Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-09-23
WRECK ON THE NICKEL-PLATE
RAILROAD.
Resulting in the Loss of More than a
Dozen Lives.
Especial dispatch to the Enquirer ]

has occurred In this vicinity for years
took place at eleven o'clock this morn
ing on the Nickel-Plate Railroad, at
Silvercreek, a village about thirty miles
from here. An excursion train from
Erie, on its way to Niagara Falls, con-
sisting of eleven coaches, a dining-car,
smoking-car and baggage-car, ran into
the way freight one mile north of that
village. The trains were both running
on telegraph orders, as the road is sim
gle track, and were ordered to meet and
pass at the station. Instead, the pass
enger train ran by at the rate OF ten
miles an hour, and rounding short
curve, which was hid from view by an
embankment, came upon the way
| freight, which was also running at a
speed of about ten miles an hour. The
engineers and firemen saw the danger
when the engines were within few
rods of each other, and jumping, avoid
ed the crash
When the two engines struck the
noise was deafening. They plunged
together, breaking away the front part
OF each, the flues of each being close to-
gether. The baggage car on the passen-
ger train was telescoped into the smok-
ing car, the floor timbers of the former
passing through the latter few feet
above the floor and crushing the mass
of men in the car. The crashing of the
timbers with the cries of the unfortu-
nate men made the scene an awful one.
The passengers in the other coaches felt
the shock but slightly, and quickly
alighted. The train men did not know
what to do, and stood explaining the
way the accident happened until Henry
Schafer, trainmaster of the road, of
Conneant, who was on the train, took
charge and ordered the men to work re-
leasing the unfortunates who were
pinned in the cars. Willing hands were
quickly at work, and in few moments
number of axes were put to good use
in cutting out the side of the coach.
A number of trees were cut down and
the branches used as levers to pry the
baggage car off the bodies of the men
underneath.
Soon an opening was made in the side
of the car, and CHASTITY sight confront
ed the rescuers. Lying in every con-
ceivable shape, some bruised beyond
recognition, some with their bodies al
most torn apart, lay the victims Of the
accident. One by one the bodies were
taken out and laid by the side of the
track to be identified by the sorrowing
friends who accompanied them. One
of the victims, a boy named Jacob Ras-
latter, of Erie, lay with his body about
one-third out of the car; his legs were
badly torn, and he had several bad
scalp wounds, but he managed to reach
around and try to aid the men in their
work of releasing the passengers. 1t
was fully forty minutes before the last
man was released from his terrible po-
sition.
DIR. Hopkins, of Silver Creek, was
early on hand, and attended all of the
injured having all of them cared for be-
fore the corps of physicians from Dun
kirk and Buffalo reached there. The
work of releasing the passengers having
been finished, inquiry was made for the
train men who caused the accident.
William Harris engineer of the freight
train, showed his telegraphic order CIV
ing him the right to run to Silver
Creek, thus clearing him from blame.
Louis Bremen, engineer of the passen-
ger train, was then sought, but he could
not be found. He had not been seen
after the accident, and it was thought
that he had boarded one of the many
Lake Shore trains which were constant
ly passing, thus making his secape. The
conductor, w. III. Harrison, could make
no statement and he was ordered on to
Buffalo with his train as soon as the
Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia
track was celared. He was slightly in
jured about the head.
Inquiry about the matter tends
strongly to show that Bremen and Har-
rison forgot their orders, and running
by the station, came upon the way
freight when too late to stop. This is
looked upon as the most reasonable
supposition by all who know of the
circumstances of the collision.
The accident occurred but a few rods
north of the Silver Creek viaduct, long
structure about two hundred feet high,
and on which it was at first feared the
accident had taken place; Men have
been busy all day since the accident
clearing the track, but did not finish
their labors until after dark. Coroner
I'iood, ofDunkirk, was summoned, and
niipaneled a jury, who, after viewing
the bodies of the thirteen dead, ad-
journed to meet in Dunkirk on Friday
| morning.
If the verdict of the jury shows that
the accident was caused by Bremer's
carelessness he will be held by the laws
of this State to be guilty of manslaug-
ter.
The list of killed is: Stephen Culbert-
son, Mayor of Waterford, Penn.
w. w. Loomis, ship-builder, Erie,
Penn.
David Sharp, Erie.
Charles Hersch, Erie.
John Meyer, Erie.
John Seifert, Erie.
Adriel Heidler, Erie.
w. P. Reynolds, Ex-Deputy United
States Marshal, Dunkirk.
Aaron Parkhurst, Mayville, Ohio.
Henry G.. Gebhart, Allegheny City,
Penn.
John G. Gebhart, Allegheny City,
Penn.
John Seider, Pittsburg, Penn.
ERIE, Pa, September 16.-The list of
killed in the Nickel Plate collision,
which was further swelled to nineteen
by the finding of three more bodies
mangled beyond recognition, is now
supposed to be complete. The streets
were full of funeral professions to-day
and Trinity cemetery was full of fmourn-
ers, and the air filled with the walls of
widows, mothers and sisters all day
long.
Engineer Brewer has written his wife
letter in which he tells her of the aw-