Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-06-30

ton, variable winds, generally from east tc
south, nearly stationary temperature ..nd
lower barometer. For Tuesday Slightly
warmer, generally fair weather is indicated
RAILROAD ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ESCAPE OF PAssENGERs--Ea yestcr-
day morning considerable excitement and
anxiety was produced in this city by dis
patches received from Lynchburg announe-
ing the startling fact that passenger train
No. 50 on the Virginia Midland Railway
had plunged through the james river bridge,
near that place. All sorts of rumurs; were
rife, no two alike, and the anxiety continued
until railroad officials relieved The same
considerably by stating that though tho
main facts of the accident were correct, no
one was killed, and those injured neither
mortally nor dangerously.
IL appears that as passenger train No. 81,
which left this city ut LOS Saturday night,
was approaching the bridge across the
James river, one mile and s-half north of
Lynchburg, about $50 yesterday morning,
the engineer, Mr.. William Moore, of this
city, when two miles north of the bridge,
applied the air brakes 70 check The rapid
speed Of the train, but they refused to work
- The train rushed on tho bridge, and the
smokiug and passenger cars leaving The
track, tore loose the girders aud plough
sd up the flooring, through which the
I'VE Pullman sleeping Cars plunged into the
river, while the passenger coach next to
them was thrown across The track, where ii
balanced itself As if by the h;,nd of Prov
idence, the trucks of the sieercrs broke
loose from the body Of the cars, which
allowed these to float long enough TO
afford an opportunity for the rescue of the
passengers from drowning. Nearly all Of
them were in their bcrths asleep ii the time
the accident occurred, and it seems almost =
miracle that of all the passengers not one
was killed, and but one slightly injured.
The cars slowly sank into the water Il depth
of ten feet. Conductor VIM. King, Of this
city, who was on the platform OF one of the
cars, was thrown into the river and, al
though he had one rib broken, swan to
the cars and helped the passengers through
the windows. Most OF the passengers were
taken out through holes cut in the ventlla-
tors at the top of the cars, to which the
water finally reached. There were about 20
passengers in the sleepers. After the water
had covered the top of the windows Mrs. j
:. Farden pushed her two months-old child
through window, and held it above the
water until rescued, and then she came out
the same way. The passengers were all
cared for at the Lynchburg hotels, and
who, while suffering intense pain from his
injury, worked so hard in rescuing them
from their drowning position. All the pas.
sengers were badly shaken up, and several
ladies were Frustrated by the shock. One
of the brakemen was badly cut about the
head. L. Eusley, a commercial traveller for
q Baltimore coffee house, WAS slightly in
iured. Charles NJ. Blackboard, of Lynch
burg, and c. L. Holland, of Danville, both
HGiprs of the road, were on the tram, and
valuable aid in rescuing the pas.
One span of the bridge is com-
iecked
jwho have arrived here from the
;. the accident, after careful investl-
ga;,on, attribute the cause of the accident
to the rapid rate of speed at which the train
was running around the sharp curve i'll the
track on the James river bridge, which, they
think, caused the trucks to become detach-
ed from the cars Upon running on the
bridge the trucks, being derailed, ploughed
uD the flooring of the former, though which
the sleepers plunged. No blame is attached
to any of the train hands, the accident nav
ing been caused by circumstance over
which no one could have had the slightest
control. The accident has developed hero
in the nerson of Conductor William King,
who is one of the most courteous employees
of the Virginia Midland Railway. Mr.. King
was on the platform of one Of the sleepers
and went down with them distance OF
thirty feet into the deep river, sustaining
fracture of one rib and other injuries. De
spite this he quickly rallied and was one
If the leaders in rescrling forty passengers
I'm watery graves Such herosm under
s,,.,, circumstances is worthy OF special
o",nn,, ndation, and will doubtless elicit the
I,s.r,, - xognition of the rescued as wen as
the company which MIR. King SO '"''n'''iS
serves. .,..;.,. hr,La.
man on tho ilI-fated train, hao harlow 20,
cape from death. He was on Gl'e plt.,o -, -, .
of one of the Pullman cars when 1,',ae I'lo
c..,.f,L loon and was stunned in the de-
sc.nt tn the river. He soon revived, no"
ever ,lpon being submerged in the "a.ti ;
.nL swan To the shore He was taken ii'.o
81 colorcd woman's house, Wnere ho W.
kindly cared for, and arrived mere OH '"'
III 80 train last night.
Mr. George Hopkins, Of this city, was one
of the passengers and escaped unhurt. ne Z.
was in one of the passenger cars, from "nlsll
ne Jumped to n pier about 1our lee' from
the bridge, as soon as the train ca.'o W q
stand still. He returned home last nign'
via Petersburg and gives most 'hri'iiiis
account of the accident.
A large force of hands are at work re-
pairing the damages to the bridge, anu Nv III
the meantime passengers and mails are De-
;n,r transferred across the river via the 1901
hr;dge. Trains at present are only re"
bnnrs late. and in a short time the bridge
viii be again ready for railroad travel.
ANOTHER FIAsCo.-The LEADERS" OF the
movement to create enthusiasm for Blame
and Logan in this city are rapidly becoming
ridiculous for their failures. They publish
in papers outside of this city accounts o. o.
"enlhuSiastic meetings" which never LOOK
place, their ''salntes" end dlsastrously anu
iurly. The following from the Washington
CORRESPONDENCE of the Richmond Dispatch
is an account of the last lizzle:
.lrri.a,... - general launh ut The Capl