Connecticut western news., 1884-08-06
IN A WRECKED CAR.
EXPERIENCE OF YOUNG WOMAN IN THE REGENT DISASTER NEAR AMHERST, VA.
She Feels the Car Descend Rt n Rapid Kate, but does not Suspect Danger Brave Men Come to Ihe Rescue.
LFrom the Augusta Ga ) chronicle.l

The following extracts are from let ter by Miss Fannie w. M. Platt, now in Lynchburg, to her father in Augusta:
 We left Washington on Saturday on time. l was alone in my berth, mother and Annie were together across the aisle and only little while before we struck the bridge I awoke, sat up and found to my relief it was day, but noticed that We were tearing like mad over the road, swinging SO from side to side that I lay back on my pillow again. In moment I felt great jerks, jumps and fearful turn of the car to one side, back again to the other; and I saw through my. curtains, which, through Gods mercy, had remained nearly closed, that mother and Annie had been thrown out of their berth to the floor. I saw things falling at the forward end of the car, and as we began to go down, down, down, I thought, Great God it has come at last And tore back my curtains. Not seeing mother or Annie anywhere, l commenced calling and begging to know if they were hurt, but could hear nothing from them. I reached back for my crutches. which were in my berth next to the window, thinking must get to mother and Annie somehow. The car settled easily, and Tn some way my window shade went up and I saw that we were in water ard that men were standing on some floating logs. But not for one in- stant did realize where we were, or I would have died then. I turned to spring out of my berth and, to my joy, saw mother standing there, but with a wild, dazed look in her face that to my dying day will never forget. asked:
 "'Where is Annie Are you hurt ?
 "Annie stepped to my side, and mother said:
 Something struck my head
 "Annie said: The water is coming in.'
 ''Some man said Climb to the upper berth
 "Mother and Annie caught my hands and began to drag me up. We clung to the curtain rods and stood on the lower berth while the water rose nearly to our shoulders
 "The car seemed to have settled, for the water came no higher, and feeling that we would be saved came over me, but how could not tell, as the ventila- tors in the car-top were the only open- ings that remained above water. They are little frames of glass, seven inches high and about eighteen inches long. The lady and gentleman broke the glass in front of them, and he twisted the | frame from its hinges, making for them, however small, an opening to the beau tiful world outside. Annie broke our glass, but her weak little hands were not equal to the task of twisting the | hinges of what use, anyway, when the outside was covered with a stout wire network that imprisoned us still but our hearts bounded with joy as we heard | the voices of men in boats outside. We | quietly begged them not to leave us and were assured we would be saved. Mrs Farden handed her baby out through the ventilator, and the next thing we saw she was going out of the seYen-inch hole in the quickest possible time. l could scarcely believe my eyes when her husband followed, apparently without an effort, and then a sickening feeling came over me when I saw that we were alone in the car-all had gone. Do uoi think mean to blame anyone. Oh, no | God forbid, for Q truer, braver set o gentlemen never lived. Some one called | for an ax, and told us we would bt saved; then came the first stroke on tht roof with dull ax that a man brought from the shore in the first boat tha came.
 "Annie very quietly directed them where to cut so as not to strike hel head. I do not think this quietnes' came from our not being frightened SC much as it did from kind of des pair Every stroke of the ax rebounded like mallet, and we wondered how long WI must wait, how long we could wait, fol our suffering from the cold was very great, and it was so hard to have tC stand and see the agony in each other'i face, yet never dare to say a tendel word, fearing it would unnerve them and all would be over. We heard then say:
 "'Oh, what dull sx; can't you ge hatchet or something better ? | "At last there was a crash, and th' blessed light shone through; more cut ting and waiting while the lamp was be ing torn out and the floating mattressea and curtains handed out by Annie tha we might pass to the hole. Then on, after the other Annie, myself and moth CT, just as we stood, were lifted from ou horrible prison by noble, brave men | who had worked so hard to save us.