The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-10
THE HORROR OF HORRORS

THE HORROR OF HORRORS.
The Most Frightfal Accident on Record.
Our news columns contain brief
account Of the great calamity of Dec.
Goth, and the following details are
from an Ashtabula (O.) correspondent
writing next day:
The most horrible railroad catastrO-
phe that ever happened in the United
States, if not in the world, occurred
here last evening. The particulars,
which have been difficult to obtain, are
here presented as correctly as possible.
Train No. 5, the Pacific Express, on the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
railroad, Conductor B. Hem, OF Buffa.
10, was due here from the east at SIS
P. NJ. on yesterday. 1t consisted of
two tirst-class coaches, one smoking.
car, one drawing-rOOm car, three Sleep
ing cars, and four express and baggage
cars, drawn by two locomotives, the
Socrates and Columbia. The furious
snow storm which ragged all day and
night made the train about two hours
late. The Lake Shore railroad bridge
over the Ashtabula river, short dis.
lance east Of the station, was an iron
truss bridge of 155 feet span, 60 feet
above tae level of the water, and built
in 1864. The train came upon this
bridge at about 7:l5 p. M, and as the
forward engine, the Socrates, was
nearing the western abutment the
bridge gave way with an awful crash
which was heard by many persons up
in town, a distance of one mile, though,
of course they did not know the cause
of the sound they heard. The engi-
neer of the forward locomotive, Daniel
McGrein, felt the shock and Immediate
ly threw back the throttle to it's fullest
extent, and so shot ahead on the abut-
.ment in safety, breaking the coupling
rod connecting with the engine Column
bia, which was Immediately behind,
and which, with all the rest of the
train was precipitated into the abyss
with the falling bridge. The passen-
gers who escaped said the whole thing
was so sudden that they remember
only the sensation Of falling a long dis
lance before they struck at the bot
tom.
Mr.. j. A. Manning, engineer of the
water-works at the bridge, was up at
the lake street crossing at the time,
saw the train coming, and saw it fall.
He says the third car from the rear
fell and stood on end, and the other
two sleeping cars went over it and
that the fire seemed to break out first
in that third car, spreading not very
rapidly. He was the first, man or
among the first, to reach the wreck.
If help had came soon enough the fire
might have been put out, though it
was on the east side of the river, which
was some twenty feet wide and from
two to four feet deep. The fire alarms
were sounded almost instantly. but
the snow was drifted so deeply that it
was some minutes before every one
who lived nearest could reach the
scene, and then they could do nothing
more than help the surviving passeng-
ers to escape. Lines of men were
formed up the steep banks, covered
with deep snow, and thus as quickly
as possible the rescued persons were
brought up and taken to hotels and
private houses. The fire companies
turned out and the engines ere hauled
down through the drifts, but long be-
fore they could arrive there was no
hope left of saving any lives. They
were ready and anxious to throw
water upon the raging flames, but
were ordered not to do so. 1t is but
just to add that some who were in the
wreck fully believe that more lives
could have been saved if the engines
had played upon the flames when they
were forbidden to do so, and their
belief is based upon what they them
selves saw and the cries of the wound.
Ell which they themselves heard.
! The scene was awful beyond de.
scription. Down in the deep and mar
row valley ragged the fierce flames like
an opening to the Internal regions,
while ever and anon the shrieks OF the
poor sufferers could be heard by
those nearest to the wreck and even
the forms of one or two of them could
be quite plainly seen, though they
were beyond the reach of human aid.
Every effort was made that seemed
possible to save them, with how much
success the list herewith given viii!
show. Many of our citizens periled
their own lives in almost superhumar
efforts even after all hope of saving