The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-01-04
RAILROAD HORROR,

A terrible railroad accident occurred az
Ashtabula, Ohio. on Dec 29th, ult., on the
Lake Shore road. Below we give dispatch
containing some of the particulars.
New York, December S0.--A special dis
patch from Ashtabula, giving an account of
the accident on the Lake Shore and Michi-
gan Southern railroad, says One of the
most furious snow storms ever known in this
vicinity had been raging nearly all day, and
deep drift mado every roadway impossible
SO severe was the storm that very few of the
business places of Ashtabuls kept open doors
after four or five O'Clock in the evening, and
the trains from all directions were several
hours behind-hand. At about eight o'clock
p. NJ. the whole village wac aroused by
general fire alarm, and the word soon spread
that train NO. from the east had gone
through the high bridge over the Ashtabula
river with large number OF passengers, and
that the whole train was on fire. In spite of
the terrible night nearly the whole village
and all of the fire engines were soon on the
way to the depot which is situated about
one mile distant from the village. The train
was due at Ashtabula at quarter past five,
and was nearly three hours late. 1t had
eleven cars, including Que drawinGroom,
three sleepers, one smoking car. two first
cars 1t was drawn by two engines.
Daniel Mcclure, engineer of the forward
engine, relates that the train was running at
slow ratio, and just.as they had fairly crossed
the high bridge, which is not more than forty
rods distant from the depot, they felt q
violant jar, and in an instant the coupling
between tho two engines had broken, and
the whole train was precipitated with the
bridge. into the river below. Mcguire says
his engine was pulled back nearly to the edge
of the broken span before the coupling
severed, and regainod Its forward motion
barely In time to save Itself, Tho bridge over
Ashtabula river was an iron truss bridge,
and had been in use eleven years. Tho epan
is about feet wide, and through the space be-
teon flows the river, about four or five feet
deep at this time, thickly covered with ice.
| Into this space were the eleven cars and one
engine and tender precipitated.
| The fall of sixty feet, of course. breaking
| through the icy covering, shivered the cars as
| If magazine of ofnitro-glycerineh had exploded
| beneath them. The seven passenger coaches
| altogether contained about les adults, besides
| Il number Of children. In the drnwing-rooIn
car, which was bound for Cleveland, were
| nine persons, all Of whom are supposed to
! have perished BY drowning or fire. In the
s5 passengers, and most Of those in forward
cara are saved, with injuries more or less
| severe.
| very fcw moments after the crash the
I flames burst out simultaneously from nearly
every car A gentleman, who was the first at
the scene, says he saw young and finely
dressed GIRL of abont ten years Of age, strug-
Cling in vain TO release her hips from the
| wpipht which was crushing her Hlcndor form
and close behind her were the flames, which
in another instant cnwrapped her in their
embrace. Here was q Incorporating gentle
man, Of middle age, sitting bolt upright in
his seat and unable to extricate himself,
calmly awaiting the flames, which soon
| claimed their victim.
There were bodies floating out from the
wreck. a crowd soon made their way to the
burning debris, and, with the aid of axes and
| ropes, many were eXtricated, placed on
strctchers and taken to the top of the hill
| where the best of assistance awaited them
| The hotel at the depot was soon filled, and
| private houses were thrown open throughout
the town. The surgeons, of the town rendered
all the assistance in their power, but many
perished, Notwithstanding the best Of care
| during the night. Others are now lying in a
suffering condition in the hotels and private
| houses.
Cleveland, December 30--l:30 A. M.--It is
uow known that there are seventy five per.
sons in the wreck of the train, but 1t cannot
be ascertained whether any of them are alive
| The Cleveland special relief train has arrived
and the surgeons have begun their work.
2:0 A. M.--The very latest information
| gives sixty as the number wounded, and one
hundred killed.