The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-01-05
Terrible Railroad Slaughter.

OVER ONE HUNDRED PASSENGERS EITHER
CRUSHED, ROASTED, OR DROWNED
SIXTY OTHERS wOUNDED--oNLY
SEVEN ESCAPE UNHURT.
A telegraphic dispatch from Ashta5ula,
Ohio, dated December Both, furnishes the
following account of a horrible railroad ac-
cident which occurred near that place on
the previous night. 1t makes the blood
run cold to peruse the sickening details:
The most disastrous railroad accident since
the Angola horror in 1868 occurred ut this sta
ton. sxly-five miles east of Cleveland, last
night. A heavy fuii of snow accompanied by
a yale of wind, had prevailed during the day,
ard on all sides the snow had drifted into huge
mountains, and treins-going either way were
greatly delayed. The Pacific express, which
/ left Buffalo at twenty minutes past twelve p.
{ M, ard was due at This station ut quarter past
nine WIS over w o hours late. and upon reach
ing the iron truss bridge which spans the Ash
tabula river a few rods east of the station. the
/ structure gave way, precipitating the train OF
eight cuachcs and three baggage cars into the
oHasm. The bridge was an iron truss of 100 feet
span, the track being sixty feet above the
water level. The train was drawn by Nv o loco
motives. the forward one breaking loose from
the other as the bridge gave way, and escaped
on the yer , brink or the fearful gulf the oiher
engine following the Quivering mass of hu-
manity and ca ,tsbing coaches und adding to the
horror by the jushing steam that came from
/ the crushed mon 'fer.
Hardly had The falling coaches reached the
ground after this fearful leap ere the flames
burst forth oual sides, aud the bleeding and
L
fire. The groans of the dying. the cries of the
wounded and the a9oniziug appeals or fhose
whose bare chance tor life was being swallowed
/ up by the flames. rendered tie scene one OF un-
parnlled horror, the recollection OF which VIII
never bc forgotten 10y those who lived through
tina; hour OF Indescri0abla agony. lnere were
liz passengers on the train at the time OF the
disaster, and of this number ii is believed that
ahout two-t birds were killed outright. SO com
plete WAS the wreck, and so rapid aud entire the
dest tructicn 10y fire that but thirty four bodies
/ have up TO this timc-twcnty-four hours after
the disHster--been recovered and il is believed
that but Jew more VIII be found, others being
entirely consumed. OF the uumtcr recovered
but six have been id entitled. the balance being
an indistl ishablc mass OF charre and black
ened flesh and bone, horrible to look upon and
entirely beyond Identification.
The citizens OF the village about mile distant
from the station, headed by the mayor. turned
out en- musse to the aid OF the sufferers, aud
private residences we're converted into tenn
porary hospitals Everything possible was done
10 alleviate the surerings of the wounded.
These numbered nfty nine, the greater portion
of whom ure but slightly injured Many OF
these proceeded ON their journey this after
/ noon.
NEGRO HERO.
When the train fell. the sleeping car Pulatine,
the last of the train went down near the east
crn abutIneut, striking upon the top OF anoth-
sleeper and rolling over its side Stew
ard, the colored porter of the Palatne, succ ed
ed in raising window aud escaping. He i'm
medateiy set to work stamping on the other
windows, thus breaking them in so that the
passengers could get out. by this means he
rescued all the passengers in bis car, some
twenty in number. with the exception o: one,
who was sick and unable TO help hitnself-
When Steward discovered this man he called
on the others to stay and help him. Only
woman and one man apparently i'll. stayed to
assist him, however. ana Steward, with their
aio, succeeded in getting his man out, thus res
SnsGaam ci Nsw Yn nTk' who Hs WAS nred es a
| the head is dead. No other deaths are report
ed among The wounded brought To Cleveland.
WHAT SURVIVORS SAY.
| Thirty of the survv ors. many of them wound
| ed, were brought to Cleveland. rney relate
many interesting details of the catastrophe.
