The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-24
TOLEDO, IOWA, THURSDAY, a. 1875
ANOTHER RAILROAD-BRIDGE DIS.
ASTER.


ANOTHER RAILROAD-BRIDGE DIS.
ASTER.
Two Engines, n Baggage and Three
Passenger Cars Fail Through q
Broken Bridge near Tarl6ville,
Conn.-Over a Dozen Persons Killed
and Many Others Injured.-The Con.
ductor's Statement.
HARTFORD, Conn.,, JAM l6.
Latest advices from the scene of the
railroad disaster last night, and from
places where the wounded were taken,
place the number of dead at thirteen.
1t is possible that more may be found
in the wreck. 7. M. Elmer, conductor.
thus describes the accident:
had been in the mail compartment in the
baggage-car. where / left Mr. Jones' Superintend-
ent asserting tit kets. had started to go through
the train, and had got Just by the front door OF
the baggage-car, and was about to open it, when
l felt the rear end settling and heard a loud
crash. My hand was almost on the door-knob.
which was a very hot fire. My thought was to
get away from the fire so as not TO be burned.
The rear end Of the car went down little,
down with very little pitching one side and
struck. / had jumped back from the dorg
and was few seats back, el1se to q wind1Ns
Wucu liC U1ouEut up u4ft tto ~ - 49,
heavy beam fell down upon ~ roof, and came
through, striking me on tie led, kndekirg me
down. and cutting me on ui0xtempIe II was
alton was. There were three other men in the
car, all passengers, whom did not know. It was
very dark in the car, so that could see nothing
the hole in the roof made by the beam. This
hole was large enough for man to crawl through.
The other men saw the opening, and We tried to
get out, hut found we could not reach the roof.
Meanwhile the water coming into the
through the floor and windows and was
rapidly rising It got up to point above
that the car had struck lotion and we felt safe.
There were no expressions of alarm by either of
us. We waited for the time being without max
ing an effort to get through the hole. but, when
everything came to a standstill we went to work
to rescue ourselves, which was accomplished by
lifting one man up to the roof and after he got
through he assisted another, and then the others
were helped out. After getting out we went to
the car behind, which was lying corner ways. out
OF which the passengers were crawling through
the windows This car was pitched down, and it
appeared as if more of the passengers must be
jammed on the lower end.
The cries were heartrending. Men and women
Some were crying piteously: "Oh, don't step on
me-" Get off, for my legs are broken; :" Help
up, do and all such cries and appeals. We as
sisted several ladies apt and got out % one Young
doing this, l was so thoroughly chilled through
that / became numb and had to give up.
Mr.. Elmer was about his regular
business yesterday, and ran on trains
back and forth to Tariffville. He wears
patch over cut on his temple.
The bridge was built by A. d. Briggs
& Co., of Springfield, Mass, in Decem-
Der, 1875. 1t is Howe truss with two
spans, each being 1853 feet long. There
seems to have been nothing wrong with
ha or Tka
they were broken off and splintered
are sound. The spans were long, but
some of the most experienced railroad
men agree that the accident was wholly
caused by the tremendous weight of
two engines passing over at the same
time. Both certainly weighed sixty
tons, and possibly more. One man,
who stood at the depot in Tarifville as
the train left there, noticed its make
up, and reports that he waited in sus-
pense to see whether it would pass over
the bridge safely, and, while he was
waiting. heard the crash, The suppo-
sition is that the supporting iron col
umns broke, causing the timbers to
snap. The bridge is elevated about
ten feet above the river at the pres
ent stage of water. is approached from
the east by an embankment, and from
the west by large trestle-work
across meadows. The first locomotive
had cleared the west span and entered
upon the trestle-work, when the entire
span gave way, breaking off imme-
diately east of heavy stone structure
In the center of the river. As the
structure gave way the first engine was
hurled violently over, imbedded in the
ground and completely wrecked. The
other engine and the baggage-car went
down with the wreck in an upright
position, and the side of heavy truss
fell over upon them. The first pass en-
ger car was whirled around and sank
to the bottom of the river, lying nearly
parallel with the stream. The second
passenger car went down end foremost
upon the first car, smashing the largest
portion into kindling-wood, the rear
end resting upon the bridge. The next
car occupied q similar position, but
swerved to the left, and did not rest up
on the car in front. None of the re-
naming coaches left the track.
The crash and cries of the wounded
and dying speedily brought assistance,
but the first-comers worked at a great
disadvantage. The cars had broken
through the ice, which made it difficult
to approach near enough to reach the
passengers.
The scenes on the relief-train were
heart-rending. In every car were men
and women with heads bandaged and
arms in slings. Some had been terri
bly, scalded. In one passenger-car
were the bodies of three women, and
in the baggage-car two more, just as
they had been taken from the wreck.
The Rev. Mr.. Thomas, of Winsted,
with both limbs fractured and severely
injured internally, crawled out of the
wreck, through the roof of car, to
the ice and then to shore.
Nearly all the dead were in the first
passenger car, which is almost COM
plete wreck, although one body was
taken from the second car this evening,
where it was found caught under bro
ken seat. Five young men from New
Hartford, among the killed, were of q
party of six who were on the platform
of car enjoying moonlight ride and
whistlins in chorus. The only survivor
of the six was inside at the time.