Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-24
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.
A Train on the Erie Railroad
Jumps the Track.
COACHES TURNED OVER AND OVER.
Cars Burned and Five Men Roasted
Alive.

Cars Burned and Five Men Roasted
Alive.
ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE REcoRD-usIosl
ELNIRA IN. ", January 23d.-Erie train
No. IL, from Buffalo, left Elmira last night
at II o'clock for New York The train con-
sisted of one postal car, one express car two
baggage cars and nine passenger coaches,
most of them Pullman sleepers. When FIVE
miles west of Owego, near Teoga. the center
of the driving wheel axIes of the locomotive
broke close up to the wheel, and the entire
train, going at the rate of thirty-fve miles
per hour, was thrown from the track. Tie
accident occurred where there was no en-
bankment. The engine kept its feet, the en-
gineer applying the air brakes as soon as he
felt the shock. The cars were stopped very
quickly, but the forward ones were turned
over and over two or three times, some going
on one side of the track and some on the
other. The engineer and fireman escaped
unhurt
FIVE MEN BURNED TO A CRISP.
The postal car contained four clerks. This
car almost instantly took fire and burned
like gun powder. The oil lamp used prob
ably exploded and added fuel to the fire from
the stove. Every man in the car was roasted
to crisp. The remains of one who weighed
over zoo pounds were gathered up and put
in small box. In the express car was mes
senger Henry E. Brewer, of Elmira. Ell
forts were made to relieve him, and hole
was cut in the side door Of the car SO that he
got his head out, but his legs were fastened
train men tried to pull him out, but the
flames drove them away. They saw his hair
and whiskers burned off, and then he put his
hand up to his eyes and fell back into the
flames. Five men in all were burned. No
passengers were injured. The men in the
postal car must have persisted very quickly,
as not sound came from the wreck except
the cracking of the flames. The names of
the dead are Joseph Redinger, mail agent /;
Henry G. Brewer, express agent of Elmira !;
mail agents Seybolt of Mount Hope, Iugra-
ham of Binghamton, and mail weigher Fox
of New York.
A PASSENGERS STATEMENT.
New York, January 23d.-The passengers
on the train wrecked at Tioga Station reached
New York tonight. Among them was
Henry q. Villas. of Cleveland, General
Manager of the South Shore line, one of the
passengersin the forward sleeping He said
to Tribune reporter: The crash occurred
at about five minutes of II, should think,
some time after had gone to bed. 1t was
very severe and I woke with start. Hastily
putting on my coat l rushed out and found
myself one of the first on the ground. At
once l began to look out for the unfortunate
people in the forward cars. The scene that
presented itself was terrible. The postal car,
which was directly behind the engine, had
been thrown into field at right angle to
the track, distance of nearly 100 feet, and
it was
SMASHED ALL TO PIECES.
Flames Immediately began to rise from it,
doubtless caused by the fire in the stoves and
the explosion of the kerosene lamps with
which the car was lighted, and in less than
i've minutes the whole car was in blaze,
which lighted up tbs bare fields around with
CHASTITY glare. It lay in heap under a
large elm tree, which soon took fire and was
enveloped in flames Nothing could be seen
at first of the mail clerks who had occupied
the car, and no sound was heard from them
but when the roof of the car caved in three
of the bodies could be distinctly seen hidden
up in one corner of the car, where it is sup
posed they were thrown and killed by
the first shock. The other body was found
in TIE opposite end of the car, and
all were so charred and blackened
that Identification was almost impossible.
The cars which followed the postal car were
not thrown from the roadway, but were
lying across the track in the utmost con-
fusion. The express. baggage and smoking
car were off the track, and the first caught
fire Immediately. The door to it was COM
pletely blocked by the express matter in the
car, and Brewer, the agent, was
IMPRISONED AMID THE FLAMES.
His cries attracted attention, and great
efforts were made to extricate him from his
terrible position, but in vain, and he was
burned before our eyes. The passengers
parts of the train, and were supplied
with shovels from the village. They tried
to extinguish the flames by throwing snow
upon the burning cars. They were soon
assisted by the arrival of the fire department
of Owego. The three forward cars were
burning at the same time, and soon afterward
the smoking-car began to blaze. One of
these had been occupied by the Alabama
negro minstrel troupe, the members of which
had been able to escape without any further
injuries than some severe scratches. This
car was lying on its side, and it was some
time before all got out. Baggage-master
Perry was found to have dislocated his arm,
and I assisted two other men in pulling
his arm into joint while he lay
on the snow. After this he worked
like a Trojan, and with the help of some
passengers he was able to save every piece of
The ceolness and good discipline
by the employees in the train was
1t was by their efforts that a |
serious panic was prevented. AS it was, all |
Tie passengers were at first much frightened, |
and many rushed from the cars half dressed (; |
but when they saw that the danger was over
hey became quiet, and were willing to lend |
their assistance in caring for those who were |
injured and in putting out the fire."
The Russians and Tekkes Further |