The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-01-06
Terrible Accidents.

y Lake Shore train going west broke
through an iron bridge at Ashtabula, Ohio
Friday, and all the cars, seven 10 number
were prccipitated into the creek, seventy
five feet below. The wreck was consumed
by fire. There were about one hundred
aud seventy-hvc persons on the train, and
it Is believed that at least fifty or sixty o.
them were killed-crushed, burned and
drowned. Over 80 are known to be in.
jured, several Of whom are not expected
to live.
Ashtabula takes sorrowful pre.cmincnct
among the places marked by railroad ca
tastrophes. Norwalk, New Hamburg, Re
we're, Angola, were all fearful, each char
acterized by its own peculiar terrors, bu
Ashtabula surpasses them all by combining
the horrors Of all and more-death BY
mutilation, death by drowning, death b,
freezing and death by burning. The
mind shrinks instinctiyely from even the
mental contemplation of such calamit,
and such a scene. Taken in oil its sur,
roundings and with its hundred dead vic
tins, it is the most appalling and horrible
railroad catastrophe that has ever occurred
in the United States. There was train
Of ten or eleven cars, drawn by two en-.
gines, crossing an iron bridge, the weather
being very cold and stormy, when the
bridge gave way under the train, and train
and passengers, variously estimated at one
hundred and fifty to one hundred and
scventy-fve, crashed through, fell some
sixty or seventy feet to the frozen surface
Of the river, crashed through that again
and into the water; aud theu, in few
minutes, all of the woodwork above the
water was in flames, from the shattered
stoves and lamps. 1t is marvellous that
single person was left alive after the
shock of such fall, yet some went through
it all with but slight injury; whilst mum.
beers of Others escaped instant death only
to perish in torture, by burning, freezing
or drowning, within reach of aid-but aid
that was powerless to extricate them from
the timbers, beams and debris that kent
them imprisoned in the jaws of death.
SO far We only know as to the cause Of
the calamity, that the bridge, which was
supposed to be strong enough to bear the
weight of eight engines, broke down under
the weight of two, What caused this
sudden and treaeherous failure of strength
is nut yet known. But the breaking down
of the bridge terrible as that portion of
the casualty would have been even il moth.
ing else had happened) is not accountable,
as we have just stated, for all Of the suffer.
ing and destruction Of life. The most
fearful portion Of the catastrophe is charge
able against the stoves or the lamps, or
both. Notwithstanding the numerous in
stances in which these dangerous auxilia.
rles have aggravated the horrors of railway
accidents, they are still kept in use on
most railways. 1t is not possible that
sufficient safe and economical substitutes
are beyond the skill or means of any rail.
way company; and it is terrible respon.
sibllity to continue them in use.
ANOTHER RAILROAD AcCIDENT.-A
Montreal express train on the Rutland
Railroad, consisting Of three cars and an
engine, broke through bridge near Pitts.
ford, Vt, on Friday night The bridge
was Of wood and fifteen feet above the
creek. The disaster was caused by the
train running of the track, from which
some villain had removed a rail. The
ears aud engine were demolished, but Of
forty passengers on hoard only two were
severely Injured,