The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-01-17
RAILWAY HORROR.
PARTICULARS OF THE ACCIDENT
AT TARRIFFSVILLE.
Breaking Ofa Rotten Bridge-Passen-
ger Train Precipitated Into
the Water BelOw-The
Killed and Wounded.

accident III lafflusElIIe ocCuFleu as tho
trestle bridge crossing the Pennington
river, Just west of the village. The train
was bound for Milerton, and carried
passengers for all stations between this
city and that place, who came in to al
tend the Moody and Ssnkey meeting.
Two engines, baggage snd three passen-
ger coaches went down on the western
end of the bridge, the engines touching
the shore, three cars breaking through
the ice in three feet OF water,
and one car resting on the end
of one of the piers. Seven bodies
were recovered at 2 A. NJ, and others
were believed to be in the wreck.
Among those are Mrs. B. Carnlsu, Miss
Minnie Allen, daughter OF Henry Allen;
two Misses McCarger, al OF Wlnstedi !
one woman and two men Eot Identified.
Miss Janet Warner, OF Csnasn, and Mr..
Uri Whiting, of Winsted, are missing.
1t is almost certain that there are other
bodies which have not been recovered.
The more seriously wounded were Kew.
w. H. Thomas, Methodist pastor, OF
Winsted. both legs broken and side IN
iured; engineers Frsuer and Patch, OF
Hartford, Conn, badly scslded,
the latter probably fatally injured;
w. A. Pinney, of Witsted, head and
right side; Frederick Hotchkiss, of Can
ton, ribs broken; Dwight Case, Burkol-
stead, head and ribs; j. Q. Riggs, Nor
folk, leg broken. There are large num-
Der of persons less seriously hurt. The
wounded may be numbered al forty.
Special trains from Winsted and Hart
ford bearing surgeons, reached the scene
at and 1:30 A. NJ. The factory AID
church bells were rung and the citizens
rallied, doing sll that was possible. The
bodies were taken on plsnks or sleds
across the Ice to the TsrifviIle side.
The wounded and dead were mostly put
on the Hartford special train. Some
were left at Tarifivile and Hartford and
a train took the rest round by PLAIN
vile On the FishkIlle and canal road TO
New Hartford on the western road.
HARTFORD, CT, January l6.-The
work on the wreck OF the train 81 Tar
itf.yille continues. So far the number OF
dead bodies recovered are as follows:
VIM. and +. L. Gilman. brothers, Ben
i.min Giitz George Pinuey, Henry
Murray, al OF Hartford, Howard +.
Warner, ticket sgert, Mrs. B. Carmsn,
Miss Allen, and two sisters named Nc
Csrger. all Of WInsted. +. HotchkIss,
Of Canton, VINO was seriously Injured, ls
doing well. Twenty of the wounded
have gone home. Many of the missing
persons are from places west OF the
break, not yet in communication.
1t is thought that most OF them Will ts
hesrd fr n. One car still lies IN the
river an several bodies are supposed to
be IN it. Two other cars lie head down
IL the river, resting on the bridge. The
passeng gers climbed up out OF these. The
baggage car, with Conductor Elmer and
three others IN it, broke in two IN The
fall and all escaped. George Z. Hatch,
one Of the engineers, died this morning.
Several of the etd show cuts and
bruises, bat most of them weOe drowned
or were sutiocated by steam from the
heaters in the cars. The Railroad Com
missloners examined the bridge two
months ago and pronounced itsste. They
will hold M investigation st once.
Latest from the Scene of the Acci.
dent.
The latest sdvices from the scene Of
the railroad disaster last evening, and
trom the places where the wounded were
taken, place the number OF dead 81
thn teen. 1t Is possible that more may
be found in the wreck.
T. NJ. Elmer, tho conductor. thus de-
scribes the accident; | mad been in
the mail compartment IN the baggage
car, where | left Mr.. Jones, the superIG-
tenden:, asserting letters. | hsI started
to 90 through the train, and had just 60,
BY the front door Of the baggage car and
was about TO open 1t when felt the
rear end setting and hesrd loud crssh.
Ny hand WAS almost on the dooE-knob.
Close by, in the corner OF the car 10 my
right, WAS the stove, in which there WAS
n very hot fire. My first thought va;
to get away from the FIRE so as not
10 be burned The rear OF the
car went down little and settled, and
then the whole car dropped down with
but little pitching on the side and struck.
had Jumped back from the door and
was few seals bsck close 10 the window
when the car brought up, and just ss 1t
struck nesvy beam ieil down on the
roof aud came through, striking me on
the hesd, knocking me down ana cutting
me on the temple. / wss stunned by
the blow, but soon saw Whist the situS-
ton Was. There were three other me-
in the car, s!l passengers, whom | old
net know. II Was very dark IL the car
so that | could see nothing excepting
the light which came through the hole
in the roof msde by the beam, snd large
enough tor man 10 crawl through.
The other men saw the opening snd We
tried 10 get out, but We found We could
not reach the roof. In the meantime
the water wss rising rapidly IL the car.
Ii go. up 10 point sbeye our waists and
then stopped When We knew me car
had struck the bottom We fe.t sster.
There were 40 expressions of slsrm by
snv Of Us. We waited for time with
out making sny effort 70 get out through
the hole, ba! when everything hsd come
- \ stsndsijll We weat 10 work 70 resCue
oursolves, which wss done by lifting one
man Lp 10 the root, and after be got
through he assisted another snd then al
other, snd 20 on until We were 81 helped
ont. After getting out We went 10 the
car behind. which was Wing cUruerwise,
from which the people were crsvling By
the windows This car was pitched
down, and il appeared 81 # more OF the
2ssse gers must be jammed II the lower
end. The cries of the men snd women
were hesrt-rending. many Of whom sp-
pesred 10 b. suffering from extr enc
pain. Some were crying pI;eous.y: ~
don't step or mel "Gst of; my legs
sre broken Help Us, dol" and slI
such cries sDd appeals We sided several
lsdieS out, aEd got out one yOung man
who WAS up 10 his neck in wsIer. After
doing this ass 50 thoroughly chilled
through tha: became numbed and hsd
70 give up
Mr.. Eimer VAS sbOut bis regular
business YESTERDAY, and ran OF the trains