The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-01-04
THE ASHTABULA DISASTER.
A WOman's Story of the Horrible Affair
Her Remarkable Escape.

"A WOman's Story of the Horrible Affair
Her Remarkable Escape.
Miss Marian Shepard, of Ripon, Wis,
who was in the Inflated train that
plunged into the abyss at Ashtabula,
Ohio, gives the following thrilling &C
count of what she saw:
had berth in the sleeper "Pala-
tine" There were twenty passengers
on the Car !; two ladies when we started
and two more afterward. A very severe
snow-storm set in at Rochester, and we
all expected to be showed in. At Ash
tabula bridge we were three or four
hours behind ; this was between 8 and 9
in the evening. think we were run
ming faster than we did few moments
previously. The people in the car we're
talking, eating, or playing cards, and the
first warning of any impending danger
was given us by candle being knocked
down, the glass in the lamps being
shattered and the bell-rope breaking.
The other lights fell there was 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. 1t
was quite dark now. I stood up in the
center Of the aisle, holding on to the
seat, and thinking [ would be less lia-
BILE to be injured by the breaking glass
and the splinters from the sides of the
car. AS we went down everything was
as silent as the grave, but, when we had
struck, 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 general confusion.
Something fell on me, but it was moth
ing very heavy. 1t was dark, and T
could not see. Some gentleman also fell
over me, but recovered himself mo-
ment afterward. I could not tell who it
was, as it was dark. Some man said the
Car would be on fire in a minute, and we
must hurry out. Another said, "The
water is coming in and we will be
drowned" On my way out, perfectly
uniniured man grabbed me as I CROPPED
nay 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 see his face. A
woman wanted me to help her husband
who was iammed in between the
floor and a berth. I tried to get
him out, but could not. Some
men called out and said they
would come and help him. Then 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 imagine. The cars around me were
either ablaze or covered with such masses
of rubbish as to almost completely hem
me in. But saw man climbing up
the rubbish, and I followed him. / got
on to the side of the car, which had
turned over, and crawled along on it. It
seemed to be filed with people, jammed
together, screaming and crying for help.
There was another man behind me, and
both tried to help me along, but it was
too. slippery, and I 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 Mr.. White,
of Chicago-helped me down. When
[ got down I found myself in the water,
snow, and ice up to my knees. Mr..
Tyler was bleeding about the head, face
and hands, with a dreadful cash over
his eye. Mr.. White was unhurt, and |
told me it was his eighth railroad acct
dent. Under the corner there was a
man whose head lay 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 SO as best we
could, until others came and carriee
him away, suffering intensely. I do not
know who he was. All this time the |