The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-01-11


ANOTHER terrible railway accident
occurred on the Michigan Southern
and Lake Shore Railroad, near Ashta.
bula, Ohio, on the evening of the 9th
The Pacific Express train, comprising
six coaches and two drswing-room cars.
drawn by two locomotives, left Erie for
Cleveland one hour late. About 8 "a
m. the train reached the bridge over
Ashtabula Greek, and, in passing over,
the bridge gave way, precipitating the
whole train, with the exception of one
locomotive, to the frozen bed of the
stream, 20 feet below. The cars were
completely smashed in pieces; the ice
was broken and portions of the train
submerged, while the remainder of the
wreck took fire and burned. The night
was intensely cold; the sufferings of
the wounded we're terrible, while it was
almost impossible during the night TO
rescue the dead and dying, who were
fatally bruised, burned, or drowned
About 30 of the wounded managed to
escape from the wreck, and were
removed to Ashtabula, where they
were tenderly cared for. 1t was be-
heved that from IS to 100 lives were
lost, but at tie hour this dispatch was
forwarded it was impossible to give any
positive information.
Capt. c. H. Tyler, of St. Louis,
one of the survivors of the Ashtabula
disaster, gives the following estimate
of the fatalities resulting thsrefrom !;
He thinks there were at least 200 per-
sons on the train at the time of the
accident. Of these, 100 were
killed in the fatal plunge, 95 were more
or less injured, and 5 escaped unhurt.
OF the 50 wounded, 40, and all the
dead, burned with the wreck, making
total loss of killed and burned of lao.
OF the so saved, 55 are reported slight
ly wounded. The cause of this is thai
no one could be taken from the mass
of debris, and only those able to extri-
cate themselves got out. 1t has been
stated that many were frozen to death,
but this he believes to be mistake, as
the entire wreck was solid sheet of
flame within 80 minutes from the time
it reached the ground. '' ttI
Among the victims of the Ashta-
bula disaster was Mr.. p. P. Bliss, the
well known evangelist, together with
bis wife. u 4 9UHift 71LoTii rs
An unusually horrible marine disas-
ter occurred on the morning of the
3Oth, caused by the going to pieces of
the ship Circassian on the bar of
Bridghampton, on the south shore of
Long Island. The Circassian was
grounded on the bar some DAYS pre-
viously and abandoned by her crew. A
wrecking-crew was then placed on
board for TIE purpose of drawing her
of. On the night of the 10Th there was
a heavy gale, which increased in severi-
ty, until by morning the waves broke
clear over the vessel and the crew were
compelled to take to the rigging Signals
of distress were given and responded
to by the lfe-saying crew on shore,
but all attempts to launch boat proved
unavailing, the heavy sea driving it
high and dry upon the beach; nor
were the efforts to throw a line over
the vessel by means of mortar any
more successful. Finally, at about half
past in the morning, the masts, which
were of iron, gave way and went over
the side, carrying with them to the bot
tom % men who had dashed themselves
to the rigging. Four of the crew, who
had managed to unloose their fasten-
ings, succeeded in reaching the shore
in an exhausted condition.