The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-01-05
From the Chicago Tribune, January II
Description OF the Aeci.
dent by Lady Passenger.

vening at Ashtabula: Miss Marian "
shepard, Of Ripon, Wisconsin; Mr.. r. c
Austin. Of the Railway Advertiser, New a
York, snd:Mr. Joseph E. DeHaven, on u
lis return to Chicago from Geneva, o
switzerland. The heavy SHOWS in the l
East had made the trains on the New
York Central quite late, and an addi- a
ional delay was caused by the time oc-
.upied in going around the wreck at
Ashtabula by means Of the Canad
Southern line. A Tribune reporter call
ed on Miss Shepard, shortly after he.
arrival, at the house Of her friends, Mr..
and Mrs. w. c. Van Alstine, 219 North
State street, and was pleasantly received
by the young lady. who detailed the
following account of the accident. She
had suffered no bodily injuries, coming
of with q mere scratch on the wrist,
and, although fresh from the scene of
horror, was perfectly cool and collected
in her manner, and able to give a very
connected and interesting account of all |
she saw.
Said she: left Albany last Thurs
day night about 2 o'clock, and had a
berth In the sleeper "Palatine." There
were twenty passengers on the car; two
ladies when we started and two more af-
terwards. A very severe snow storm
set in at Rochester, and we all expected
to be showed in. At Ashtabula bridge
we were three or four hours behind; this
was between 8 and 8 in the evenings ]
think we were running faster than we
did a few moments previously. The
people in the car were talking, eating, or
playing cards, and the first warning of
any impending danger was given MS 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 horrible
crash.
A gentleman near me said, "Oh! my
God, we're going down." Then we COM
menced to fall, and we went down, down,
down, down. Some remained in their
seats, grasping them, while others rose.
II was quite dark now. l stood up in
the center Of the aisle, holding on to the
seat, and thinking would be less liable
to be injured by the breaking of 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
I wreck. There was another crash at the
same time, but not so loud as the first
e When We went down, splinters, glass
b &C., were whirling around in the car
: the berths wereslipping down, and ther,
8 wee General confusion. Something fel
d on me, but il was nothing very heavy.
= 1t was dark and | could not see. Som
n gentleman also fell over me, but recov
i cred himself a moment. afterwards.
" could not tell who it was, as it was dark
o Some man said the car would be on fir
Is in minute, and we must hurry out
'e Another said, "The water rs coming i
l. and we will be drowned" On my wa
'r out a perfectly uninjured man. grabbe
r me as groped my way along on hand
he and knees, and said, 40, help me; don
leave me; save me-" and ever so man
&c such things as that, but / couldn't sc
c. her husband, who was jammed in b
I'd tween the floor and berth. tried {
Mt get him out, but could not. Some me
1t called out and said they would con
III and help him. Then / went to the doc
walking over the furnace in my cours
There was no fire caught in our car.
ID How to get out alive / could not i'm
n CINE. The cars around me were eth
he ablaze or covered with such masses
rubbish as to almost completely hem +
tie in. But / saw a man climbing up {
ise rubbish, and l followed him. got
'or to the side of the ear, which had turn
I'd over, and crawled along on it. 1t see
he ed to be filled with people, jammed
lhe gether, screaming, and crying for he
dr. There was an other man behind me, a
dr. both tried to help me along, but it v
eat too slippery, and I found could
ity better crawling along by myself. WI
rec we got TO the end of the car these n
un- Mr.. Tyler, of St. Louis, and !
on White, of Chicago,--helped me do,
ent When got down ! found myself in
ay. water, snow and ice up to my knees.
the Tyler was bleeding about the head, (
self and hands, with n dreadful gash o
the his eye. Mr.. White was unhurt, +,
lay, told me 1t was his eighth railroad a,
der, dent. Under the corner there wa
on man whose head lay lower than the
now Of his body, and his limbs were
'ed- help him, and we did 20 as best we CO
nee. until others came and carried him aw
who suffering intensely. do not know ,
ked he was. All this time the Ashtab
re-bells and the bell Of the engine I
the had passed over were ringing furiou
His The binding snow fell around as,
Or Illuminated by the light ofthe fire WI
ONE had attacked the wreck. The ba
'ded looked as high as those near Niagar,
able first. The bridge had broken off q
'fui- at each end. leaving nothing but
abutments. By this time there '
ouse plenty of men around to help us,
!, al- there was perfect panic, very few
ed it ing any presence of mind at all. M
bor- who could have saved themselves
we'll as not had to be dragged out of
the cars, or they wuuld have been burne
as death. The women really sho wed
} the most courage, and yet, there were fe
take them saved. We were helped up
not hill to the engine-house, pusl
through the snow and ice, and clam
lher, ing up the steep, rugged banks of
!. for creek. The injured were brought
at he some of them horribly mangled, ],
Then verv few of them unable to speak. T
were were three ladies there-a Mrs. Ora