Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-03
EASTERN HAPPENINGS.
Frightful Railroad Wreck
in Virginia.
LARGE LIST OF CASUALTIES
Fire and Flood in Pennsylvania
Waterspout at Al
tOOna.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HEBALD.l
LYNcHBuRa, Va, July "A fearful
accident. by which several lives were lost
and large number of people injured,
occurred on the Norfolk & Western
railroad this morning, one mile above
Flaxton's switch and thirty-one miles
above this city. Rain had been falling
almost continuously for twenty-four
hours, swelling the mountain streams
greatly beyond their normal state. Sew
eral trains had passed over the road dur
ing the night and it was thought the line
was safe for traffic, notwithstanding the
rain, and that no danger need be appre-
hended. At the place of the accident,
however, the water had undermined the
road bed and caused a washout about 80
feet long and so feet wide. The water at
this point was 10 feet deep, into which
watery gulch the engine made
FRIGHTFUL LEAP,
While running at the rate of forty miles
an hour, carrying with it the tender and
eight cars. AS the engine struck the
bottom, the rushing of the water into
locomotive exploded the boiler. This
fact generally augmented the catastrophe.
The debris was thrown in every direc-
ton by the force of the explosion, injur-
ing some of those on the train by flying
fragments, and scattering fire brands,
which ignited the woodwork of the
coaches. The flames spread and
destroyed a large amount of mail and ex-
press matter besides spreading panic
among the already terror-stricken
passengers. 1t is supposed that some
passengers were unable to extricate
themselves from the wreck and were
consumed in the flames.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
1t is impossible to state the number of
persons killed, but the most reliable esti-
mate places it at between 25 and 80. The
number of wounded will be far in excess
of the number killed. TT rirty of the
wounded have been taken to Roanoke,
13 to Burordsville, and so to Liberty.
The adopted daughter of Mrs. Judge
Thompson, of Augusta county, was
killed, and Mrs. Thompson herself is
known to be badly hurt Donovan, the
engineer, with his fireman, was scalded
and burned to death by escaping steam.
Train Dispatcher Lipsey was also burned
to death.
Among the others who lost their lives
we're j. J. Rose, postal clerk, of AbiDg-
don, Va; John kirkpatrick. OF Lynch
burg; w. G. Stead, and the husband and
two children Of lady passenger on the
train whose name cannot be learned.
Stead was an Englishman, and the agent
of an Idaho hunting and fishing expedi-
ton. He was on his way to England for
supplies.
Major Cassell, Superintendent of the
Lvnchburg division OF the Norfolk &
Western, was on the train and was seri-
ously injured, as were also Baggage
Master Ford and Captain Johnston who
was in charge of the train. L. B. Sum-
ners, postal clerk, was badly bruised,
but fortunately escaped the fate
of his running mate, Rose. There
is no telegraphic communication
nearer than Liberty, and it is hard
to get information from there, as the
Norfolk & Western refused to permit
reporters to go on the train which went
there.
RELIEF TRAIN
Was made up at Lynchburg late in the
afternoon, to go to the scene of the wreck.
A number of physicians went down on it
to do what they could to aid the
wounded. A dispatch. received at IL
O'Clock from the scene of the wreck, by
way OF Liberty, says: Six dead bodies
have been recovered. The railroad COM
pany has taken large corps of physi-
clans to the scene of the wreck, from Ro-
anoke, Liberty and other points. 1t is
thought large number of bodies were