Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-01-13
THE RAILROAD BRIDGE DISASTER.
\ Survivors, story.

4 Survivors story.
Mr.. j. +. Burchell was interviewed
by reporter in relation to the Ashta.
bula railway disaster He Is one rf the
survivors, and his graphic story is full Of
interest. His statement is as follows:
was in the next car to the pariuf-car,
the third sleeper from the rear. There
were eleven cars in the train. Left But
falo at about O'Clock Friday afternoon.
Started an hour l0le. Had Il veiy heavy
snow storm when we left They claim
one hundred and sixty-fve passengers
were on. ! think there were between
two hundred and two hundred and fifty.
| do not think we ran more than fifteen |
miles an hotr until within, perhaps, All |
hour before the accident We were then |
running ten miles aRlour. At the last |
station before the accident the snow was
very heavy aud we all thought we should |
be showed in there We lost all hotir |
and halfs time between Buffalo and |
this last station, before the accident
then went through the cars and found
the two ordinary passenger cars were
crowded. The smoking car vas full. |
There were two passenger coaches ahead
of the smoker Next to the smoking car
was the parlor-car, about one-third full.
MR.. BLISS AND FAMILY
were in that. was in the next car to
that. The car in which was was pretty
full. Behind the parlor car there we're
three sleepers, These were quite full
We reached the bridge, as well as ! can
make 1T out, about quarter to s O clock
The train was due there at a quarter
past O'clock don't think We were
going quite ten miles an hour. One en-
gne had got over, but it was almost
pulled back by the shock. The whole
train was on the bridge when
THE STRUCTURE SUDDENLY WENT DOWN,
and not a vestige remained Of her. There
was no such thing as running of the
track. The bridge broke with terrific
smash with the weight Of the whole train
upon it. The first sound | heard was a
cracking in front Of the car. heard this
twice, and then heard similar cracking
sound in the rear. then became con
scious of sudden sinking of the car
The cars seemed to be sinking down into
the gulf below. There was a general
crash, and | was recalled to conscious,
ness by the shock of landing in the snow
creek eighty feet below. The first thing
heard was a woman'sscream. 1t was, !
think, Miss Bingham. She cried "Oh,
help me help me! !" Some Of the pas
I'sengers had got out of the window, and
| then heard the cry fire. As the lady
cried | broke the window A gentleman
helped me to push this lady, Miss Bing-
ham, | think, through the window. !
then jumped out after her. She sank in
the snow, scrambled out of the window
then. think | was
THE LAST IN THE CAR,
as most of them had got through the
windows The car was on fire at both
ends; at one end, | know, and | think
at both. As soon as | got out found
| the snow in the creek was very deep,
nearly up TO my waist; certainly up to
my knees. | pulled Miss Bingham out
o. the snow and carried her on my back
to the bank. | stumbled three times,
and the third time a gentleman helped
me to get her to the on y house, a mall
sort of engine-house, that was on the
bank. saw the fire wasgaining rapidly
on the train. 1t burned like oil At
the time dldn know there were any
lives lost We saved all, or nearly alI
the people in our car There were some
broken arms and some other bruises and
cuts. The wind was blowing very strong
at the time, and there was heavy snow
storm. The wreck covered the whole
space pe'"eeh 'le TWO Pier'' anu
THE BURNING TRAIN
c,os +bo Iorrtb of +bo hril,,o Sor,, of
tbo cors wore smashed oil ~ niooon and
tLo otbory In,, u,rocLod i, o,,.tv oonoa;,.-
aLIo ,hono Tho fro wa. yorr oloar onl
Lot Er tbo trne ,.ot ont wa" % c"n,' ',,,,
nIotoIv ovLon.,o6 and law tLar,
craronad tor ahont thrca oror,eE. ot nm
Lnmr ,rhor LroHrht aIn"t ftytwn m
olive into and ar9nnd tbe bo"yc smJ mJ
tbon tb"v tran.,orted % thom to "o' tho town ,,',"
a very :bort Jistonce ~ sav " n"artcr ,',a tGr ~ ~
4 a Nix or ON tn ,yoro al baJI,, Lnrt
I tbink two NJ tbe:a died a t,rthcy waro
taEen 70 'l~ tbo town and ono man d;9d wbo
LoJ | hi. Io,r ,~I ort W. "a ''' '''> man ''NN " Nv
'' Tbn m sco9o 2 ~ I snrrevod from, ,bo orciro
bonse on the honk was narf.ofIy s;oLan-
I'M, TLo whnIo troin wos n ,,.ss ~ 6ra
"a ,o no',ndna ,,'aro In;,', 'i"s, "LS,,t 'i' ~,
",n i.'o J "Du. n,,,l;, ,!tnS & "Go"' NY w.,
heat was ass co intense at % that % TINA that one m
no"id not ot ,,or, noor % rbn y, siGht ot' . ~i,
JroaJtmJ I uood roro n% crt ,r nnon 5TY hoiios G'
uoro % cnt t onJ orms % and low low, 'r'"' '''''''
"0'' W. v '.'l "''N' '-'' '''',' ~ =
} BROKEN AND NAN'lEp'
bomso No ono nonld roturn IViT,b;,
, fifteen minutes after that time the heat
was so intense that no one could an.
nroach the train. and those who were
buried under it had to crawl away az
hest thew could. There were = great
many in the cars who could not Get out
i the cars were so iammed together. The
l townspeople did everything that nossihlv
= oo,,Id Lo dc Lut t,o,, oa,II ot ,.h,