South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-07-17

1HR RAILROAD WRECK IN OUR
STATE.-The accounts Of The horrible
wreck which occurred on the Kama.
wha and MICHIGAN railroad on the
morning oil July A are heart sicken.
ing. or seventy.five or eighty pas
eengers only one escaped injury.
The trestle where the accident occur.
rad not very far from Charleston,
hanawha county, this State, Is said
TO be 6O feet high In the centre and
about 800 feet long. 1t is said that
fire had in some way started in the
trostle about midway and the burnt
ties gave way under the weight OF the
heavy train precipil ating the coaches,
carrying their load of hu nan lives 20
death. The forward car rolled over
the bank of the approach TO the tres
tie. some ten or fifteen feet, turning
completely over and stopping upright
beneath tue track. The rear zach
tum6led over the right side Of the
trestle and rested upside down a few
feet from the side OF the trestls and
parallel with the track. The fall was
perpendicular and must have bee n
about 20 feet. This Was IrobAbly
the cause OF all The kille and so ma
ny OF the injured being cut aud mash.
ed about the head. When tho car
turned over they fell head first 10 the
top OF the car and received their cu's
on the head. Most OF the passengers
were laboring people out for q holi lay
IN the country while others were en-
ployes of the railway company going
ID Their homes along the line TO spend
the holiday. How quickly was their
merrimcnt turned TO sorrowl As
speedily as possible relief trains
reached the spot, and such a scene
had never before been witnessed by
those who gathered there. John B.
White with others from Charleston
we're among the first to get there. all
oil whom rendered valuable Assis-
lance in dragging out from tho
crushed and broken timbers the liy-
ing among whom was Mrs. TrusloU
oil Charleston, formerly Miss Serena
Leps OF this place. whoAe condition
| Wis almost hopeless. She has i'm
proved slightly but is still uDcou-
sclons. When the Car weut down she
was sitting at the upper end, and fell
the entire length ofthe car. Her left
arm Is broken between the wrist md
elbow, her right arm ia entirely Il cad
her eyelids are motionless; she has a
very severe confusion on the rear OF
the head, but her skull is not fac
tured. When found two large tim
bers were lying on her stomach, one
on her neck, with Ter satchel in he
hand aad tho glasses still on her eyes
| Her bair was ell torn out OF her head.
Fifteen we're killed and several died
after beiug renewed from the debris.
The Wheeling InteHigeacer says OF
this terrible accident: Instead OF 9
burned treslle on the Kanawha &,
Michigan road IL was worse, a rotten
Lrestle condem ned two years ago, and
the engineer who made his repor,
los. hts place for his fidelity. luis
will make It go hard with the
company, which will be unable TO get
away from the charge that II Wsntsn-
! ly risked the lives of the people who
used its road.
The company may be expected To
do It's best to make quiet settlements
and hush the matter up but from To o
state of feeling in the neighborhood
this plau Of campaign is not likely to
succeed.
There Wss criminal negligence, and
somebody must pay for ". There
viii be damage suits enough, but the
way to get ct the meat Of the matter
Is through criminal prosecution.
This sentiment is shared 10y the
people Of the State generally.