! Among the rest Is Charles 5. Carter of Brook
/ lSn- y. Y He was i'll the rear drawing room
! car, playing cards with two others, Etnanue!
/ Shepherd, of New York, the other Stranger.
Suddenly he heard the glass of the car W indows
! begin to crackle, aud the car plunged to the
bottom OF the ravipe. The stranger was killed
| instantly. Mr.. Shepherd had his leg broken,
! ana it was amputated this morning. Mr.. Car
/ ter WAS com paratiyeiy unhurt- He says that
! the front of the car was much lower than the
: rear, and that the flames in the front began to
eat their way upward and spread with great
] rapdity. He turned to the assistance uf Mr,
/ Shepherd. and with great difficulty Succeeded
| i'll getting him out, the broken leg impeding
/ their advance. When Shepherd was fairly out,
/ Carter returned ito the assistance of a woman
/ who was calling for help at the front of the
I car. He got her out, aud as she was quite thin.
! Is clad he gave her his overcoat. After reach-
! in several places. In the great peril of the
hour man rushed down to the scene of the
| disa ster ready to help in rescuiux He saw n
woman struggling fer life and went to her as
| sistance. He carried her by main force to solid
ice, aud then, urged by the cries of the mother
/ went back rescue her daughter a sweet child
/ ot three or four years. The treacherOus wood
| in splintcriny had caught the child in its qraen
and the fire completed the horrible work The
man was compelled tn see the child cuyeiOped
! in flames. and TO hear her .shelp me mother''
ringing out in an agony OF death. In anoment
she was lost. swept up by the sharp tongue of
! IRE while the mother in helpless agony fell To
! the cart b in deadly swoon.
There was on board q family named Bennett,
Ashtabula co Inty- The father an ~ Ot her .rot
out OF the wreck and the children were only
| saved by being toSSed from the arms OF one
/ man to anct her over the pile of burning wood.
One of the four children wHs seriousiy injured
I and all were slightly scratched. This morning
In IA alfD kf-Ih
child, the event being FASTENED By the excite
ment she had undergone.
1t seems that the train hal just n bout covered
tue bridge when ii fe!i us rragint nts lie across
the ravine touching the base OF the abutments
on either side. When one stands at the foot OF
| the ravine and looks up it seems AN utter inn
possibility that any man could take leap from
| capped comparatively unkarrned, aud had it not
( been for the fire probably not ne-third would
! about three feet deep. sand it Is thought by
SOME that when it is dragg &c a mum Der of bodies
! A stock drover is another witness as to the
/ rapidity With which the fire did its work. He
| says he was one of the first out of the wreck,
and that five minutes had not elapsed before
the whole thing was aflarnc,
| n special train. loaded with some of the in
Jured left iAshtabuia at II quarter past eight
O'Clock this morning. consistiug.of an express,
beds had all been made, and in them were
placed the worst of the victims those being
car.
A Especial dispatch from Cleveland, dated
Sunday, gives the following additional par
ticulars
workmen a the wreck of the train at A shta-
bula have cleared away the remainder of the
/ debris. Only two more bodies have been re-
covered to-day which, with the thirty four
taken out Yesterday. are all that Will probably
ever he found. The rest are burned to ashes,
7 few of the charred and mangicd bodies have
been identified. and were broueh eht to Cleveland
on Sunday night.
Daniel Mctiuire, engineer of the leading en-
eino, the Socrates which broke loose from the
train anc was saved. says that all the stations
between Erie and Ashtahula, with the excep-
tion of three, were stopped at. The train was
running slowly. He felt the bridge give away
when two car lenths from the west end he felt
1t settle down had his hand the thrOttl le
and pulled it wide open. The draw-bar con-
Meeting he engines snapped by the suddcn
jerk. The tracks OF his tank did not clear. n nd
scttled,dOwn but opening the wide of the throt-
tie aved the engine and the trucks were pulleh d
on. He ran up the track 100 yards and ga
the alarm by repeated whistles and ringing OF
: the bell He the engine Columbia sir L