Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-01-05

| nrs Graham, of New York Miss Shepard.
of WiscC nsiu, Mr. Thomelson, of Memphis,
! Tenn, and y Mr. Lyons, Of New YOik
These we're all whose HRmes | knew.
/ did not pass through the cars at any time,
though I was IN some Of them at different
\ times The local passenger c-rs seemed
/ TO be pretty well filed. Frum the in
eipiency Of the accident mp to the present
/ time, from all the ideas l can form, / think
/ there were zoo persons On the train. at the
une Of the accident, including all l eau
not disaleuse my mind of this conclusion.
| We were running al the raIe of about l5
miles an hour al the time Of The accident
FOur of MS had just started to play game
of Casino. and had Just made the deal.
The first alarm we had was the bursting
Of lamp in the front end of our ear, put
ting out the light. after which there was
] qniet and remarked that presumed
that must be frost in the glass There
seemed then to be q pause Of perhaps ten
! seconds, when q second crash came, aud
broke two lamps. and they immedia. ely
vent ont. This crashing | learned after
ward to be the bell-rope breaking as the
cars ahead of US broke OF and separated,
one after another. After this the car
seemed to stop from any rolling OF noise,
and one end dropped at an angle of about
4Oo. l was satisfied that we were then
of the track, and thought on an en-
baDkmeDt Of some kind st this moment
Mr.. l., ons made the remark, " Ny God
We are going Gown! aud perceived that
We were, and ssfia breatbless suspense, II
seemed 70 me for ten minutes, before We
struck When We struck the bottom every
light was extinguished, aud everything
was in total darkness The crash was
perfectly terrific cannot describe it.
A car fell on the rear end nf the Palatine,
eudwise. which think vas the sleeping
car CITY of Buffalo, and completely mash
ed Uff about 10 feet of the rear end OF the
PaIstine. / think there we're two men IN
the rear end of the Pdlatine t the time.
smoking, who must have been mashed he
yond any possible hope Of recognition
Our car seemed 10 be cut entirely OF, or
mashed down. This Car, City Of B9ffAlo,
fell with one end to the south, lying north
ami south, on its side. Idon' think there
was soul saved in that car, but that all
were killed in the 3all. This car If which
am now speaking was the City of Bnts-
10. sleeping car; and think 1t vas sd-
joining our Car in the train. In getting
out, 1 climbed up to the side of the
City of BufalU, and pulled Miss Shep-
ard up after me. The car was lying
ON its side, and very steep, 50 that
il was very difficult to get frou one
end of it TO the other, which we we're
compelled to do. When we reached the
s0nth end of that car, not knowing the dis
tahce to the ground, and fearing We
we're over water. with no other means Of
escape, suspended myself by my hands
to the wreck, while this young lady. Miss
Shepard, slid down Oh me, holding "n 10
me. When she let go 1 supposed she was
gune entirely out of sight. supposed
she was in the water, As she had almost
but she was in the snow,
" hich was very deep She halloOed, Ali
right and then let 60 and dropped in
the same place. After we got out, away
from the car, the light OF the fire began to
show, and l saw that the young lady was
safe; and I returned to the car Palstine,
and there found q man perfectly insane
with fright, SO that it was almost impossi
BILE to get him out bat finally succeeded
in getting him out at the window. l
threw out some baggage from that car,
aud again went out, in order to save my
self but heard there was a girl in there
get, and returned a second time, but found
hat the car was empty, and left 1t for
good. By this time the light from the
ire was quite bright. The fire had broken
Jut toward The west abutnaent, and per-
laUs about 30 feet from the abutnent,
lear here the locomotive Eas, giving
good view of the entire wreck can
siVe u very good description Of the wreck,
,ecalse went down yesterday to refresh
nv memory; and could nOv almost draw
diagram uf the scene / am satisfied.
rom all the cIrc umstances, that the full
raIu was On the nridge, that is, to the full
ength Uf 15S feet, At the time of the ac-
ident. This, aud the momentum Of the
rain, would throw about three cars near
he west abutment. After the accident
here were thee cars lying together near
he vest abulment. 1 think they were
'aggage and express ears. These cars
eelned to have separated from one an
ther, but all seemed to have lsyped, one |
ver another. The Palatine lay almost |
cross the r1Ver, but south of the main |
art cf the wreck. The City of Buffalo lay !
