Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-09-15
An APPALLING DESAsTER-
Nineteen Persons Killed and Mine
Fatally Iuiured In che Nickel Plate
Accident.

The accident on the Nickel Plate road, near
Silver Creek, n. ", yesterday WAS much worse
than ipdicsted I'm the dispatch In THE STAR
Nineteen persons were killed outright nine
fatally injured and three severely hurt II was
one OF the most terrible accidents Of recent
years, and the scenes after the collision are de-
scribed ~ calculated 10 make the strongest
men sick at heart The particulars OF the scci-
dent are as follows: special train OF il coaches
left Ashtabnla, Ohio, at O'Clock yesterday
morning bound for Niagara Fails, over the
"Nickel Plate" road. People crowded Into the
train at various points along the route until
there were upwards OF a thousand excursionists
ON board. Pulling slowly away from the silver
Creek station the train crossed Silver Greek and
entered curving cut AZ the other side OF the
bridge. As IL steamed on with rapidly increas-
Ing speed the engineer suddenly beheid the
engine OF a freight train curving swiftly toward
MIN at the rate OF forty miles an hour IL was
both engines leaped for their lives. Then, quick
As thought, the two trains came together with
resistless force, driving one car crashing through
and leaving the lncl1less occupants dead.
dying and manged beyond recognition.
lifted from Its trucks and sent hurting through
the smoking car, telescoping it from the front
70 WITHIN q seat or two OF the rear end. The
moor OF the baggage car passed through, catch.
| ing the car seats al the arms, crushing and
managing occupants merci,essly, and leaving
them In almost unrecog nixabie masses. Tho
excursionists in the other cars, which were
| strangely undisturbed, came rushing 10 the
| rescue. stout hearts grew weak when the blood
aud brains OF their fellow passengers came oosr
Ing through the chinks In the and fell In
pools AT the feet Of those NJ the side OF the
wreck. The nomentary lull which followed
the contact was soon succeeded by the most
he artrending groans and shrieks. Out OF the
80 or 40 occupants OF the car but two OF three
escaped. IL is not Yet made clear where tho
blame for this appalling accident lies. IL Is said
that tn g excursion train had orders 20 run
gardless Of other trains.
The names OF the killed are as follows. ]. w.
Cedar, of Erie: stephen Culbertson, of Water
ford; John W. Deiiert, of Erie; Henry Seb-
hardt, of Pittsburg, and John +. Gebhardt his
/ son; Willie Held, George Heidler, Charles
Hirsch, w. w. Loomis and John Myers, all of
Erie; Adam Parkhurst. of Mayville; jacob
Rastatter and VIM. Rastatter, OF Erie; w. T..
Reynolds, deputy United States marshal, OF
Duukirk; David Sharp, OF Erie, aud Vim.
Sharp, his son. Three bodies were unrecog-
nized. The fatally injured are: Chas. Dillon,
J. r. Harrington, superintendent Erie Forge
company; Henry Hyke, Louis Lindsey, Phiio
Linton, Martin Rastatter, Charles Schenden,
Samuel Tracy and Vim. Zimmerly.
The scene Of the catastrophe not far from
Ashtabula bridge, where the great Lake Shore
disaster occurred shortly before the holidays in
1877, and In which over sixty persons were
killed outright and as many injured.