Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-01-03
The Ashtabula Disaster.

Among the most interesting reports obtained Is
the following procured at Erie, Penn, by re-
porter Of the Cleveland Leader, from Mr.. Nc
CURE, engineer of the leading engine, which
broke loose from the train and was saved. Nc
CURE was the only unhurt man who saw the whole
of the calamity under the most favorable circum'
stances and reports as follows
Daniel Mcclure, engineer Of the Socrates.
states that his engine was ahead Of the Columbia
All the stations between Erie and Ashtabula, with
the exception Of three, were stopped at. The
train was running slowly. He felt the bridge
give way when two car-lengths from the west end !;
he felt it settle down; had his hand on the throt-
tie aud pulled il wide open. The draw bar con-
meeting the engines was snapped by the sudden
jerk. The trucks Of his tank did not clear, and
settled down, but the opening wide of the throttle
saved the engine and the trucks were pulled on.
He up the track 100 yards and gave the alarm
by repeated whistles and ringing of the bell He
saw the engine Columbia sink with the bridge
and turn bottom upward. The express, baggage
and passenger cars followed in heap, the passen-
ger cars landing the express cars, aud all went
mo- the river. The fire first broke out in the last
sleeper, which swung over to one side ard soon
was in blaze. In two or three minutes the en-
tire wreck was a mass Of flames. The shrieks of
the living and the dying were terrible to hear
but their voices were soon hushed as the fire king
embraced them | was one OF the first at the
wreck, and pulled several out of the ice and
helped to extricate some from the debris. One
women was pinned down by her legs on burning
car; her cries for help were piteous, and in des-
pair, as the flames Circled around, she shrieked
Take an axe and cut off my legs; but 1t was inn
possible to reach her. and she was consumed.
The paint on the burning cars snapped like pow
der, soaring many wofkmen. couldn't estimate
the number burned but think 100 persisted by
flame and water. Some were killed outright. A
husband and wife in tie burning wreck were held
down by Instructions and calmly awaited their fate.
Their lips moved as ii in prayer. Neither pen nor
tongue eau describe the horrors of the scene. In
20 minutes after the fire started it was impossible
to extlicate the passengers. The engineer Of the
Columbia "Pap' Folsom of Cleveland, says his
engine turned bottom upward. lie was thrown
violently through the window of the cab and bad
ly cut. Mcclure helped pick him up bruised and
bleeding, his first words were, Another Angola
horror, Dan"
The train was running at the rate of 10 miles
an hour al the time. The bridge was considered
safe. Passenger train No. y, with two ngines,
had passed safely over the bridge about O clock.
His train struck the bridge at 3D. Thinks the
frost AMI the weather and heavy train snapped the
bridge Six engines had tested the bridge with
out stranng il. At the time of the accident the
storm at its height. lie could not see two
car lengths ahead of his engine, and this rendered
it next to impossible 10 give immediate assistance.
This completely eclipses the Angola horror. lie
thinks no one would have escaped from the
doomed train b i'd he not saved his engine, thus
enabling him to give the alarm. Terrible indeed
would it have been had the Socrates gone over in
the binding, aud furious storm. No one would
have Known of the disaster, and the next train
due would have shared the same fate and been
thrown into the river He had been in the SER
vice of the company since 1859 and never saw
such storm before.