Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1893-08-31

away train occupying seats In the
fourth coach. The train was travelling
at an unusually high rate of speed. the
cars swinging 50 violently from side to
side that they instinctively looked for
an accident. All of n sudden there
was y crash and everybody was thrown
to the floor Of the car or over the backs
of seats Fortunately only a few of
the passengers in hat car were hurt.
Only one young man. named Larkin,
tric,l to leap from the car and was hurt
on the head and also internally. The
rear cars were at the same time de-
rallied.
August Baedecker. Of New York
city, who is connected with the Sleeps
head Bay ace track. said: The disas-
ter was very terrible. was fortunate
enough TO escape with q severe shak-
ing up and 50 was able to assist the
less fortunate. helped TO carry four
men from the cars"
Eugene Matthews, of ! Greenwich
street. New York city. said: II helped
to carry away one Of the killed | can't
give you any details. The affair hap
pened 50 suddenly that nobody knew
anything about il until the train
crashed into us The shrieks Of the
wounded and dying are ringing in my
ear eve now. ! am hurrying home &
that my family may not be alarmed.
Isaac III. Rotchschild. New York
city. gave the following description of
the awful scene: Myself. my wife and
my daughter were coming home from
Manhattan Beach and occupied seats
in the center Of one of the cars that
had in some way become detached
from the remainder of the train. Di-
rectly in front of us sat six men, APP
~parently asleep They were all terri
bly, injured. IL was an awful scene,
snd ! don't know how my wife and
daughter and | escaped. am too
much excited to give You an intelligent
description of the scene. All | know
is that many were killed outright and
three times As many injured. Our train
was a crowded one for, being the last
tn leave Manhattan Beach, there was
a large throng waiting. You know it
was 50 hot that they stayed as long a.
possible at the seaside.
All day the morgue in Newtovn and
the hospital in Long Island City have
been beSeiged by anxious seekers for
missing members of their families
The scenes as some of the mangled
bodies were recognized were heart
rending. women fainting and men fall
ing upon their knees to weep. Fully
200 persons did not find those they
sought among the dead or wounded
and went away with intense relief. IN
sharp contrast with those who found
loved ones dead and mangled-
At the scene of the accident n wreck
ing train and a big force of railroad
employees have been working all day
TO obliterate the painful evidences Of
the disaster. The three smashed cars
were piled up and burned. the twisted
rails and broken switches were re-
paired and the blood pools hidden I'M
der shovelfuls of sand
General Manager Y. r. Reynolds and
Superintendent W. H. Blood were at
the scene early. They stated that the
cause of the accident was still I'M
known: hat il was a question Of YER
acity between the tower switehman.
Mutt. and Engineer Coucrite. of the
Rockaway train. The latter had re-
ported that n heavy fog prevailed at
the time. which was true. He declared
that the signals were set at safety. in
dieating a clear road. and he weHt
ahead without reducing speed sud
denly Fireman Robert Price. his com
p~anion. exclaimed; My God there is
n train ahead. Looking ahead. he n W
through the mist the red lights that
always hang at the rear end of a train.
and declares that he Immediately re-
versed his engine and put on the steam
brakes Then he and Fireman Price
jumped for their lives
When the wrecked engine was exam
ined yesterday morning the statement
as 10 the reversed lever and the steam
brakes was found to be true The only
remaining question was whether be or
Mutt was right about the danger sig
nal In the morning It was set a,
danger and Mutt said il had remained
50 ever since he set il TO warn Eugineer
Concrite- Manager Reynolds viii hold
a rigid investigation
Mrs Theodore Craven. who was
seriously injured. died last evening
making the list Of dead fifteen Al
the bodies have been identified.