American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-11-22
The st. Charles Bridge DisaSter---StO-
ricS OF Survivors.
From the st, Louis Republican. Nov IoI


From the st. Louis Republican, Now lO.1
FRED DAyIS'S WONDERFUL ESCAPE.
Fred Davis, one of the stock men from
Malvern neighborhood, is young fellow j
years old, who had come down with tive
carloads of hogs for his father. At the tim,
Of the crash he was in he cabOOSe 4 little for
ward of the center. As he heard the crash
of the break and the falling of the cars in
front he SAYS he invountarily started to his
feet, but was immediately almost thrown
down by a violent succession of Jerks and
iolts following each other quickly. Then he
felt the front end of the car tilt down rs il
leaped out into the gulf and cleft its swift
flight through the air. He felt that the car
was falling, but the sensation was by no
means such as it would have been to Il man
who took the leap in the open air and in the
light of day. 1t was like 4 night-trip i'll Il
balloon when the darkness was sufficient
to prevent all sight of surrounding
/ objects. There was no contact with
any thing to arrest the fall until the final jolt
/ ut the bottom. II was n short trip, but il
seemed rather long nevertheless. As the car
/ plunged into the wreck and its fall was so
/ suddenly arrested, Davis was pitched vio-
/ lently into one corner of the front end along
with John Somers. who had been near him
| in the caboose. Davis was at first stunned
| by the conclusion, but on being eNtricated
was found to be but very slightly injured.
| He had several bad bruises about the body
and hips and all the wits pretty well knocked
I our OF nm Tor Inc lllne DclnR. ne ccOi
night air PLAYED in through the shattered
rents in the side of the and the rush of
i the current through the wreck could be
/ heard mingling with the strange sounds
that Immediately followed the accident
Davis, in his bewiderment, could
hardly comprehend what had happened
though he thinks that he did not entirely
| lose consciousness. He had been half asleep
when the crash began and w9s not thorough
| ly awake when il ended. 1t seemed a long
time that he lay there waiting for help to
come. and amid the squcaling of the hogs
and the swash of the water he had time to
stock business. At length, however, the
voices of the rescue party could be heard on
the bank. Gradually they came nearer, and
when they reached the car and forced their
way in he became conscious he would he
saved. He never really comprehended what
an experience he had had until the thing
was explained to him afterwards. He was
taken to the Gait House and kept perfectly
quiet until the effects of the shock had worn
off. He took the train for home yesterday
afternoon and has had an experience that he
can talk about to his children.
JOHN SOMERS's FALL.
John Somers, the man who was thrown
with Davis into the lower corner of the car,
is also from Malvern. He was interested
with Strahan in five carloads of cattle. He,
too, had been doing on a bench little for
ward of the center of the car. He Jared
much worse than his comrade, Davis, though
Il
zeal. His left leg was broken in two places,
and he had other severe hurts in the shape
of scratches and bruises, his face being pref
ty well battered up. He was taken up to the
Gait House soon as he could be removed
from the wreck, and is doing well. His
suffering was so great while conscious that
he cared little whether he lived or died.
a LEAP IN TINE.
One of the most interesting characters of
those in peril by the terrible accident Is Mr..
James NJ. Strahan of Malvern, Iowa, who is
President of the First National Bank of
the livestock trade. He, together with
Messrs. Wearen, Hyde, Somers and Davis,
owned the is cars of live stock, which they
intended to dispose of in the Buffalo, \. V,
livestock market. Mr.. Strahan is 80 wears
of age, tall, spare and gray-haired. When
met yesterday afternoon he was attired in
suit of gray clothing .nd looked very much
detected over the sad fate OF his companions
He stood down ut the wreck throughout the
day, and while the crowd laughed ut the res
cIIing of the hogs from the water he bore
about him Il quiet. dignitied air, glancing
now and then at the end of the high span up
on whose very edge he had last night tot
tered between life and death.
Yours was a very miraculous escape, Mr..
Strahan,' said the reporter.
VERY said the gentleman, pointing
with open hand TO the very two ties upon
which he had alighted when jumping from
the CHOOSE on Saturday night.
"Just how did it happen!'
81 was seated in the caboose looking out
Of the north door, when all at once | heard Il
rumbling noise ahead. Without all was
dark, but the crash sounded louder ahead.
In second an impulse took poSSessio of
me. That impulse was to jump; / could not
tell where, for it was so dark without that
could not see ~ yards ahead behind. |
jumped and landed on those two ties there
those two the first from the gap. | landed
with NV legs between the two-straddled
them. As sat there and before | could re-
gain my feet, ! saw the end of the caboose
going down with the rest and with terrible
crash. That was all-it was all done in a
moments time. So soon rs | could get up |
hurried back to the West End depot to tell
of the occurrence"
''Was the train moving at Il rapid gait at
the time!'
..No; i'm fact, think they were moving
slowly. This was the reason, think, Jared
so well and did not jump into the river in
stead of upon the trestle work"
Nv here were the others seated at the time
of the occurrences
"Upon both sides of me in positions from
whence they could scarcely have Jared rs
well as had they jumped. In fact, l think
il they had jumped after me they would
have gone into the river with the wreck"
Did they try to jump"
II couldn't say. The crash and the jump
and all were so sudden that l noticed moth
ing of their movements"
Who are the gentlemen who accompanied
YOU and We're killed."
Closeup Wearen the Vice-President
of the First National Bank at Malvern. and
a prominent livestock dealer; Mr.. Hyde
was also engaged in the livestock traffic"
As Mr.. Strahan answered these questions
and told his story, he still kept his eye upon
the ties which had saved his life. How he
jumped off the and upon these ties with
out falling into the river is mystery to him
rs well as to all others to whom he has re-
lated the story. His jump was made before
the upper truss span reached, and upon
the trestlcwork, which has no side-rails
or.any thing else to prevent any one who
might happen to fall from the top Of a train
from falling into the river. If he had made
any thing of jump he would have gone over
the side, but as good luck would have it he
made very short jump and saved his life
thereby.
THERE was an interesting event in
the family of Jones 4 month ago at Oil
City, and one day last week Jones told
the furniture man to take Il cradle to his
house. On the same day this order was
given, Il wedding took place in the
house adjoining Jones's residence, and