The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-01-04
Ashtabula ire-bells and the bell of the

Ashtabula fre-bells and the bell of the
engine that had passed over were ring
ing furiousiy. The binding snow fell
around us, illuminated by the light of
the fire which had attacked the wreck.
The banks looked as high as
those near Niagara, at first. The
bridge had broken off short at each
end, leaving nothing but the abut-
ments. BY this time there were plenty
OF men around to help us, but there was
perfect panic, very few having any
presence of mind at all. Many who
could have saved themselves as well as
not had to be dragged out of the cars,
10 they would have been burned to
death. The women really showed the
most courage, yet there were few of
them saved. We were helped up the
hill to the engine-house, pushing through
the snow and ice, and clamBering up the
steep, rugged banks of the creek. The
injured were brought in, some
OF them horribly mangled, bat very
few OF them unable to speak.
There were four ladies there-a
Mrs. Graham, of New York, Mrs. Bing-
ham, OF Chicago, another lady, and
myself. Ny escape was most remarka-
BILE, my only injury being no more than
a scratch upon my wrist. Mrs. Graham
was only slightly injured. Mrs. Bing-
ham had her left leg and spine hurt,
and the other lady, whose nanae I don't
know, was also terribly injured.
Before we had got up the hill the
whole train was on fire; we heard the
shrieks Of the wounded and dying, and
the whole scene was bright as dav.
Men were working as hard as they could
to help the sufferers out of their fiery
prison. A physician came in about half
an hour, and we took buses and went to
the village. We were drenched through
and through, and our clothes frozen to us.
The Heroic Porter.
Jerry Stewart, the porter of the sleeper
Palatine," says he was near the state
room, about the front OF the car as she
was running, at the time Of the accident.
The first thing he knew was the snap
ping of the bell-cord. Then the forward
part of the Car struck on the ties. The
Car ahead of her had then left her, and
the trucks had left her. She was the
first sleeper next the engine and the
third from the rear. Directly she
plunged forward on the bridge and went
down through the bridge. The "Pala-
tine" fell on the parlor- car and smashed
through it. They could not find any
one that came out of that parlor-car.
Ny car, he continued, fell on her side,
and the two sleepers behind fell by
themselves. That is what saved those
sleeping-car passengers.
There were four passengers in the
parlor-car, man and his wife and two
children. There were besides the porter,
Charley Kane, of Cleveland, and the
sleeping car conductor, Harry Wagner,
of Syracuse. There were, as [ counted
them, twenty passengers in my Car.
After we struck, shouted to nay pas
sengers: 'All of you get out of these
upper windows. All of them, as far as
I know, got out. I helped an old gen
tleman out of the window and got
out myself and went up the en-
bankment. I turned around and
went back to help woman out of
one of the windows of my car. She had
broken leg. I took the woman up the
bank and turned to go back to the train.
This was about five minutes from the
strike, and at that time I couldn't get
near the train. She was all on fire and
burning her whole length. It was hot
blaze, and there was scarcely any smoke.
The wind blew violently. AL that were
saved at all must have been saved within
fifteen minutes at the outside, for after
five minutes had passed the fire was very
hot. The train burned for nearly two
hours.