The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-10-28

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INTO AN OPEN DRAW.
For some years after the railroads had be-
guI business they enjoyed a singular ey-
emption from serious accidents as COM
pared with the European corporations, and
it was not until 1858 that a really great ca
lauity occurred. When it came, however.
it made mp for lost time, and the shock of
it had an adverse effect on railroad travel
and growth for several years afterward Tt
occurred on the morning of Mayo at South
Norwalk, Conn, on the New York, New
Haven and Hartford, and cost 46 lives. The
Boston express from New York was rush
ing along at a high rate of speed when it
went through an open draw in the bridge
which spanned the river about $50 feet east
of the South Norwalk station.
1t was a bright, fine clear day, and there
was absolutely no reason why the accident
should have happened except the careless
ness of the engineer i'm charge of the loco
motive, who should have seen the open
draw. For 10 minutes before the train was
due the bridge tender had displayed the
signal "Open draw" to enable the steam
boat Pacific to pass, but it was only a mo
ment before the train went down that the
reckless engineer realized the impending
danger, and both he and his fireman jumped
in time to escape with slight injuries. As
for the passengers, the first intimation
of peril they had was when they felt
themselves going over the abutment
The train consisted of two baggage cars
and five coaches carrying 256 people
With the exception of the three last
coaches the entire train plunged into the
stream below, which was at high tide, the
top of the water being only 12 feet from the
stringers Most ofthe unfOrtunates killed
were drowned likerats in a trap.
-Four years later, on March -, 1857, came
an accident which cost 60 lives, and though
it occurred in Canada-on the Toronto and
Hamilton railroad-it caused almost as
great a shock in the United States as it did
in British America. Among the killed was
Samuel Zimmerman, one of the widest and
best known men in the Dominion, and a
number of the officials of the road In this
case the engine ran off the track The
weight of the pondorous machine as it
struck the bridge timbers cut through them
as though they were so many pipestems,
/ and the engine, tender, baggage car and
two coaches were precipitated to the bot
/ tom of the canal, 60 feet below. Everybody
on the train was either killed instantly OF
so badly injured that they could not render
any assistance, andit was some time before
/ help came from Hamilton. Finally, how.
ever when the people did arrive, they were
almost pOwerleSs to bring suCcOr to the dy
ing, for the wreck lay piled up between two
| preciDitous walls go feet below. 1t was not
! until ropes had been secured that the res
/ cuers could do anything toward eXtricat
| ing the 10 or 90 persons who still remained
! alive.
On June 90. 1864, there occurred another
dreadful accident i'm Canada, this time cost
| ing nearly 100 human lives and making
the record for American railroad disasters
The train which came to grief consisted O
II emigrant cars on the Grand Trunk rail
way. 1t carried besides the train hands 35
people, and like the Norwalk wreck, the &C
cident was due to the gross negligence o
the engineer, who, disregarding the warn
ing signals, ran through an open draw Of
the Beloit bridge at ST. Hilaire, about j
miles from Montreal. The scene of tn
wreck, as described by eyewitnesses, wa
something terrible. The cars fell in 10 fee
ofwater and were only partially submerged
But the height from which they tumbled
about 20 feet, smashed them into kindlin
wood, and when the rescuers put in an az
Pe"r"nce Uhey loullu an liiuesJrip'D mas
oI spIlhleTeE Woo0l, IRON anu human I, T.
Il'llls' az Julii,neu uose'ner III son
neap' 90 Nlneuy-1'e Douies were recoyere' e,
anu lOo inJuIeu were ,"Nen ouI .I ol ~. Gn
Nrech' Among ule IavVoF was uhe gun
5AHileor' "no "TLu ,''"n WIN MS e"B'u
nTv was I'ol la'aliy h''rT. --,..-,.
III Ve leA' Z .'.,' ace Je'', men Gsllle
b5 SHOWN as VIC -AL5ol% m noitoI, uIe @T' 5C,
eq 10 vue ueIlol9 ol luG -, slDu,,l9n' ..IS ~
EeW lCIA eSl'Ie7S rom olo'e5oIlu IO on u
l',,he 9Ioie Ioau lla'I Deen uelty Gu, ~,
WIN d clear Iouu "neau was running unu
IuIl neau OF steam 10 llahe up losv 5In M
~ vac il''', No. TO- - -ig 60 =,