The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-10-13
(Condensed from the New York Herald,


half-past 10. forty minutes behind its
schedule time. The deplorable results
| which followed are due to this fatal DELAY.
The train was composed Of fourteen cars
seven Wagner seepers, four passenger
| coaches, and three mail and baggage-cars.
Next TO the mail-car was an emigrant and
second class car, nearly filled with passen.
gers. The train attained high rate OF
speed after leaving Detroit to make up
the lost time, and, when near Jackson,
at siding slight dowr-grade accelerated
the speed, which at that time was not less
than forty miles an hour Here 4 switch
engine, whose driver was working upon the
| main track, taking advantage OF the time
| of the supposed delayed express, was en-
countered with the most appalling effect.
The two engines were in q twinking re-
| duced to the most complete wreck that it is
possible to imagine, a hopeless and undistin-
suiShabie mass OF broken and twisted metal.
The tender OF the express engine had tee-
scoped into the baggsge-car, which in turn
was forced into the mal-car. These crowd
ed the first passcnger-coach to the right on
the embankment and crushed back into the
two following coaches. o..
The list OF the killed and wounded fol-
lows here. Among the latter was Willie
Rice, OF Philadelphia, aged four years; leg
broken and face cut; recovery doubtful.
His father, mother. and sister were killed.
SAD SCENES AT THE WRECK.
The scene which followed the collision
was terrible. When the baggage-car came
in contact with the tclescoped coaches there
was heap OF bruised, bleeding, and dying
human beings, whose means and cries OF
distress filled the air. Mutilatcd bodies OF
the dead could be seen among the debris OF
the wrecked coaches. Under the shapeless
mass which was once the express engine
were the bodies Of the engineer and fireman,
which were eXtricated Is soon as possible.
Death to them and many of the other vic
Tins must have been instantaneous. The
engineer and fireman Of the switch. engine,
seeing their peril in time, leaped from their
places and escaped injury. The latcncss Of
the hour and the darkness Of the night reu-
dered the work OF eXtricating the victims
necessarily a slow and tedious one, but
scores OF ready hands were actively en-
gagged in doin" all that could be done under
the distressing circumstances. Many try
ing and touching incidents occurred, and
many acts OF heroism were recorded.
PASIC-sTRICKEN PASSENGERS.
William Murchie, OF Inverness, Canada,
was in the first coach, second seat from the
women in the coach. and he helped them to
get out before he realized the extent Of the
smash-up. Mrs. K. J. Warren, Of Ganges,
Allegan county, with her son, who is thir-
teen years old, was in the second coach.
She was on her way home from the State Of
New York, where she bad been visiting for
several weeks. They occupied seats on the
side CT the coach that was so badly smashed,
the boy lying asleep on 4 seat in front OF
his mother. When she heard the crash, and
saw the side OF the car come crushing in to-
ward her, she involuntarily leaned over to-
ward her sleeping boy, and in this position
she was held until eytricated.
SAD CASE.
The saddeSt case which came under my
observation was that OF Willie Rice, fair
haired and bright-eyed little boy, four years
of age, whose father and mother and sister
were all killed. He was found casped in
his dead mothers arms, and 50 fastened in
the wreck that it took three hours with
axes and other implements to eXtricate him.
His left leg was broken and his left arm and
chin badly cut. His family lived in Phila-
delphia, and were on their way to some
point in the West.
Mrs. George a. Jones. Of Chalado, Pa,
was on her way to Nebraska to join
her husband, who recently moved there.
She had with her her family, consisting OF
five children. OF these little girl. eigh-
teen months old, was killed instantly, and
the mother never saw her after the accident.
One OF the other children sustained slight
confusion in the head.
NONE OF TIE sLEEPING-CARS INJURED.
The track, where the accident occurred,
passes through somewhat deep cut. and
the road is OF course completely bockaded.
The mornin" eastward-Gound express was
obliged to cross over to the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern railroad, and reached
Detroit Ci0 Monroe many hours late. One
of the most miraculous facts in connection
with the accident was that none in the
sleeping cars were in the least injured. While
it seems Impossible that such Il collision
could occur without resulting in general
ruin to the entire train.
The investigation into the cause and re-
sponsi5Iity for the accident is now going
on, and the facts so far elected place it be-
tween the ynrd-ma>ter, the telegraph opera
tor, and The engineer Of the sWitch.cnsine.
HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED.
The Michigan Central officials have eN-
amined the different yard employees on
duty last night at Air Line Junction, where
the sTitch-engine was placed on the main
tIHCh. IL appears lHAl tIe Iletl cH!1'Scu
in making up lre@ht-train at the east
end Of the yard went to the telegraph Of
fee at the Junction and got Information
that the Pacific express was nearly fifty
minutes late. C0lwel, the yard-master, re-
ported to Jones, the engineer Of the switch
engine, that they had forty-fve minutes OF
the Pacitic'S time in which to make up the
freight-train, and it was in this work they
were engaged when the collision occurred.
STATEMENT OF THE ENGINEER.
Robert Il. Jones, engineer or the switch
engine, testified rs follows: Ny engine was
standing in front OF the switchman's shan
". and Mr.. Colweil, the yard.master, came
m TO me and said, "Thcre are some cars Ill
the other end OF the yard, we must 60 up
there and get them; my work is on the
nortll-side switch; the SoutG-slde Switch
man asked me to switch some ears over TO
his side; said would not 20 on the naia
track, as the Pacific express was due;
a freight had Just come in from the East. on
the express trains time: the swltch2an
asked the train-men how much the
express WAS late; they answered
twenty minutes, and I said, ga stay
right here, for it's time for them il they are
only twenty minutes late"; Yard-master
Coiwell Just then appeared, and sald'
q. Bob, l want you to throw these cars
over" and l replied that woa!d not DO
it. Colwell asked, s'Why won't you ~ L
said, "Pacifc is late''; he said, You
have plenty Of time, for they are forty-hve