The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-02-17
AN APPALLING ACCIDENT.
A Depot Destroyed and Five Mem Instal
ly Killed.

ly Killed.
Buffalo correspondent, writing under date
of the 9Th inst, says: "Shortly after o'clock
this morning the arched roof of the old New
York Central Depot, on Exchange street,
over-weighted with accumulated snow and
weakened by the removal of former Offices
which had formed large portion of its sup
port, fell, burying number Of cars and human
beings beneath tangled mass Of iron, wood,
glass, snow, end brick. The st. Louis express
on the Central was three hours and half late.
The connecting train on the Lake Shore COM
posed of four cars, with the sleeper Meta,
stood upon the outer track. A Canada South
ern train had just hauled out, and only twenty
minutes before the day express on the Central
had borne eastward q large load Of living
freight. Switch engine No. 1877, Frank Schaef-
fer, engineer, was ON the middle track. Near
the other end of the new depot was q
train of fiat cars. On the track just out
side the south wall were some old-fashioned
passenger cars belonging to the Central.
Among the people known to be in the depot
just previous to the crash were Depot Master
Byron King, and John Reedy, Of Johnston
Brothers eating house, who stood near together
about the center of the building; Dewitt O. Glib
son, swftchman; E. M. Stevens and Robert
Barry, baggage-men; R. G. Smith, Passenger
Agent on the Lake Shorei p. J. Hartwig, Hem
~ Eckert D. s. Hubby and other employees.
ing for the Lake Shore train, and one or two
others believed to be lost, were standing in the
depot near the fiat cars. Coroner Scott had
just boarded the switch engine, and
was on the point of bidding goodbye
to Henry Walters Superintendent Tlling-
hasts Confidential Secretary, through whose
orders the engine had been placed at his
disposal, when sudden, hollow sound, as of
snow falling in mass from roof, was heard,
and Immediately the South wall, about sixty
feet from the new portion, began TO totter and
fall. Depot Master King succeeded in getting
beneath brick wall which held its position,
but his cap was torn from his head by the fall
| ing fragments. Smith ran into the vestibule
of the abandoned eating house, and escaped
| through the cellar. Walters, just behind him,
was caught by timber and held prisoner until
other portions of the falling roof crushed out
both life and human shape. The Lake Shore
train was buried from sight by the roofing ma
| terial. The switch engine was broken and
partly dismantled. An unsightly gap was
torn out of the wall of the beautiful
new waiting room, the fatal mass which
| had crushed the life out of Captain
| Byrnes The old cars on the track were TORI
| to pieces. The work of overhauling the ruins
| was Immediately begun by the fire department
and the employees of the railroad. The frs
| two bodies recovered were those of Captain
Byrnes and Henry Walters. Shortly after the
| workmen found the mangled body Of VIM
| Wells, clerk for Car Inspector Howe, Of the
Lake Shore Railroad. Two other bodies were
| found later. John II. Jackson, colored, wa
| in the closet of the waiting room, and i'm
| mediately ON hearing the crash smashed q win
dow and jumped into the street. He was fol
lowed by VIM. F. odell, agent Of the Wagner
| Sleeping Car Company. ]. Covey, who hal
charge Of the news stand, escaped through |
| window, in smashing the glass OF which he cu
| his hand severely.