on either side.