Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-09-22
The Baden Railway Accident.

The Baden Railway Accident.
\ correspondent OF The London TmrS
writes under date frcblIrg. Sept. &:
The railway system of Germany is 50
carefully organized. the palcrnal care of
passengers everywhere So evident the trains
50 SLOW. that n catastrophe such rs that
which latr Y happened at Iugstctten. in
Baden. Il catastrophe in which 20 persons
lost their lives. and llO were more or less
dangerously injured. callscS II shock all the
more painful from its rarity. As in England
50 IL seems in Germany. it is the excursion
isis who are the unfortunate victims Of these
terrible .t""rpnS in railway travelling: il was
i'll tli, case, ;S in that which happened al
heidelberg. III excursion train that was the
sufferer. The plca-ulc-Scckcrs were from
COlmar-a wcIl-knoWn cotton manufacture
ing town in Alsacc-- and from Munster near
ii III the foot Of the Nosgcs in number be-
tween POO and 300. who left their homes
| OH the Sd Of September. a bright but sultry
sunday. i'll the highest of spirits. to enjoy Il
pleasant holiday among their Baden neigh
! bors across the Kline. III the picturesque old
! town of Erciburg, and the outskirts of the
Black Forest. The long train wthits doom
ed ! POO set out from Frciburs or its return
journey at SID p. m. but not until Il storm,
almost without warning, had broken with
unusual severity, with lightning flash
cs almost unintcrmittcnt with binding
wind-drivcn rain right in liz path. 1t had
! proceeded safely four miles or So the pas
Seugcrs. most of them Of the lower classes
| singing III chorus aS GcrmanS ever do on oc-
caSions of enjoyment, many, too. owing to
copiouS 'Schoppcn' of Manchester lrowsilv
/ L. = 'y1. II.
was approaching the little village of Hug
Stetten when Il quivcr. Il wrench, i crashing
of wood and iron and glass. and the engine
was OFT the lire, ploushinS ito way for
20 feet in the boggl ground and the train
! of 2S carriage was Il wreck. The front car
riagcs were buried with their closely pack
ed living freight under those immediately
| behind them. and none but the last three
were unnjrred. Horror for the first few
moments caused terrible Stiffness and then
arose cries and .roans and shrieks. answer
cd by thunder. lightning. and bowling
Storm-a dreadful scene. Forty dead and
more than 100 wounded We're recovered
from the wreck during the awful night. and
conveyed TO Freburg The marshy flood
ed ground, the continued rain. the flicker
ing light of the torches, the mproviscd
StrctchcrS with the killed. the wounded W.
the general dismay. formed IL terrible pic.
turc only too real. When day broke ii was
| found that the engine had COM
plclcly left the line. and was stick
ing mud-bcSpattrred. but upright and TO
all appearance uuinurcd. nearly onc-half
its height embedded in the marsh and
parallel with the direction "f The line: that
the II carriages next To il were totally
| wrecked. the Splincrs lying about in all Ill
rrctlons. and the next six carriages in fam
| tastic positions. most ul them On end, and
all the others except three al he end of the
! train more ur less damaged. The way was
much torn up and damaged. and the rails
themselves twisted So ;iS to very nearly form
the arc of Il Scm-circlc. BY good fortune
| there WAS where the accident took place no
| cmbankmcnt 10 speak OF. the descent Of the
injured carriages by the side of the rails be-
ing not more than Il foot or two. 1t is II
! fortunate circumstance. too. that the line is
single. and thus the possibility Of another
train running into the debris was avoided.
As To the cause Of the accident nothing is
known with any certainty; but there are
several circumstances which may eventually
throw some light upon it. The lightning
struck the telegraph wires, and it was be-
licved that 4 pole becoming detached from
them was blown across The line 50 as to
cause the engine to leave the rails. for
only Il short time before an ordinary
train had passed the spot safely in IN op-
postc direction. Then, again the locomo-
tive used was of the kind used for luggage
trains. and this train ut the time of the ac-
cldent was going at q much higher speed
than was usual on that descent from F'rei-
burg: and 1t is also asserted that the driver
left Freiburg drunk: also. the violent rain
~ hn, Il ~ ~
the way in the by no means firm ground
that lay beneath. But whatever the cause.
the results are very real and very awful.
Seldom has such Il scene of carnorc and
trlShttul mutilation been witnessed as was
presented in the anatomy and hospital
" buildings III frclburg on Monday and Tues
day. Seventy-onc dead bodies. some of
+ them dlSlgured past recognition 104 wound
eu. among whom the surgeons laboured
V without any rest for two whole davs amid
the most hcartrending cries: fathers and
: mothers and young children on the floor
and the tables and chairs. One BODY of :.
: man lay in the room of the dead with fear
c fully distorted teatures:eycs noes. mouth and
c ears filled and dripping with blood: his left
Il Il foot wrenched oil and thrown back under his
y knee. Near him was one with his breast crusb-
$ ed to jelly. his head dashed to pieces and his
hands spasmodicallv clasped then an official of =
y higher standing with peaceful expression then
4 white-haircd old man who had lost both arms
another, whose skull was completely crushed be.
hind and seemed ilattened: and many more to,
: horrible to mcntion-almost all with distorted
features. as if crying for help sutiocating. one
: curious result of this accident illustrating like
the straw, the undercurrent of fcen. between tho
alSatlans and Germans is that there are people il
y Colmar- which is more than half Il French towI
still. who entertain suspicion that the catastro
pho was caused by the authorities: and rs Il Bauer
woman was heard to say in the markct-placc the
. Freiburg.' But this of course must bc taken TO,
what ii is worth 1t certainly is most unfortunat,
that such accident should have bcfallen the frs
:, excursion that has come from Colmar and il:
neighborhood across the Rhine. when the authori
ties in COlmar eagerly nromotel the idea aud tins,