The Hawaiian gazette., 1877-01-17
TerribIe RAILWAY Di,D.,.r.
A Bridge Gives Way and PrecIpttates the Train
Into . Creek-One Hundred Passengers Killed
Sixty Serfousiy Infured

Sixty Seriously injured.
Cleveland, December 29-An accident occurred
at Ashtabula, Ohio on the Lake Shore Railroad,
by which seven coaches and all the baggage and
express cars were burned, and about one out Of
every five persons killed.
Tue scene of the accident is few rods east OF
the depot. An iron bride spans Ashtabula Greek,
IS feet above the water. On both sides high
banks OF snow, which has been falling almost
constantly for the past forty-eght hours, and now
a driving storm is raging, making it very difficult
to get news from the wrecked aud burning train.
Conductor Hewn left Erie for Cleveland an hour
late, aud nesred tue bride at Ashtabua about eight
O'Clock. Very few particulars can be learned at
this hour.
1t seems the falling train and bridge smashed
the ice in the creek, and thUse not killed by the
fall or burned TO tue cars were held down by the
wreck and drowned before they could be extrica-
ted. Many, too, will be or have been frozen.
Chicago, December 3l.-The Tribune's special
from Ashtabula says: The proportions of the Ash
tabula horror are now approximately known. Day
light, which gave an opportunity to enumerate the
saved revealed the TACT that two out Of every three
passengers on the traiu lost. OF the one hun
dred aud sixty passengers whom the conductor
reports US having been on board, bat hity-nne can
be accounted for.
The iron bridge structure WAS a single span of
l59 feet, crossed by double track, aud 20
feet above the water. The descent Into the valley
on either side is precipitous, aud as the hill slopes
are piled with heavy drifts OF snow there was no
little difficulty in reaching the wreck after the dis
aster became known. The bridge had been
garded of the very best OF the kind in the
country. 1t bad been tested with six locomotives
and trains frequently crossed on both tricks ST.
multaneously without causing more than = slight
detection OF the structure
The disaster occurred shortly before eight o'clock.
1t was the widest Winter night OF the year. The
train was moving at speed Of less than ten
miles an hour. The head-lamp threw but o short,
dim flash Of light in front, 50 thick was the air
with the driving SNOW The train crept over the
bridge. The leading engine bad reached the solid
ground beyond, and its driver had just given 1t
steam, when something in tue under.gearing Of the
bridge snapped. For an instant there was con-
fused cracking of beams aud girders, ending with
q tremendous crash the whole train, all but tue
leading engine, broke through the framework and
fell in heap of crushed and spntered ruins at the
bottom. Notwithstanding the wind and storm,
the crash was heard by people half a mile away.
For moment there was silence; then arose tue
cries of the manned and suffering. Those who
were unhurt fastened to escape from the shattered
cars. They crawled out Of the windows into tue
freezing water, waist deep Men, women and
children, with limbs broken, bruised aud pnched
between timbers, aud transxed by jagged splinters,
begged with their last breath for aid that human
power could give. Five minutes after the train
Tell fire broke out 10 the piled against the
abutmeuts at the other end A moment later the
flames broke from the smoking car, and the first
coach piled across the other near the middle oil the
stream, less than ten minutes after the catastrophe
every car in the wreck was on fire, and the flames
fed by the dry vanished work licked up the ruins
as though they had been finder. Men, who in the
bewilderment of the shock sprang out aud reached
the solid Ice went back after the wives and chill
dren and found them suffocatng and roasting In
the flames. People residing in the neighborhood,
were startled by the crash and lighted to the scene
by the conhagatiOn, which made even their prompt
assistance too late. By midnight the cremation
was completed. The storm had subsided, but the
wind blew hercely, and the cold was even more
intense.
As tue bridge fell the driver Of the locomotive
in front gave il quick head of steam, which tore
the draw head from its tender aud the liberated
engine shot forward aud buried itself the snow.
The other locomotive. drawn backward by the
falling train tumbled the pier and fell bottom
upward on the express behind.
January 2.-Henry A. White, passenger In the
sleeping car, testified before the Coroner's jury to-
day that he thought the train off the track be-
fore they began to go down. He estimated the
number OF passengers OF 800.
Daniel Mcclure engineer OF the first engine
heard the bridge snap behind him when he was
within two car-leDgths Of the abutments. He says
that his engine had to run up bill to get off the
bridge Could give no information whatever about
the wreck or incidents of the fire. although he was
there some time.