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

L
: nv mind then that the bridge was gone;
but on looking down did not know that
the train was a dnuble-header, that IS, with
two engines. just ar that IuOment the cars
began tTdrop, one after another. Then
started down the track. | got on the other
side OF the engine, and met the engineer Of
the forward engine. He said, MY God,
Manning. they are all down in the creekF
8 That engineers name is Dan MeGuirT. At
that time iire was the whole thing in my
mind. / looked FOR that the first thing.
By this time l Was down on the stairs. and
looked down Before reached the stairs
at all. the cars were all down. The tirst
car which noticed particularly was the
car which was on fire. 1t stood leaning
with one end agsIinst the east pier. There
was two sisepers; one Of them laid toward
northwest and southeast The other sleep
ef was TURNED more toward the north, more
in a line with the stream Then | went
down the stairs. and calculated upon what
could be done toward getting out the fire;
: but the ice was broken away from the cars,
50 that thev could not he reached without
getting into the water, and then a man was
= perfectlv helpless. not be able to reach
ear or windows in any shape. This ear
which wss leaning against the abafment
was the one which was on fire. I should
say that this car, leaning at an angle Of
about 45 deg. or nearly so, was the highest
point Of the wreck When | got down
there, there we're no lights Of any account
Except the light from the fire. The next
car to the one above spoken Of judged to
be sleeper. When found out that there
was nO'hope of putting down the fire, the
whole thing was confused to me. rushed
around to help the wounded. The car
( which l thought 10 be sleeper, which
thought was next.to the car that was tilted
up, was on the south side Of the car that
was tilted up. and was right side up.
| There was no fire in il at that time. The
next car know nothing Of at all can't tell
anything about them whatever / looked
toward the eRd where the engine went
down, to see if there was fire there. but
made up my mind that the light there was
headlight, or fire that could not do any
damage anyway. I saw no other fire. or
light anywhere about the train, and no
ticsd particularly. 1t was ali perfectly
dark. As far as know there was no other
| fire that broke out in any other part Of the
wreck. nor any other fire except as that fire
gained. l did not notice that any passen-
gers got out from the car that was tilted
up. can't tell where | was at this partic- |
ular moment The next thing remember
was meeting man and giving him an ak
and pail, and telling him to go to the car |
that was afire and try to put it ont. then |
went to the pump house for pOkers or iron |
bars to distribute 10 burst the cars with: |
but as l came out, the wounded crowded |
around; and l went back to the pump |
house and directed where they should be /
laid; and after that ] was in and out, and /
can't tell just where was at any partieu-
lar time, or give any detailed statement.
When first got to the wreck there was no /
one there, as far as l know, except those
on the train. One man passed me in going |
down to il. but l did not see him there /
When got there, the ice was broken at
different places, and was unable to get at
the car that was on fire. The efforts that
were made toward putting out the fire, SO
far as / know, were made under the direc-
tions which gave. l know Of no other
directions being given. / furnished q pail
and an az. ! know that there were new
pals sent down, but at this time | don't
know Of any pals there, or any other help
but what have told of, when | gave the
pail and az to that man. / know that that
man was not q passenger on the train be-
cause he came down the stairs; but | don't
know who he was do not know Of any
orders being given not to put that fire out.
/ did not hear any orders given that the
Fire Companies should not throw water
The accident. happened at 1882 P. NJ, ac-
cOrding to the clock that was in the engine
COlumbis, which was stopped at that min
ute; for mades note of it when the clock
was handed to me- / have no other means
of knowing the time, except that left my
house at $40, went to the depot, made in 1
quiries about trains, and may have staid
there about ten minutes: then return
ed to the Lake street crossing, and ,
then the train whistled at the curve.
As soon as l could 60 down to the wreck,
the people we're rushing out of the cars as
fast as possible. / can't tell ANYTHING |
about the length of time after that. l re- |
mained there at the wreck until the last 6
person was got out alive. As nearly as | | {
can tell, at my best judgment, it was about {
10 O'Clock when the last person was taken q
out alive; but as it bore upon my mind l I
should have said it was IL O'Clock, Judge /
Of time by other circumstances when 4
think it was 10 o'clock When we got the u
last person ont, the wreck was all one mass q
Of flame. The circumstance which makes =
me shorten the time from 12to 10 is the time .
when my wife says the wounded we're Z
brought to my house, which totally over Z
throws my Theory about the time being .
IL O'Clock. | cannot tell anything about 8
how long it was fsom the time when first <
saw IRE until fire reached the east end of a
ihe wreck. When gave up hope calcu- ii
ated that ten feet of the car was on fire. 5
When came out of the pump house again u
he ire had gained perhaps 40 feet, and Il
vas gaining rapidly, and Rad pushed to- I
yard the northeast or north; out there was Il
10 fire at the west, for | saw and heard u
numbers of persons working on the north t,
vest side OF the bridge getting out the nj
r1ffn l.. md q
here. The wind at that time, or at the fl
asst time when L noticed, was southwest u
yind. There was scarcely any wind to no. n
ice, except in gusts from different direc- fiji
ions, when we were down at the wreck. 8
| ne persons whOml saw taken out alive, or Ii
whom saw after they had got out of the th
ars, were on the Ice or on the platforms of | "
he cars. did not myself take out any "a
,erson from any car. At the time when D,
his fire had progressed 40 feet, the sleeper q
Thlch lay next to the car which was til ed | y,
p must have taken fire. did notice | bl
Then the car took fire which now lies in | in
Ireck north Of the east abutment. When "a
say the fire extended 40 feet l mean in Il
northwesterly. direction. We have at g..
he pump house no hose or erappliences Pt
Or throwing water, except sm.-lf hose for fr
'ashlng windows, &e.-no large hose or b
Ouplings. The pumr,ing engine had steam 70
q, but hsd been stepped when l went up W,
inquire about Trains. 1t had on 50 di,
ounds OF steam. The hose which we had Pr
here was but smiill hose, with perhaps RC
/ inch bore; and there was about 45 feet on
1t. The distance from the fire which l an an
rst saw to the door of the pumping house kkn :
should say to be 800 feet. Our engine al
ands 52 feet from the creek line. / can't do
y how far back the abutment stands. l ts. IA.
nderstand that the distance between the III,
iers OF The bridge is 80 feet, but am not ute
ositve. That is wha have heard. When an 5n
he train first calme on the bridge / mu
lought. there was something wrong. Ny era
IMPRESSION was that she had jumped the a9 an
rack and was unIling on the sleepers. tie
ms noise which made me think so lasted an
ut second. There were guard rails chi
cross the bridge and for some distance "P "P
'ch side Of it. That peculiar noise was a $
ut for an instant. The crash Immediate riy
afterward satisfied me that the bridge nn' ms
as gone. There we're two engines on the jud
am. The first engine was not off the DID
aek at any time, but its tender was, and NJ, NJ,
IS tipped mp, was not here when the wo
ldge was bGilt, bat was here Immediately hal
terWard, have never heard the bridge -.
oxen OF IS being unsafe, nor heard any an, an,