The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-02-17
AN APPALLING ACCIDENT.


A Depot Destroyed aAd F1ve Men Instant
.- H Killed.
A Buffalo correspondent, writing under date
Of the sth inst, says: ''Shortly after O'Clock
this morning the arched roof of the old New
York Central Depot, On Exchange street,
ovsr-weighted with accumulated snow and
weakened by the removal of former Offices
which had formed large portion Of It's sup
port, fell, burying number Of cars and human
beings beneath tangled mass of iron, wood,
glass, snow, end brick. Tho 81. 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. Canada South
ern train had just hauled ont, and only twenty
minutes before the day express on the Central
had borne eastward 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 o
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 C. Glib
son, switchman; E. II. Stevens and Robert
Barry, baggage-men; r. G. Smith, Passenger
Agent on the Lake Shore; P. J.. Hartwig, Hem
ry Eckert, d. s. Hubby and other employees.
Half a dozen passengers were in the cars wait
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 u on the .,p point Of bidding good.bye
hast's Confidential Secretary, through whose
orders the engine had been placed at his
disposal, when . sudden, hollow sound, rs of
snow falling in mass from Q roof, was heard,
and Immediately the South wal, about sixty
feet from the new portion, began to totter and
fall. Depot Master King succeeded in getting
beneath a 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
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 unsighty 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 torn
to pieces. The work of overhauling the ruins
was Immediately begun by the fire department,
and the employees Of the railroad. The first
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, was
in the closet of the waiting room, and inn
mediately ON hearing the crssh smashed win
dow and jumped into the street. He was fol-
lowed by VIM. F. Odell, agent Of the Wagner
Sleeping Car Company. J. Covey, who has
charge Of the news stand, escaped through q
window, in smashing the glass 0f which he cut
his hand severely. 81