The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-01-18
II Ashtabula HorHf-Stllf Of a
81 Lady Passenger. &

Hiss M. Shepard, of Ri1bn, fis., OF
of he survivors of the Ashtabul1 1isasteE
gf3ls the following account of Ter exp1
aS0ca to the Chicago 1S58asas: -. ..-sSsd
II had berth in tho sleepingca Pol
atine.' There were twenty passengers on
the car: two ladies when we started and
two more afterward. A very severe snow
storm set in at Rochester, and we all
expected to be showed in. At Ashtabula
bfidgeywe wores three ur~fUur hours b.
hind; this was between eight and nine
O'Clock in the evening. think We were
running faster than we did a.few moments
previously. The people In the car were
talking, eating, or playing cards, and the
first warning of any impending danger
was given Us by candle being knocked
down, the glass in the lamps being shat.
tered and the bell-rOpe breaking. The
other lights fell, there was bump, then
horrible crash.
-" A gentleman near me said, oh! my
God, we're going down. Then we COM
mcnced to fall, and we went down, down,
down, down. Some remained in their
seats, grasping them, while others rose.
1t was quite dark now. stood up in the
centre Of the aisle, holding on to the seat,
and thinking l would be less liable to be
injured by the breaking glass and the
splinters from the sides of the car. As
we went down everything was as silent as
the grave, but when we had struck ter
rible shrek arose from the wreck. There
was another crash at the same time, but
not SO loud as the first. When we went
down, splinters, glass, etc, were whirling
around in the car, the berths were slipping
down, and there was general confusion.
Something fell on me, but it was
nothing very heavy. 1t was dark and l
could not see. Some gentleman also fell
over me, but recovered himself q moment
afterward. l could not tell who it was as
it was dark. Some man said tine Car
would be ON fire in a minute, and we must
hurry out. Another said, the water is
coming in, and we will be drowned On
my way out, perfectly uninjured man
grabbed me as CROPPED my way along on
hands and knees, and said, U telp me:
don't leave me; save me- and ever so
many such things as that. but l couldn't
see his face. A woman wanted me to help
her husband, who was damned in be.
get him out, but could not. Some men
called cut and said they would come and
help him. Then I went to the door,
SGs
There was no fire caught in our car.
How to get out alive I could not i'm
agine. The cars around me were either
ablaze or covered with such masses of
rubbish as to almost completely hem me
in. But saw a man climbing up the
rubbish, and followed him. / got on
the side of the car, which had turned
over, and crawled along on it. 1t seemed
to be filled with people, jammed together,
screaming and crying for help. There
was another man behind me, and both
tried to help me along, but it was too
slippery, and found I could do better
crawling along by myself. When we got
to the end of the car these men-Mr. ~
Ter, of St. Louis, and Mr.. White, Chicago
helped me down. When l got down
found myself in the water, snow and ice
up to my knees. Mr.. Tyler was bleed
ing about the head, face and hands, with
dreadful cash over his eye. Mr.. White
was unhurt, and he told me it was his
eighth railroad accident. Under the cor
ner there was man whose head lay low
er than the rest of bis body, and his limbs
were all crushed by the car. He asked
us to help. him.: and we did so as best we
could, until others came and carried him
away, suffering intensely. do not know
who he was. All this time the Ashta-
bula fire bells and the bell of the engine
that had passed over were ringing furi-
ously. The binding snow fell around us,
illuminated by the light of the fire which
had attacked the wreck. The banks
looked as high as those near Niagara at
first. The bridge had broken off short at
each end, leaving nothing but the abut-
ments.
by this time there were plenty of men
| around to help us, but there was u perfect
panic, very few having any presence of
mind at all. Many who could have saved
themselves as well as not had to be
dragged out of the cars, or they would
have been burned to death. The women
really showed the most courage, and yet
there were few of them saved. We were
helped up the hill to the engine-house,
pushing through the snow and ice, and
clambering up the steep, rugged banks of
the creek. The injured were brought in,
some OF them horribly mangled, but very
few OF them unable to speak. There
were three ladies there-a Mrs. Graham
of New York, Mrs. Bingham of Chicago,
another lady and myself. NY escape was
most remarkable, my only injury being no
more than scratch upon my wrist. Mrs.
| Graham was only slightly injured. Mrs.
Bingham had her left leg and spine hurt,
and the other lady, whose name l don't
know, was also terribly injured.
Before we had got up the hill the
whole train was on fire; we heard the
shrieks of the wounded and dying, and
the whole scene was as bright as day.
Men were working as hard as they could
to help the sufferers out of their fiery
prison. A physician came in about halt
an hour, and we took buses and went to
the. village. We were drenched through
and through, and our clothes froze to u.s.