The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-01-31
THE ASHTABULA DISASTER.
Story of a Lady Passenger.

experience to the Chicago Tribune:
I left Albany about two o'clock, and
had n berth in the sleeping Palatine. "
There were twenty passengers on the
cars ; two ladies when we started and
two more afterward. A very severe
snowstorm set in at Rochester, and we
all expected to be showed in. At Ashta-
bula bridge we were three orr iD,lr hours
behind; this was between eight and nine
in the evening. I think we were run
ming faster than We did 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 q candle being knocked
down, the glass in the lamps being shat
tered and the bellrope breaking. The
other lights fell, there was a bump, then
a horrible crash.
A gentleman near me said: "Oh
my God, we're going down." Then we
commenced to fall, and we went down,
down, down, down. Some remained in
their seats, grasping them, while others
rose. It was quite dark now. stood
up in the center of the aisle, holding on
to the seat, and thinking I would be less
liable to be injured by the breaking glass
and the splinters on the side of the car.
As we went down everything was as 81
lent as the grave, but when we had struck
a terrible 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 gen.
eral confusion. Something fell on me,
but it was nothing very heavy. Some
gentleman also fell over me, but recoy-
cred himself a moment afterward. /
could not tell who it was as it was dark.
Some man said the car would he on fire
in q minute, and We must hurry out.
Another said "The water is coming in,
and we will be drowned" On my way
out a perfectly uninjured man grabbed
me as I groped my way along on hands
and knees, and said: ooh, help me;
don't leave me; save ME, ;" and ever so
many such things as that, but I couldn't
zee his face. A woman wanted me to
help her husband, who was jammed in
between the floor and berth. I tried to
get him out, but could not. Some men
called ont and said they would come and
help him. Then I went to the door,
walking over the furnace in my course.
There was no fire caught in our car.
How to get out alive I could not imag-
inc. The cars around me were either
ablaZe or covered with such masses OF
rubbish as to almost completely hem me
in. But I saw man climbing up the
rubbish, and I followed him. I got on
the side of the car, which had turned
over, and crawled along on it. It seemed
to be filled with people, iammed together,
screaming and crying for help. There
WAS another man behind me, and boil,
tried to help me along, but it was toe
slippery, and T found I could do better
crawling along by myself. When We got
to the end of the car these men-Mr.
Tyler of st. Louis and MIR. White OF
Chicago-helped me down. When got
down / found myself in the water, snow
and ice up to my knees. Mr.. Tyler was
bleeding about the heal, face and hands,
with dreadful cash over his eye. MIR.
White was unhurt, and he told me it was
his eighth railroad accident. Under the
corner there was man whose head 10y
lower than the rest of his body, and his
limbs were all crushed by the car. He
asked us to help him, and we did 80 as
best we could, until others came and car
ried him away, suffering intensely. I do
not know who he was. All this time the
Ashtabula fire bells and the bell of the
engine that had passed over were ringing
frlriously. The binding snow fell around
us, Illuminated by the light of the fire
which had attacked the wreck. The
banks looked as high rs those near Mia
CARA at first The bridge had broken off
short at each end, leaving nothing but the
abutments.
By this time there were plenty of men
around to help us, but there was q per-
feet panic, very few having any presence
of mind at all. Many who could have
saved themselves as we'll rs 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. My 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 I
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 rs bri ght as day.
Men were working as hard as they could
to help the sufferers out of their fiery
prison. A physician came in about half
an hour, and we took buses and went to
the village. We were drenched through
and through, and our clothes froze to us.
SAD INCIDENT.
Tile centennial closed upon Spring
field, Ohio, says letter from that place,
with darkness, gloom and sadness,
caused by the loss in the Ashtabula hor-
ror of the worthy principal Of the high
schools, Professor Henry G.. Rogers, and
his lovely young wife. They were mar
ried under the most happy auspices
Tuesday, and, after visiting Buffalo und
Niagara Falls, were to return. here on
Friday, only to be swallowed up in a
horrible, fiery death, with nothing left
to tell the story.
The young people were expected home
OH Saturday, and preparations were
made for grand reception. When news
of the accident was first received fears
were at once excited that Mr.. Rogers
might have taken that trf.in, and tele-
gram was sent to the proprietor of the
hotel at Niagara at which they stopped,
which was responded to with the reply
that the party had left there taking the
Pacific express at Buffalo, the i'll fated
train.
There was the most intense anxiety
among all classes upon the subject, and
any scrap of information was eagerly
sono nobt oftar AT snecio1 session of the