The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-02-01
THE ASHTABULA DISASTER.


~tory af Lad, Pa.srnacr.
Miss NJ. shepard, Of Ripon, Ws., one
Of the survivor, ot the Ashtahula dis
aster, gives the following account of her
experience "a the Chicago Irihmi,.
! left Albany uhout two o'clock. and
hudh berth ia thc sleeping " palatiuc. 4"
There were twenty passengers uu the
rs,rn two ladies' when We started uua
two more uttrnurd 4 very severe
suuwsturm bet Iu al Rochester. and We
oil expected to Ice showed u. At Ashtu-
hulu bridge We were three ur four huurs
behind this WAS between eight and nine
in the evening. ! thluk We were run
ulng faster than Ne dld few moments
previously. The people Ia the car were
talking, eating ur playing cards, and the
first warning Of amy impending danger
Was given us by candle being knocked
down, the glass IN the lamps being shat
tered and the bellropr breaking The
other lights fell. there was bump. then
IA horrible crash.
A gentleman near me said "Oh
my God, were guing down Then We
commenced a. fall. aud NC went down,
down, down, down. Some remained iu
their seats, gm~piug them, while uthcrr
rtsc. IL was quite dark now. stood
up IN thr center of the aisle. holding uu
b. the sea-. and thinking | Vluli bc less
liable tp hr injured hy the breaking gla-s
aud the -phutera eu the side ui the ear.
\ wo went down everything Wus us Sic
lent a- tA- grave. but when We lAi struck
terrible shrek arose from the wreck
There was another crash at the same
Imr. bat not So loud as the first When
We went down, splu'vgs. glass, etc were
wLlrlus around II the car, tAr hvrth-
were slipping down. and there aHa gru-
cul confusion Something fell uu mv,
hut IL WAS nothing very heavy some
gentleman also fell over me but rccuy-
vrcl himself moment a!trrUayd /
could mot tell who 1t wa, as u WAS dark.
some man sad thr car would hr uu fire
DO minute, aul ", MUS, hurry out
Another sa.l " The water is coming in,
ami Wr will be- drowned Ca my WAY
uut perfectly uuu}ur, man grabbed
mr as ! grupr.i my aay along ga hands
ami kurcs. aa3 SAID Oh. help Inr;
don't leave me. save nae. and ever 50
many such things as that. hul 1 couldn't
syr las iAca. 4 woman wanted mc a.
help her husband. VIII was jummei ia
between the II .ar aud "a berth / tired a.
get him uut. hu, could not Some mcu
cAllc,i ont AMI ta.i they would c,mc and
help him. Then went % thr door.
walking over the furua sc in my course
There Vus uo fire caught la uur car.
How "a get uut alive / could nuk mag
luc The car, around mr were either
nhlnsr ur covered with such massys 81
rubbish as tn almost completely hem mv
IN. But ! a.w man climbing up the
RUBBISH aui ! followed h,m. got uu
the side ui thr ear. which hai turned
over. aud ymWlel along ou Il. It seemed
O. hr hllrl with people. jammri together.
screaming aud crEiHs for helm. There
was another mn behind m, and huih
tried tu help mc along. bat % vas tau
slippery. and found / could do better
crawling along hy my-clf. When W. got
q 'hc end uf tn car these mcn-Nr
TYLER uf - LOUIS and Mr. White uf
Chicago helped me down. When ] got
duwA | found myself iu lhr water. SNOW
ami Ice mp 81 my knees. Mr. TYLER was
bleeding abaut iha h,a I. 'arc and hands,
wlh o dTea i'Gl casA over h.- eve. Mr.
Whit" was uuluri, and he told mr lt WAS
hih eighth mllral accident Under the
corner there was mau whose head las
lower than tl- Iv,t &c h.s laJy. and his
limbs w,r, all crushed by "a, car H.
asked us O. hrlp him. and w. Lld -n ms
best We could. uat.l other. cam, and cn--
rci him AWAY. suffering Intensely. / du
not know whp br was. All THIS time the
A~l'ahul fire bells and the h,ll uf ih,
engine i'la, ha passed over were ringing
iuruu,ly tn" hhul'ug SNOW icll around
MS, illum mattel hy ,h" light ui the hrr
which hal attacked the WRECK Tho
banks looked as hsh as thgsr near Ma
gm a' first Thr hrtla, ha broken IN
sh1r; g. rarh cu |. leaving nothing bat the
ahuim"u.-
BY ths t.m" then. were plruty ui men
around o. help us lut there was a per
ic't panic, very few having any presence
81 mind at all Many whp could have
saved thrmsr'vr- as well as Not ha ! "a b.,
dragged Ont uf the cars. ~ they would
have been burned {, death Tn" women
really Shove the mos. courage. aud yc,
there were fcw uf them saved We were
helped up 'ha hill tn the engine house.
pushing through thc SNOW aud icc. aud
clamhcring up tac steep, rugged banks
Of the creek Tho injured we're brought
IN. some 81 them horribly mnpglcl. hut
very few IF them unable to speak Their,
were three Ia lies iherc-a Mrs Graham.
of New York. Mr, Bingham. ~ Chicago.
another laly and myself Nv escape WIS
most remarkable, my only injury being
no more than a scratch upon my wrist
Mrs. Graham was only slightly mjuTcl
Mrs. Bingham hal her loft leg and spine
hurt. nnd the other lady, whose name
don't know. was also terribly injured
Before We hal got up the hill the
whole train was ou fire: we heard the
shricks of tho wounded anl dyin ?. and
the whole scene was as bright as day
Men were working as hard as thcy could
to help the sufferers ont 81 their fiery
priFou. 4 physician came IN about half
an hour. aud w took buses and went "a
the village We were drcnchcl through
and through, aud our clothc, iruzr to MS.
a SAD INCIDENT
The centennial closed upon Spring
field, Ohio. saws a letter from that place.
with darkness. gloom and sadness.
caused 10y the loss in the Ashtahula hor-
rur Of the worthy principal Of the high
schools. Professor Henry g. Rogers aud
his lovely young wife. They were mar
ried under the most happy auspices
Tuesday and, after visiting Buffalo and
Niagara Falls. were to return here on
Friday. only to br swallowed up in q
horrible. fiery death, with nothing left
to tell the story
The young people were expected home
on Saturday. and preparations were
made for n grand reception. When news
Of the accident wns first received fears
were at once excited that Mr.. Rogers
might have taken that train, and n tele-
gram wns sent to the proprietor of the
hotel Mt Niagara at which they stopped.
which was responded 10 with the reply
that the party had left there taking the
Pacific express at BufIalo, the i'll fuicd
train.
There wag tho most iutpDap epvi.tv