Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-07
THE WEST SHORE WRECK.
Some Of the Survivors Relate Their Expe-
rienCe.

Some of the Survivors Relate Their Exps-
rience.
"1hey were killed all around me" declared q
young man in the Central depot at Buffalo yes
terday afternoon. He had just arrived from
the wreck on the West Shore described in yes
terdsy's STAR On board were q number Of
passengers that had been transferred from the
Inflated train wrecked near Port Byron in the
fog OF the Montezuma mar shes yesterday morn
Ing The young mans story was that Of q mar
velous escape from the very jaws Of death.
Il was the only man that got out Of the car
unhrrt," he said, '.for don't count the little
bumps." He showed that he had been bumped
all over the head, raising little mounds of
bruised flesh. In one or two places there were
cuts on the scalp from which the blood had
flowed and dried up. He also had slight cut
over the right eye.
my name is Arthur Hutchinson" he went
on ~ came from Portland. Me, and 1 am
going to the Clifton House at Niagara Falls
where am going to work. ! was in the smok-
ing car when the accident occurred. In front
were two baggage cars. Behind came day
coach and the sleepers l was smoking, riding
with my back to the engine about the middle
OF the car In front of the car were a
lot OF Italian immigrants. Most OF them
were asleep; some of them never knew
what struck them. 1t was about O'Clock in
the morning. They were all men in the car,
no women or children All at once the shock
came, and 1 went forward with my hands out
ana struck them against the upright part of the
opposite scat The seats where was were opened
OUT. l had my back to the en- CINE, az told you,
and looked back. The rear car was telescoping
1 could see 1T coming straight through the car,
driving right through the sleeping Italians
carrying everything before il, moving down
the seats. The passengers we're crowding
toward the door. l jumped from the platform
70 the top OF the baggage car, which had been
next 10 the engine, and from there got to the
ground You see the rear baggage car tel
escoped the smoker and the front baggage car
went right back alongside Of us. Every man
In mat smoker was hurt, except myself, and
some In the day coach next 20 us were hurt
The sides Of our car fell out. the roof fell
IN and that was just how things looked after
IL was all over. Then came screams, moans
ana groans and We set to work to get
the poor fellows out. They were pinned
down by timbers in all sorts CT shapes We cut
them out with axes. Then the car took fire
and burned up, and 1 AM sure some bodies
were burned. There were twelve dead men
and about twenty five injured. saw one man
entirely scalped, but he was alive. Some of
the bodies were all twisted and broken and bat
tered all out of shape. man who was sitting
just across from me was killed. The grooming
Was awful. L said that saw twelve men, but
am sure there was more than twelve killed. az
am certain that some burned up that we
could not get out in time. One man we took
cut was sitting on box all right outside but
he begged me to lift him away. / told him be
was all right where he was Then he said:
well. II there's any disturbance going on re-
member where l am Some of the rear coaches
were burned because we could not get them
uncoupied and away from the burning smoker
anu baggage car. Everything in the baggage
car was burned up. Our engine was knocked
all to pieces. We ran into the rear of the
freight train. They said it was the fault Of the
freight ha9man, but 1 don't know. They said
the freight was going on to IA switch and would
nave been all right in another minute
Charles E. Langdon Of Tecumseh, Kan, q
suburb Of Topeka. was a fellow traveller Of
hutchinson and corroborated the latters story.
II have been visiting my brother in New York,
the president of the Central National Bank" he
said. 'and am returning home. l was not hurt
was In the day coach just in the rear of the
smoker. left the smoker about ten minutes
before the wreck occurred and was doing off
to sleep. When awoke the women in my car
were screaming, and found that few pas
sengers Ill my car. were hurt, but not seriously
1 he screams from the forward car were terri
BILE. We all pitched in and helped as
well as we could to get the poor fell
Iowa out, but they were badly pinned in.
helped to cut out two with axes One died in a
few minutes after We got him out. He cried
for priest, and somebody there-I dom know
whether it was priest or not-gave the poor
fellow extreme JUNCTION.
l counted twelve dead, as well as can re-
member, but l could not say whether any were
burned up. 1t was very exciting time and
snail never forget 1t. l shall always remember
the screams and groans of the injured people,
and especially of those that were pinned in by
the timbers.'
The man with whom Langdon sat in the
smoker was killed.