The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-01-09

Eleven Cars and One Locomotive
Hurled Into "a Ravine Seventy
Feet Depp--MOre than One sauD-
dred Persons NAangied s. Burn
Pa-.A Scene OGIlGrTOr-7DerOis
OF q CGiOced POrter-EhaIies ,.
CGAter's Account.

CLEVELAND, ONO, Dec 81 - When
morning dawne'l Yesterday after the ter
rble tragedy of the night all that re-
manned Of the i'll fated Pacific express
was charred mass of car trucks, twist
ed rails, brake-rods, bridge iron, and an
upturned and rusted locomotive. Tne
ravine in which they lay was covered
with snow aud ice, while from either
side s'eep hanks covered with shrubbery
and snow rose to the height of 70 feet
Where was once All iron bridge 70 feet
high there remained only the stone and
iron piers. At the top Of one OF them
and short distance away lay the head
locomotive o!the train, buried in snow
drift with the "humper' torn from its
tender, having gone with the other en-
gine in its descent into the ravne. In
the mas of moldering ruins lay the
charred mains Of more than 100 men,
women, and children. Two out of ev
cry three persons who were on the train
persisted; others were more or less in
jured. :
The train left the Grand Central De
pot in New York at s 80 y, m on Thurs
day. When it reached the Ash'abula
Creek, which is 60 miles east of Cleve-i
md, it was three hours late and was
moving only about 10 miles an hour =
There were IL cars composing the train,
and two locomotives found them hesvy
burden About O'Clock the, bridge
that crosses the creek 70 feet above it
was reached and the train moved slowly
across. 1t was thought one OF the best
bridges on the road. 1t had been tested
with six locomotives, and, having a
double track, two trains had frequently
crossed it at the same time.
The forward engine had reached the
further pier and was just entering snow
drift that lay in its way when the crash
came. A cracking of beams and gir-
ders fell upon the cars of the passen
gers the cars lost their level the wht lie
framework of the structure, having a
single span of 159 feet, fell with the
train and engine into the ravine below
The forward locomotive alone remained
on the pier above. The noise Of the
fall was so great as to be heard indoors
half a mile away. The ice in the creek,
eight inches thick, was broken through
and the cars sank into the water, which
was from three to six feet in depth. AT
ter the momentary silence that ensued,
those who were not killed sought to
make their escape from the cars through
the broken timbers and inpouring water.
Five minutes after the fall, fire had made
disastrous work among the woodwork,
and in ten minutes the whole mass was
in fumes.
The snow finally ceased falling and q
colder wind whistled through the snow
bound ravine. AT midnight the fire was
smoldering among the ashes and iron.
work which it could not burn. One
third of those who were save owed their
lives to the bravery of q colored man,
the porter Of the coach Pslatine. His
was the last car of the tain, and when
it fell near the eastern abutment, struck
upon the top Of another sleeper and
rolled over upon its side. Steward
for that was his sname-immeaiately rails
ed window aid escaped. lie then SCI
to work breaking in the windows Of the
car, and every man and woman excep
one climbed oat. This was a sick man
who was not allie to help himself Stew
ard called upon those whom he had 81
ready saved to assist in rescuing the re
mtseiiBia9J Wan nsfaa faahEihed tai. Is help him
With some difficulty the three finally
succeeded in getting him out, so tha
every person in the car was saved Ash
tabula station was about one fourth of
mile away. Thither the survivors wen
as soon as possible, assistance fer tn,
injured being rendered by the people O
the vicinity and those who went to th,
scene from the depot.
Charles s Coster Of Brooklyn. N Y.
says he was sitting in palace car at th,
time of the accident with three othe
persons, engaged in q friendly game O
cards. when suddenly he heard the win
dow glass breaking in the forward par
OF the car, and almost instantly the ce
began to fall He was seated with hi
back toward the front of the car, and a.
he went down he sat as quietly as h,
could and held on When the car strucl
the bottom Of the ravine he found him
self almost unhurt, although one of th,
men who was playing cards with him
whose name he did not know, was killed
while another, Mr.. Sheppard of Brook
lyn, had his leg broken. Mr.. Garter
says the front of the car was much low
er than the rear, and that the flames il
front began to eat their way upward ant
spread with great rapidity. He turned
to assist Mr.. Sheppard, and with grea
difficulty he succeeded in getting hin
out. When Mr.. Sheppard was fairly
out, Carter returned to the assistance ol
a woman, who was calling for help a
the front end Of the car. He got hel
out, and, as she was quite thinly clad
gave her his overeost After reaching
a hotel he found himself severely bruis
ed in several places. " ~. :.
In the great peril Of the hour a man
rushed down to the scene of the disas
ter ready to help in rescuing He saw
woman struggling for life, and went tc
her assistance. He carried her by main
force to solid ice, and then, urged BY
the cries of the mother, went back to
rescue her daughter, child of three or
four years. The treacherous wood III
splintering had caught the child in its
grasp, and the fire completed the horri-
BILE work The man was compelled to
see the child enveloped in flame, and to
hear her "Help me, mother!' ringing
out in an agony of death In mo
ment she was lost, swept up by the sharp
tongue of fire, while the mother, in help
less agony, fell in deadly swoon -
There was on board family named
Bennett on its way from New York Stale
to Jefferson, Ashtabuls County. The
father and mother got out of the wreck,
and the children were only saved by be-
ing tossed from the arms of one man
to another over the pile of burning
wood. One of the four children was
seriously injured, and all were slightly
scratched Saturdav ,norn;no tIo ,o,l,