The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-01-24

| HARTFORD, Conn, January l6.-Wors
at the wreck of the Connecticut western
trains at 1ariforille, continues. The relic
train has just returned to this city. So far
the dead bodies recovered are as follows
VIM. and r. Gilman brothers, Il. Giltz
Geo. Pinney, Henry Murray, all OF New
| Hartford, being parry OF young men
Howard T. Warner, Mrs. Benj. German
Miss Minnie Alien, daughter of Henry Al
len, two sister. NcCargrr, all of Winsted
| Fred ilotchkiss, of Canton, fatally injured
Ten or more ire wounded in the houses in
i'arifiorilIe, doing well. Twenty wounded
ave gone home. Many missing persons
are from places west OF the break and are
not Vet in communication with Hartford,
though most oil .hem have been heard from.
| One car lies in the river still.
| SEVERAL BODIES
are supposed TO he in it, Two other cars
| lie down in the river, resting on the bridge
! a I'd the passengers climbed up out of them
! The baggage ear, with conductor Elmer and
three Others, broke in two, in the fall and
all escaped. Geo. Z. Hitch, the engineer,
died this afternoon. Several of The dead
show cuts aud bruises but most of them
were drowned or were suffocated by steam,
caused by the heaters In the cars. The
Railroad Commissioners examined the
bridge two months ago and pronounced it
safe. They will hold an investigation AT
once.
The latest advices from the scene OF the
railroad disaster last night, and from places
where wounded We're taken, place the num-
Der OF dead at thirteen. Ii i, possible more
may be found in the wreck. L. NJ Elmer,
conductor,
THUS DESCRIBES THE ACCIDENT.
had been in the mail compartment in
the baggage car, when left Mr.. Jones, su-
perintendant, asserting tickets, had start
I'd TO go through the train and had got
Just by the front door of the baggage car,
and was about to open it when 1 felt the
rear end settling, 1 heard loud crash
my hand was almost on the door knob
close by in the corner of the car,
10 my right, was the stove in
which there was a very hot fire. My first
thought was to get awaSDf ON the fire, so
as not to be burned. The rear end Of the
car went down Il little and settled aid then
the whole ear dropped down, with but very
little pitching, ON one side and | had
jumped back from the door and was few
seats back close TO the window when the
car brought up just as it struck. The heavy
timber fell
DOWN on THE ROOF,
and came through, striking me on the head,
knocking me down and cutting me on the
temple. / was stunned by the blow, but
soon saw what the situation was. There
were three other men in the car, all passen-
gers, whom | did not know. Ii was very
dark in the car so that ! could see moth
ing excepting streak Of light which came
through hole in the ROOF, made by beam,
and large enough for
MAN TO CRAWL THROUGH.
The other men saw the opening and we
tried TO get out, but found we could not
reach the roof; meanwhile the water was
coming into the ear through the floor and
windows, and was rapidly rising. 1t got
up 10 point above our waists and stopped,
when We knew that the car had stuck the
bottom, and then We felt safer. There
was no expressions of alarm by either OF us.
WE WAITED FOR THE TINE BEING,
without making an effort to get out
through the hall, but when everything
came TO standstill We went to work to
lifting one man up TO the roof, and after
he got through he assisted another and
then Others were helped out After getting
out we went 10 the car behind. back off
the one which was lying corner-ways. out |
of which the
PASSENGERS WERE CRAWLING |
through the windows of this car, which was |
pitched down, and it appeared as ii more
OF the passengers must be damned on the !
lower end. The cries were heartrending Of |
the men and women, many Of whom ap- |
peared TO be suffering from extreme pain. |
Some were CRYING piteously, "oh, don't step |
on me, get off, for my legs are broken
"help Us, do" and all such cries AMI ap !
peals. We assisted several ladies out. and |
got out one young man, who was up to
HIS CHIN IN WATER.
After doing this was 80 thoroughly chilled |
that became numb and had to give up" |
Ir. Elmer was about his regular business |
Yesterday and ran on the train back and |
forth TO Tariffville. lie wears patch over |
the cut on his temple
The bridge was built by \. ID. Briggs Il |
Co, Springfield, Mass. completed in De |
cember 1870. Ii Is Howe truss with two |
spans each span being 1913 feet long
There seems to be nothing wrong with the
structure. The timbers where they were
bro en- off and splintered are sound. The
spans were long, but some OF the mot
experienced railroad men agree the acct
dent was wholly caused by the tremendous
weight Of two locomotives passing each
other at the same time, both certainly |
weighed sixty tons and possibly more. One
man who stood at the depot at Tariffrille
as the train left there noticed it make up
and reports he waited in suspense to see
whether it would pass over the bridge in
safety, and while he was wairisg he heard
a crash. The supposition is that support
ing iron rods broke, causing the timbers 10
sUaD.