Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-06-13

hat the passengers who remained In the
ears through the pod and until the Ere.
were saved. while their companions who
attempted to fee we're overwhelmed and
drowned. and that through il all one To-
cOmotiye stood. and still stands. COM
paratiyely uninjuresl in the center Of the
wreckage.
This disaster and the story os one OF
the most marvellous freaks OF the food
Is barely outlined That locomotive
stands there on its track now with its
fires burning. smoke curling from the
stack and steam from its safety-valve. all
ready To Gu ahead as soon As q track Is
built down to it. 10 Is No. 1,3e, a fifty
tour-ton eight-driv,r class of Pennsyl-
Eania railroad locomotive. George Hud-
son was its engineer, and Conductor
Sheehy had charge of the train They.
with all the rest OF the crew, escaped by
fight when they saw the GOOD coming.
The limits OF the playground where .
giant force played with masses % iron as
child might play with pebbles. begins
with bridge or piece OF bridge about
thirty feet high that stands high and dry
upon ordinary abutmeuts at WoodvaIe.
The part Of the bridge that remains
spanned the Pennsylvania tracks The
tracks are gone, the bridge Is gone on
either side, the river is gone to n new
channel, The very earth for q hundred
yards around has been scraped of and
swept away, but this little span remains
perched there twenty feet above every
thing. in the midst Of a desert OF ruins.
the only piece OF briige trat Is standing
from the railroad bridge I'd South Fork
IL Is n light, iron structure, and the abat-
ments are not unusually heavy. That il
should be kept there when every thing
else was twisted and torn To pieces Is one
Of the queer freaks Of this food
Near by are the wrecks OF two freight
trains that are standing side by side
where the food caught them The lower
ends of both trains are torn to pieces, the
cars tossed around in every direction.
and many OF them carried away. The
whole OF the train on the track nearest
the river was demolished. Its locomotive
is gone entirely. Perhaps because the
other train acted as escort or buffer FOR
the second one, the latter has twenty- 1--WE
or thirty cars that are uniniured- APP
parensly, they could move Of rs soon as
that wonderful engine. No. I, ,3o9. that
stands with steam up at their head. gets
ready TO pull out A second look. how
ever. shows that the track Is in many
places literally washed from beneath the
cars. some Of the trucks also are turned
half way round. and are standing with
wheels across the track But the force
that did this left the light wooden box
cars themselves unharmed They were
loaded with dressed beef and provisions.
They have been emptied 70 supply the
hungry in JOhnstOwn-
In front OF engine No. I,SO9 the water
played some ot its most fantastic tricks
with the rails. The debris Of trees, logs,
psanks and every description OF wreck
age j. heaped up in front OF the engine
10 the headlights and IS packed in so
tightly .aat twenty men with ropes and
Axes worked all day without clearing all
away. The track Is absolutely gone from
the front Of the engine clear up to beyond
Conemaugh. Parts OF it lie about every
where, twisted. turned upside down,
stacked cross-wise. one piece above an
other and in one place q section Of the
left track has been lifted clear over the
right track. runs along there for short
distance. then twists into its proper
place again Even stronger than the
tracks. the water has played with the
rails. where they have been torn loose
rom the ties The rails are OF steel and
Of the heaviest weight used They were
twisted ike willow boughs in n spring
Il treshet in . country brook Ous rail lies
In the sand in the shape Of letter IS"
More .re broken s1uarely ia two. Many
are broken within few feet * . Ash