The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1877-01-04
TERRIBLE DISASTER.
A TRAIN FALLS THROUGH BRIDGE
MANY LIVES LOST.

/
and fell 75 feet into deep creek, crushing
through the ice. The cars took fire and
many persons were burned or drowned A
heavy snow storm prevailed at the time.
The citizens of Ashtabula turned out and
worked nobly to save the people in the cars,
but as the snow storm ceased the weather
became very cold, and made the work very
difficult.
| CLEVELAND, Dec. 80 a m.-The
scene of the accident is a few rods east of
the depot The iron bridge spans the
Ashtabula creek, seventy-fve feet above
the water. On both sides are high banks.
Snow has been falling almost constantly for
the past forty EIGHT hours, and now driv-
ing storm is raging, making it very difficult
to get news from the wrecked and burning
train. Very few particulars can be learned
at this hour The citizens of Ashtabula,
with competent corps Of physicians, are
doing everything possible for the sufferers,
In some cases whole families were killed.
A man, his wife and mother another man
with his wife and son, another wife and
daughter. A little child was killed. Several
of the dead are California people
The train, which was due at Ashtabua
about o'clock, was two hours behind time,
owing to the severe storm and the size
of the train, which consisted of thirteen
coaches and two locomotives The bridge
gave way, precipitating one locomotive and
all the cars into the river ninety feet below.
| The ears took fire and all but those
covered by water were burned. There
were about fifty saved, nearly all wounded.
i 1t is estimated that from two to three
hundred are killed and their bodies burned.
Ashtabula is on the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern railroad, fifty -four miles
east of Cleveland, Its population is about
1000. 1t is the terminus of the Ashtabula,
Youngstown and Pittsburg railroad
A special train, with physicians, nurses
and everything for the convenience of the
wounded at the wreck, left Cleveland at ten
o'clock. The weather is still growing
colder, and only four bodies have so far
been taken from the debris.
The wreck is still burning. 1t is i'm
possible to get the names of the killed.
The list Of wounded will be swelled con-
siderably. Public and private houses are
thrown open to the wounded and destitute
LATER-ABoUT 60 LIVES LOST.
CLEVELAND, Dec. 30.-3 a. m.-As
near as can be ascertained, 52 persons were
wounded. How many persons escaped
unhurt it is impossible to find out.
1t is estimated there were one hundred
and sevcnty-fve passengers on the train !;
at least one-third of these were killed,
burned to death, or frozen. The train was
drawn by two engines one engine remained
on the bridge, everything else went down.
! The engineer and fireman on the engine
that went down were badly but not seriously
injured. The work of removing the dead
bodies still goes on very slowly.
The weather has become extremely cold.
The wreck has now burned down, but it
will be daylight before much can be done
towards getting out the dead. The
express car was smashed to splinters The
train is known as the Pacific Express
There were six coaches and one or two
drawing room cars.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
Charles S. Carter, of Brooklyn, \. Y,
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
toward the front of the car, and as he went
down he sat as quietly as he could and held
| on.
When the car struck the bottom of the
ravine he found himself almost unhurt, al
| though one Of the men who was playing
cards with him. whose name he did not
know. was killed while another, n Mr.
Sheppard, of New York, had his leg brok-
en-. Mr. Carter says the front of the car
was much lower than the rear, and that
the flames in front began to eat their way
upward and spread with great rapidity.
He turned to assist Mr.. Sheppard, and
with great difficulty succeeded in getting
him out. When Mr.. Sheppard was fairly
out, Mr.. Carter returned to the assistance
of woman, who was calling for help at the
front end of the car. He got her out, and
as she was quite thinly clad gave her his
overcoat after reaching hotel he found
himself severely bruised in several places.
In the great peril of the hour man
rushed down to the scene Of the disaster,
ready to help in rescuing. He saw wo-
man struggling for life and went to her as
sistance, He carried her by main force to
solid ice, and then, urged by the cries of
the mother, went back to rescue her daugh-
ter, a child of three or four years. The
trcacherous wood in splintering had caught
the child in its grasp and the fire completed
the horrible work The man was compelled
to see the child enveloped in flames and to
hear her "Help me, mother" ringing out
in an agony of death. In moment she
was lost swept up by the fire, while the
mother, in helpless agony, fell to the earth
in deadly swoon. There was on board
family named Bennett, on its way from
New York State to Jefferson, Ashtabula
county The father and mother got out of