ight across the rear end of the Palaiine, |
ue north and south. The other sleepers
Id cars which came i'll behind that, all fell and /
iasi,ed one top Of anOihtr, in q pile, one Car
-,ning up aga.nst The wall of the eastern abut- 1
enI angle Of about 40 or 49,. This car City
Buffalo did not seem TO have any 'aeaIs or any
ling left inside OF il at ALL There were no cries
y Oans or signs oi Any person in il bur mourn
lg and cries seemed To come from distance OF
eThnps % feet below it, sounding A. II under |
round. l think that one IN That car was
Illetl Instantly tn lraving the abutment we |
ust have sailed from IUO to 120 feet through the |
4 in falling. Uu car landed little leaning on I
south side ONE or "a feet, with it front end
me 6 eel lower than the rear end Al the Tme
hen ! first cGme ont frUm the PalatlHe. the
Ous hit Of water and fire was my fret fear. The
mute got 10 the end Of the car begsn to look
r fire. bHI lid no. see any until got of from the
I'd uf the City Of Buffalo; when l saw a small
ght toward be ives. .ern abGtment. Ah1ut a min-
e a1Ie ward l discgT cred TWO other fires, one at
e middle OF the wreck and one AT the eastern 1
,uimcut. ] remained al and near the wreck until 4
,Out minutes before 9. At this time the whole I
reck was gone be- Ond hope m the nhme3 TIE
e Travelled from the west 10 the east FROM the
ne when discovered the frst fire until the lain
A. beyond recovery, ihiEk was about 30 min
es. Think this is putting il lOng enough. The
( blew or drifted from Tire western abutment. |
uareIy across the river to The eastward, with the
-eck. According to my time, minutes to y, |
res could have been saved, under the cab, near
c western abItment At This ltme when came |
the bank there were three perSOnS under the
b. The time which l speak of was The train
ne, which got a'-:he pumping house These
rsOnS rDeak of were alive at h9 time and were /
ling for help ! lave no idea that aax hOdy in
g middle or easIe,n pari of the wreck e9Hld have
en- saved after the 30 miEutes from the crash; |
L even after the 80 minutes l believe prisons
tie west end Of the train could haFe been
we'd by the use Of water. / believe iaOse
rsOns under the cab could have been saved by
G use of water at this time, about 5 mi n eS 10
i got the train time from some man a. Inc
mpiug house ar about quarter TO .. dent
Ow frsm whom got the time, but think II was
I'M MT. swift passenger on he train, who had
Ell in the Palatine. Up TO tiIS time. nitnuieS 4
3 having heard bells riugi z. and snppn-in,T the |
rm had heei given, liad CIV en- up all hope a l.
ter and help coming tlro sh such a stnTm. /
moi zee any fremen, that 1 knew Of Nv ISL |
sssityn was that the train wen down al oiclOck- /
l m moi positive. ] supposed We were two
urs and q half behind time. l hink the only /
es sglved were those able save them4elves,
tmu alt who were badly wounded were burned. | 1
ere was no effort made TO put OuI the fire, that
ow of. in any way, either by snow or water, 50 d.
as know The people who came seemed to 1
all IN their power TO help the wounded who | .
re- ta ken out. noticed this particularly. The
pei son whom knew to be- brought out from G
trai n. and alive. was broughi out Ht five min / I
: to 9. just as left the wreck. did not zee | !
Conductor, after the accident until tie next ! ,
7. the means had OF 70 ming an idea of the |
nb'sF OF passengers on the train were, my gen
impression fIOm looking at them in the cars. ,
alt the ciiegHiSIances have seen aid thought
sine. thea. an positive that there were 10
carr In which Was. bat aiI not pCs'tiVe as to !
OF bET car. have un .Ie1 about tlie number Of :
ldren on The train, except from fearsay. Ny
,OIt entities Of judging of tie nunber of persons
a Il sin heretofore have been kOOd | have teeD
cam bOaTman for ~ years, on the Mississ ppi
II, HDd am travelling by railroad great de.tl, I
am accustomed To handling people and esJi-
ling about their number. ! think M means Of
gtng in this respect are above The average 1 u I
not notice a any time anything abOut the num- A
Of ehilureI on tie train, whether fewor many III
w~s1nds are not at all seriOus, and all the n
mes have received on the cars. L. right !
ID IS very considerably cut, all over. Ill ,
Ir sherman Have you made any comparison
uee1i the number of passengers In the PnlaIint. ,
IN the Oiher rarsi Answer: / only oOked II