Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-01-05

went through the cars and found the two
ordinary passenger-cars were crowded
the smoking-car was quite full, there
were two passenger. coaches ahead oil
the smoker; next to the smoking-car wat
the parlor-car, about one.third full; Mr.
Bliss, the wellknown singing evangelist
and family were in that car; was in the
next car to that; the car in which was
was pretty full; behind the parlor.
car there were three sleepers these
were quite FULL we reached the bridge
as well as can make it out, at about q
quarter to eight o'clock; the train was
due there at quarter past five o'clock
the country around there is rolling, but
the snow-drifts prevented US seeing much
OF the surroundings; / don't think we
were going quite ten miles an hour; one
| engine had got over, but it was almost
pulled back with the shock; the whole
train was on the bridge when the struct.
ure suddenly went down, and not O
vestige remained Of it; there was nc
such thing as running off the track;
the bridge broke with terrific smash
with the weight of the whole train upon
it; the first sound heard was a crack.
III llOhN vi lhC IDlh
twice, and then heard similar cracking
sound in the rear; / then became con-
scious of a sudden sinking of the car;
the cars seemed to be sinking down in
the gulf below there was general
crash, and was recalled to consciousness
by the shock Of landing in the snow
creek eighty feet below; the first thing
heard was woman's scream; 1t was, |
think, Miss Bingham she cried,
"Oh, help mel help mem Some of the
passengers had got out of the win.
dows, and I then heard the cry of fire;
as the lady cried broke the window;
a gentleman helped me to pushed this
lady through the window; then jumped
out after her; she sank into the snow;
scrambled out of the window then;
think I 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 above my knees; l
pulled Miss Bingham out of the snow
and carried her on my back up to the
bank; l stumbled three times, and the
third time gentleman helped me to get
her to the only house, a small sort of en-
gine-house, that was on the bank; l saw
the fire was gaining rapidly on the train;
it burned like oil; at that time ! didn't
know there were any lives lost; we saved
all or nearly all the people in our car;
there were some broken arms and legs,
and some severe bruises and cuts; the
wind was blowing very strongly at the
time and there was a heavy snow storm;
the wreck covered the whole space be.
tween the two piers, and the burning
train was the length of the bridge; some of
the cars were smashed all to pieces, and
the others lay wrecked in every con-
ceivable shape; the fire was very clear
and hot; by the time / got out l was
completely exhausted, and l lay there
cramped for about three quarters of an
hour; they brought about fifty-two
alive into and around the house and
then they transported them to the town;
they were all badly hurt: l think two of
these died after they were taken to the
town; one lady gave birth to a child at
the hotel in the town, and one man died
who had his leg cut off; the scene I sur
veyed from the engine-house on the
bank was perfectly sickening; the whole
train was mass of fire, and the wounded
were lying about the wreck and crawling
away from it; the heat was so intense at
that time that one could not get very
near; the sight was dreadful; heads
were cut open, bodies were cut, and
arms and legs broken and mangled;
after | and others got to that engine
house no one could return; within fifteen
minutes after that time the heat was so
intense that no one could approach the
train, and those who were buried under
it had to crawl away as best they could;
there were great many in the cars who
could not get out, the cars were so
Jammed together; the townspeople did
everything that possibly could be done,
but they could not get near the burning
wreck within half an hour after the
train went down; the depth from the
bluffs to the bed of the river is about
sixty or seventy feet; the wounded
were carried to the hotel and very kindly
cared fori three or four. physicians were
promptly on the spot, and they did all
that medical skill was capable of; the
lady who gave premature birth to the
child in the night was injured by having
her foot smashed; the scene was an aw.
full one in its horrible details; one lady
was stripped of all her clothing by be.
ing dragged through one of the car win
dows; she was badly cut and was carried
up to the hotel; the survivors were
bleeding from cuts and mangled wounds,
and many of them charred with fire
and blackened with smoke; / believe
that hr. Bliss got through window
and expected to be able to pull his wife
and children through; this is only my
conjecture; their car was blocked up
completely and the family jammed in so
that escape except through the windows
WAS impossible; the cars were burning at
the extremities from the stoves at each
end; | believe Bliss was burned to death
trying to save his wife and two little
one; number of surviving passengers
heard the shrieks of the women and
children but could not get to them; they
were in a perfect furnace; the figures Of
those who were burned up in the cars
could be plainly seen; they were burned
up so badly that Identification in many
instances was impossible; some of those
who perished in the fire were burned to
ashes; bones and charred limbs were
picked out, and of some of the lost
there were but CHASTITY trunks; saw but
one other man who escaped with as lit.
tie injury as did; was badly bruised;
the train burned very quickly; it was
consumed within an hour; in every car
were two stoves, one at each end, and
the lamps were all lighted at the time.
The following is revised and com
plete list of the dead as far as known:
Mr.. Aldrich, Des Moines, Iowa; Lewis j.
Barney, Buffalo; Mrs. w. II. Bradley's
child and nurse, Chicago Mr.. and Mrs.
p. p. Bliss, Chicago; @, Drummer, Gratiot,
Mich; Mrs. o, Drummer and two ohildreni
David Chittenden, Cleveland; l.. G.
Crane, New Haven, Conn; NJ. p. Cogs
we'll, Chicago; Mrs. E. Cook, Yelling
ton, Ohio; William Clemens, Bellevue,
Ohio; Mrs. Emma Coffin, Oakland, Cal. !;
James Doyle, New York. Clarence Gage,
Charleston, H.; Alfred Gillette, Gran
berry Island, Mo-; Mrs and Miss George,
Cleveland; l.. w. Hart, Akron, Ohio;
Ill -