Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-07-13
The Late Accident.

a;,ad were published in the GAZETTE in
he evening. The following additional in
,,rnation has been gathered When the
restle gave way and the train went Gown
al the lights were extinguished in the iali.
The scsne that followed was one OF moe
scribsbIe horror. The shriek5 and means OF
the injured, the shouts of the wildly excited
Messengers and the Kissing of the steam
we're terrible TO bear. The baggage car was
wrecked, mashed iuto kindhng
wood Every car of the train except the
last sleeper fell into the chasm. The trestie
ssamed to have broken under the middle OF
the train. as no cars are piled on tee engine,
and the next TO last sleeper hangs at an
angie of forty. fec degrees, one end on the
tres,le and the other on the ground. From
this car o lady and gentleman, its only
passengers, escaped by climbing the seats;
The other cars and one end of the postal
car are crushed to fragments. The end OF
the car next to the engine is almost un
broken. aud the engine rests on pilec ana
hroken timbers, almost So straight In posi-
ton az if it were on the track. a little
stream runs ucder the trsstle, and the re
can't rains had swollen it to far beyond lis
Wonted proportions. As soon as self posses
sion returned to the startled survivors they
went at once TO work to rescue the injured
and recover the bodies OF the dead. Inc
train was piled in such al inextricaole mass
of debris that it wes difficult to discover the
outlines of human forms.
Mr.. C. a. Nicholson, of Baltimore, was ID
the first sleeper, but, with the exception OF
slight cute, escaped injury. He gives an &C
count of his experience, as follows me
situation was fearful. All the lamp lights
in the cars were extiDgu!shed by Inc ial
7 had TO work for an hour to get out OF the
car. and when did so | found myself at the
top of a pile of beams and broken WOOD
work. When reached the ground l could
see nothing, and the darkness and
the groans of the wounded added 10
the horror of the situation. Final
" fire was built near the wreck, and the
work of rescuing the unfortunate victims
who were alive and of recovering the bodies
of the dead began" Mr.. Nicholson thought
that tbs accident was due to parts of the
woodwork of the treste being rotten.
MIR. Henry w. Latane. who was at Or
anpe Court House, gives the following
account: ~ was aroused Thursday morning
before daybreak by messengers who were
sent for help. Mr.. George 3. Sheckelford
and went Immediately to the place Of the
accident, about mile and a.half from his
house. to render such assistance as we could.
When we got there the dawning day dis
closed G scene of indescribable horror. The
dead and the injured, to the number OF
about %, were lying on either side OF the
wreck. The cut, bruised, bloody faces OF
the dead presented a CHASTITY spectacle. and
the living exhibited every expression of suf
feripg Others of the wounded, with bruises
and undresssd and bleeding wounds, were
doing all that they could to relieve their
more unfortunate fellow passengers. There
was one woman in the forty who worked
noblv. She was frail and delicate in appear.
spce but had escaped uphurt from one OF the
wrecked cars. She continued her exertions
Increasingly until the last injured man was
placed upon the relief t.ain sent from Char
lotteevile. Her conduct was in striking
contrast to that of some of the ladies from
the Pullman cars, who displayed great anx-
iety for the rescue of their trunks a WON
an in one of the wrecked cars had two ban
tam chickens in basket. She was killed
AID the chickens were set free. Shortly
after we reached the wreck one OF them ap
peered upon the top of it and crowed loudly
and often When the sun rose the people
from the country around cut bushes and
branches from the trees, and made arbors
over the wounded. Upon the arrival oil the
relief train about o'clock, comfortable
stretchers were quickly constructed OF The
doors Of the wrecked cars and mattresses
from the sleepers, and upon them the in
iured were carried up the hill to the relief
traiu, and thea TO Charlottesville. The &C
cident was due TO the giving way of one hun
TtI, Il Iiac l<,r,r ror, a
high wooden trestle."
Laborers have been ct work recently ELL.
ing up the rsvine, with view of doing
away entirely with The bridge, which 1t Is
said was not considered altogether SAFE.
For any ordinary train, however, the bridge
seemed Of ample strength, and yesterday
morning at 2 O'Clock heavily-loaded
freight train passed over it in safety, and
lay off at siding one mile below to await
the coming ftbe express.
A coroner's jury met at Orange Court
House yesterday afternoon, and after view
ing the wreck and the dead and bearing wit
nesses, concluded that the accident and the
resulting deaths were due 10 the rottenness
of the tmbers.
With the exception Of the two sleepeTs
and the engine the wreck, after the dead are
all taken out, will probably be burned, as it
is not worth removing. except the iron work.
The loss in property and damages will be
nearly 100000 The train was moving
slowly, having just stopped to pick uD
hagman who had been dropped by freight
train short distance in advance. So the
accident was not Due to fast running or any
fault of the train crew.
Engineer Watkins is regarded as one of
the best and most careful engineers on the
road. This train is always we'll loaded, be
cause of the through connection it makes
between Boston aud New Orleans. On an
average it carries between $50 and 200 pas.
sepgers.
The officer. of the road say there is no
doubt that the trestle was broken by the de-
railing of the passenger car, but what caused
the car to leave the track could not be ex-
planned. II might have bsen broken or
the breaking OF a wheel or axle.
Engineer Watkins and Fireman Kelly ar