River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-08-28
IN A WRECKED CAR.


The Experience of a Young Woman in the
Recent Disaster Near Amerherst, Va.
Condensed from the Augusta (Ga) Chronicle.
The following extracts are from a
a letter by Miss Fannie w. NJ. Plat,
now in Lynchburg, to her father in this
city: We left Washington ON Saturday
night on time / was alone in my berth,
mother and Annie were together across
the aisle and only little while before
we struck the bridge / 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 lay back on my pillow
again. In moment l felt great Jerks,
jumps and fearful turn of the car TO
one side, back again to the other, and
| saw through my curtains, which,
through Gods mercy, had remained
nearly closed, that mother and Annie
had been thrown out of their berth on
the floor. i saw things falling at the
forward end of the car, and as we be-
gan to go down, down, down, | thought
great God it has come at last, and | tore
back my curtains. Not seeing mother or
nnieanywhere commenced calling and
begging to know if they were hurt, but
could hear nothing from them. Then /
reached back for my crutehes, which
were in my berth next to the window,
thinking / must get to mother and An
ME somehow The car settled easily
and in some way my window shade went
up and | saw that we were in water and
that men were standing on some floating
logs But not for one instant did / re-
alize where we were or l would have
died then. / turned to spring out my
berth and to my Joy saw mother stand
ing there, but with wild, dazed look
in her face that to my dying day ] will
never forget. Iasked, "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 chung 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 a feeling
that we would be saved came over me,
but how / could not tell, as the venti-
lators in the car-top were the only open
ings that remained above water. They
are little frames of glass in front of
them, and he twisted the frame from its
hinges, making for them, however
small, an opening to the beautiful 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 COW
cred with stout wire network that inn
prisoned 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 ven-ineh hole in the quickest
possible time / could scarcely believe
my eyes when her husband followed,
without any effort, and then
a sickening feeling came over me when
l saw that we were alone in the car-all
had gone. Do not think l mean to
blame anyone. Oh, no; God forbid,
for truer, drawer set of gentlemen
never lived Some one called for an
axe and told us we would be saved; then
came the first stroke on the roof,
with dull axe that q man brought
from the shore in the first boat that
came.
Annie very quietly directed them
where to cut so as not to strike her
head. / do not think this quietness
came from our not being frightened SO
much as it did from kind of despair.
Every stroke Of the axe rebounded like
d mallet and we wondered how long
VIC must wait, how long we could wait.
for our suffering from the cold was very
great, and it was so hard to have to
stand and see the agony in each others
lace, yet never dare to say tender
word, fearing it would unnerve them
and all would be over. We heard them
say "Oh, what dull axe; can't you
get Ratchet or something Detter?"
At last there was a crash and the
blessed light shone through; mere CIT
ting and waiting while the lamp was
was being torn out and the floating mat
5resses and curtains handed out by AN
lie, that we might pass to the hole.
Then ono after the other Annie, myself
md mother, Just as we stood, were
lifted from our horrible prison by
noble, brave men, who had worked SO
hard to save us.