The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1877-01-18
The Story OF Survivor OF the AshtabHla
Railroad Slaughter.

Miss Marion Shepard, of Ripon, Wis,
one of the survivors of the Ashtabula
catastrophe, arrived in Chicago Sunday
afternoon, and related her terrible cx-
perience to "A Times reporter, from which
the following are extracts. She was an
occupant of the sleeping-car Palatine,
and when the first crash came, she says:
"Some ono cried out I'VE are going
down. At that moment all the lights
in the car went out. Ii was utter dark
ness. | stood up in the center OF the
aisle. i knew that something awful
was happening, and, having had some
previous experience in railroad accl-
dents, braced myself the best | knew
how. | felt the car floor sinking from
under my feet. The sensation Of falling
was very apparent. | thought of a
great many things, and | made up my
mind that was going to be killed. For
the first few seconds we seemed to be
dropping in silence. | could hear the
other passengers breathing. Then sud-
denly the car was filled with splnters
and dust, and we seemed breathing some
heavy substance. We went down, down
oh, it was awful. 1t seemed to me
that we had been falling two minutes.
The berths were slipping upon the pas.
sengers. we heard an awful crash. As
the sound died away we heard heavy
groans all around US. 1t was as dark
rs the grave. How fell is more than
can say. A gentleman had fallen
across me, but we were both On our
feet in q moment. Every one was
scrambling and struggling to ge; out
| heard some one say, Hurry out; the
car will be on fire in minute Anoth-
er man shouted, 'rhe water is coming
in and we will be drowned The car
seemed lying partly on one side. In
the scrambling mln caugh' hold Of me
and cried out help me; don't eayc mel!
A women cried from one corner of The
car, Help me; save my husband He
was caught under a berth and some
seats. | was feeling around in the dark,
trying TO release him, when some men
at The other end of the car said they
were all right, and would help the man
out. CROPPED along TO the door, crawl. !
ing over the heating arrangement in
getting to it, The fire had not vet
broken out in our car. While | was
getting out through the door the Others !
were climbing out through the windows.
On the left the ears were in blaze. On |
the right pile of rubbish, as high as |
could see, barred escape. In front of
me were some cars standing on end, or
in sloping position. followed man
who was trying TO scale "a pile of debris
got on 10 a coach which was resting
on one edge Of the roof. The side was
so slippery and icy that 1 could not
walk on ii, and SO crawled along over
it. The car was dark inside, and oh,
what heart-rending groans issued from
it. 1t seemed filled with people who
were dying. Two men. a Mr.. White, of
Chicago, and Mr.. Tyler, of St. Louis,
helped me down from the end of the car.
Then | was in snow up to my knees
Mr.. Tyler was badly gashed about the
ACE, and was covered with blood. You
see (to the rcpor,er) tins strain on my
'leevs. That was blood from his
wounds. Right under our feet lay
nan, his head down in "a hole. and his
Tue CDGDtI VI lllC car. TIC
asked US to help him, and Mr.. Tyler and
Mr.. White released kis legs somehow,
md some other men carried him away.
t was storming terribly. The wind was
blowing perfect gale. By this time
he whole scene was lighted by the
burning cars. could see that the bridge
lad broken off even with the abutments.
The abutmcnts looked as high as Nigga
a. Away above US | could see a crowd
II spectators. Down in the wreck there
vas perfect panic. The people were
beside themselves. Some were so bad
y frightened and panic stricken that
hey had to be dragged out of tho cars
o prevent their being burned up. /
Ion't want TO appear invlGious, but
must say that the women, the few who
we're not killed outright, behaved more
ourageously than the men, as q rule"