Morning journal and courier., 1888-07-13
PLUNGED THROUGH A THISTLE.

a A Am Express Train on the Virginia
 Midland Gees Down With a Terrible
 Crash Eight Persons Killed and
 Many Injured.
 CHARLoTTEsvILLs, Va, July 12.-Express train No. 52 on the Virginia Midland left Orange Court House south bound at 1:30 this morning with Conductor Taylor, En- gineer Watkins and Fireman Kelley in charge. About two miles south of Orange is trestle forty eight feet high, which was known to be weak and the railroad company was engaged in filling it in. The train was moving at speed of six miles crossing the had passed safely over most of the trestls when the smoker, mail, baggage and express cars went down with @ crash, dragging the engine and tender with it and also two pass senger coaches. The two sleepers remained on the track. The engine went down, pilot end foremost, thus communicating no fire to the wreck. All lights were extinguished in the fall As soon as the ac. cident occurred, the engineer, who was but slightly injured, walked back to Orange and telegraphed for assistance. Sev- eral physicians left here on a special train for the wreck. The dead and some of the wounded were taken to Orange, while the more seriously hurt were brought to Char~ lottesville and placed in the cottage hospital, hotels and homes of friends. As far can now be ascertained five were killed. c. Cox, of Alexandria, of the engineering department of the Piedmont Air Line, was instantly killed. H. T. Wilmington of GreenboTO, postal clerk lived ten minutes, and H. 0. Brightwell, postal clerk, of Prospect, Va,
 lived until he reached the hospital. w. D. Parrot of Albermarle county j. Q. West and J. Walthall of Washington, postal clerks, were badly injured, Louis Jenkins of Lynchburg, badly injured. Potterfeld express agent se- riously injured. Jenkins of Lynehburg in- ternaliy injured Conductor O. F. Taylor of Alexandria was hurt about the head and leg was injured. The number of injured is twenty five.
 WASHINGTON, July 12.-In addition to the list of killed three more persons were found dead in clearing away the debris. They were one 8 woman. They have not been identi- fed. It was one of the passen- Rsr coaches in the middle of the train that ran of the track, causing the accident. It broke down the trestle, dragging back the mail and baggage car and where the trestle broke. This train is al- ways well loaded because of the thorough connection it makes between Boston and New Orleans, On an average it carries between 150 and 200 passengers. One of the sleepers was destined for White Sulphur Springs to be dropped at Charlottesville This car, however, was the last of the train and re- mained on the track.
 c. A. Nicholson, of Baltimore, has arrived here and relates his experience as follows: ftIt was terrible thing and it is 8 miracle how anyone who went down in that terrible fall escaped. It was in the dead of night and we had got nearly across the bridge when it gave way. The engine had reached the other side, but was pulled back by the falling bag gage car and fell on top of it. The mail car was knocked out of recognition and the smoker was totally demolished. It was the sleeper that went down. don't know how I escaped. When was awakened found the car high in the air, resting on the remains of the cars below. The coupling connecting us with the other slespers had given way and they remained on the track. We went to work as soon as possible, though it was pitch dark, and did our best to rescue the injured. The scene that followed WAS of indsscribable horror. The shrieks and moans, | the shouts of the wildly excited passengers | and the hissing of the steam were terrible to \ hear"
 The passenger cars were crushed out of all shape, while the sleeper was held high in the ! air by the ruins of the broken coaches. A | little stream runs under the trestle, and the | recent rains have swollen it far beyond it's ! usual proportions. It is feared some were pinioned below it's surface and perished in it's I waters