The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-01-25
RAILWAY WRECK.
The Accident Near Tarfffville, Ct.-Some
Details of the Calamity.

4
A Hartford ct. dispatch giving par
ticulars of the terrible railroad disaster
near that city says: Over 500 residents
of Winsted, Canaan, Salisbury, and
other places in the western section of
the State had visited the Moody and
Sankey revival meeting, and embarked
for home after services, leaving Hart
ford by a special train of eleven
cars and two locomotives. The
party had enjoyed rare feast OF
religious communion with the great
evangelists, and little did they imagine
the fearful catastrophe so close at hand.
! There was no Misunderstanding to lead
to apprehension. Crossing the Farm
ington river bridge, one mile from Tariff
vile, the train was just entering upon
the trestle-work stretching across the
meadows when an omihOus crash was
heard ahead of the train. The west
span, 100 feet long, on the Howe truss
principle, had yielded to the overweight
of two engines, and, parting near an
abutment, caved into the stream, crush
ing through six inches of ice with which
it was covered. The first engine cleared
the woodwork of the bridge proper, and,
turning over, landed bottom up, ire
trievably damaged. It's mate went
down, enwrapped in the wreck of the
bridge, both landing upon solid ground,
but the baggage-car crashed through the
ice into six feet of water, and deposited
its dozen occupants in the icy food,
mixed mp with the myriad of splinters
into which the woodwork was shattered.
The first passenger-car was next crushed
to half size. Swinging around at right
angles, into it's weakest spot. the side,
came like catapult the heavy front
platform of the next car, the rear end of
which remained upheld against the
central pier of the bridge. The
fourth car, striking its predecessor,
swung off diagonally, and pitched
head-foremost into the chasm.
This ended the crash, for the remaining
cars were saved from going off by the
ends of the two cars resting against the
pier as described. In a moment the
shrieks Of women and groans of men
rang out upon the piercing cold air
the shrieks of crushed, mangled beings,
struggling to obtain release from the
meshes into which the shock had hurled
them in the ends of the overturned cars.
Ihe unhurt hastened to help the endan-
gered, and additional aid came from the
villagers of Tariffville, who were aroused
by the noise of the crash. A merciful
Providence preserved the passengers
from the usual terrible feature of fire
originating from lamps and stoves, but the
occupants of the first two cars were
brought face to face with death
by drowning, as the cars forming their
prisons settled gradually down in the
water and sand. Measures for relief
were well organized by a few lead
ing spirits, and coon the workers hewed
and tore away timbers with will until,
In less than two hours, every car was
cleared of its living occupants, the
wounded being borne away to the river
bank on sledges hastily improvised from |
saplings and car-cushions, and thence to
the genial warmth of the cars which |
had remained on the track, and where
friends were ready to minister to their
needs. kilograms we're dispatched to
Hartford and Winsted for aid, and
special trains arrived soon after,