The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-05-19
A TERRIBLE PLUNGE,

A .. a o. r. y, Engine With Tive Loaded
Cars, Fall Through u Bridge lnt0
wheeling CFeek-1he Engineer Goes
DoWn with the Trails, huI Escapes with
HIS LIEe-A RFRkemAn's AdVsHiuFe-
RuII Particulars Of Yesterdays Awful
Wreck,
At nearly o'clock yesterday afternoons
sharp crack, like the simultaneous explo
sion Of Ia thousand rifles was heard in the
OF the B. 4 O. railroad depot
1t was plainly dlscernibls for many blocks
around and in two minutes after 1t occur
red hundreds Of people were running in
the direction, each iuquiring as they went,
the cause OF the noise. An ISTRLLIoENCER
reporter was soon on the ground and
found whole section Of truss bridge
over the creek, leading to the freight
depot, in the stream below, and on top OF
1t o miscellaneous mass OF car wheels,
wood and locomotive machinery mixed up
with dozens Of broken barrels Of flour, the
cOntsntso OF which had largely strewn itself
over the wreck and the surrounding water,
As soon as the terrible smash.up oc
CURED the whole depot and yard force APP
psared on the scene, and instantly re-
allzing the possible loss Of human life
provided means Of relief, Freight Boss
Jack shrodss was tho first on the wreck.
He instantly rushed to the beach below,
carefully picked his way around the pro
lscting rocks on the abutment oil the
arched wall there and sprang on the
wreck. A camel.bAck engine, No. 1876
with tender and two cars had gone down
On the former, Mr., shrodes knew, was the
engineer, named Thomas CLARK, and 1t was
10 rescue him dead or alive that took him
down. Lining the verge OF the place
where the bridge had been, peered down
hundreds OF anxious and curious faces,
and as Mr.. Shrodes climbed over TO where
the cabin oil the engine just showed q
corner above the water, which Ia ten OF
twelve feet deep at this point, man
named Logson, who works at the River
aide Mill, called out, II see his hand I'M
der the water" and excitedly pointed to q
spot where bubbles OF air assembled to the
surface. At the same moment Mr.,
Shrodes discovered the hand, and
as he says, heard the imprisoned man
trying to extriCate himself from hit
watery prison, The hand was Immediately
seized and others coming to the rescue
among them VIM. Hustled, OF the Pewiky
road, soon had the unfortunate man oul
and into BkiG. He was rapidly rowed
ashore and placed In wagon to be taken
TO his home, but he suffered 80 much on
the way that he was carried into Carna
hans shoe store below Twenty.seCond
street, where matrass was procured and
he was stretched on II. He was then car
ried to his house, No, 2055 Market street
by several Of the B, 4 o, ySrdmen and {
couple Of engineers.
Dr.. Harvey had been Immediately sum
moned aud was at Clark's home tetore ht
got there and had things properly arranged
Tor his reception. An examination o.
OIark's injuries was then made. He re
remained entirely conscious from the tint
Of the accident until after the physiCian'i
examination, but was evidently In much
pain and complained greatly OF q terrible
pain In his side. Doctor Harvey said
after having examined CLARK, that unlssi
there was some internal injuries he wal
but little hurt. No bones were broken
and beyond slight cut In oneside he wa
not deiaCed 0 particle and had no bTuissl
ON his person. His escape seems hardly
less than miracle.
Yesterday was q busy day In the ireigh
department OF the road. Heavy cars had
been constantly shifted over the bridge
and at noon yard man named Williams
said he had heard the bridge crack, anC
reported the fact, but no attention wa
paid 10 the matter at the time. The en-
CINE which met the catastrophe was en-
gagged In shifting 0 car load Of flour, o.
1876 barrels and car OF bulk
wheat from one siding 10 another. The
flour was second grade quality, and had
been sent down that morning on the ra
ging Hempheld, by RencOmer 4 Co., o.
Oaysville. and Conslgned to a Baltimore
house. The wheat was from Nickel 4
Co., OF West Alexander, and was also con
signed for the same city. The engine
faced the forward car, which contained
the wheat, and lie tender was In front
Just as the latter approached the middle
on It's way out from the depot pier, thl
bridge gave way, 1t 10 presumed, about II
the centre. The rear car, containing thu
-four, was on terra frma at the time
but the thirLy.seven ton engine and thu
loadened car ahead, dragged It over thu
brink with almost lightning.like rapidly
A second after the bridge gave way TIL
rear car turned completely over In It's de
scent, covering almost entirely the from
car and the engine. Three seti Of wheel
were thrown against the bank, and are al
so upside down. A more complete Of
trightiul looking wreck can hardly be i'm
imagined and the generally expressed won
derment was, how In the world did the
engineer escape instantaneous death2
Fortunately no fireman was on thu
engine when the awful crash occurred
But q brakeman was on the rear car at thC
time and his escape is almost as inCred
ible as that Of the engineer. An INTELLI
dBNCRR man interviewed him on the sub
ject shortly after the excitement had par
TALLY cooled down. He was then pale al
the thought OF the horrible death he hAC
escaped and he shuddered visibiy as hC
peefed over the broken ends Of the plank
that lined the view into the creek below
Referring TO his work on the train he SAID
that they had been shifting cars all day
and that he was on the last car oil the
wrecked train. " had heard about the
bridge cracking but did not think any
thing about II any more iii just
as I was going 10 signal to back
II heard an awful crack as though
train Of nitro glycerine had blown
up. was looking OF the engine
and Just as soou as the bridge gave way
the engineer bowed the whistle, and
saw him grab the reverse bar. It couldn't
have been the hundreth part Of q second
from the time l heard the bridge crack
ell | saw the tender seem 10 stand on end
and fold up with the locomotive, the nrsI
car Join and then the second one, the one
was on Join the rest, and then the deaf
ening plunge into the creek. But In thai
time, short as II was, and while the real
car was being dragged over faster than
any car ever travelled on rail before,