Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-10-26
HORRIBLE R. R. ACCIDENT.
The Most Terribly Disastrous
Accident of a Century.

One of the most horrible rail
road disasters of the century oc-
CURED near Battle Creek, Michigan
on last Friday. Two passenger
trains loaded with people going to
and returning from the Worlds
Fair collided, telescoping all the
Coaches on one train. The wreck
took fire from the stoves, and be-
fore the wounded passengers could
be cxtrlcated from the heavy
timbers they were burned to
death. Twenty-seven perished,
and fifty or more were seriously
injured. There were many heart
rending incidents, an account of
one of which we clip from an
exchange:
Soon after the wreck occurred
Mr.. G. W. Vandusen was recovered
from beneath a pile of debris and
taken to the hospital where he died
in short time. He was conscious
to the last; he left his business
affairs in the hands of Rev Geo.
T. Cuthbert and died without
knowing that his wife had burned
to death. Mrs Vandusen was
pinned in the telescoped cars and
at first had no doubt of.escape, as
she looked out of the window and
awaited her rescuers.
The alarm of fire was suddenly
given. "Hurry up, please hurry
up," she said, as the fear crossed
her mind that perhaps she was
in danger of burning. A minute
later while the men were straining
to extricate her, the possibility
became apparent that she wonld
burn, and the flames crept rapidly
toward the imprisoned woman.
"You shant, burn; we'll get you
out - cried tbe men hcroically, as
they wrestled frantically with the
splintered timbers.
There was a lull of speech for
five minutes. The rescures had the
strength of madmen in despera-
ton, and would struggle with
the mass of wood and iron. The
woman was silent, and gazed i'm
ploringly and inquiringly into the
faces of the firemen.
"My God!" suddenly burst from
the lips of one of the hero workers
and in the desperate cry the help
less woman read her death warrant.
She gave one agonizing wall, and
then her woman's weakness gave
way to a martyrs strength. 81
can die, oh,yes,I can die if | must,
she said, soothingly to the strong
men who were weeping in their
struggles. Again they struggled
breathlessly to rescue her, but the
flames were encircling the party
and the blaze claimed the victim
that the crash had spared.
II am a Christian,' she said
resignedly, and moment later
her voice was raised in prayer.
The flames now completely en-
circled the helpless victim and
the fremen were driven away. AS
the blaze caught her arm and as
she fought to keep the flames from
her face, she told her name and
address and left messages of love
to her husband and family. The
closing minute was powerless to
provoke a complaint, but
it was the flesh that fought and
not the spirit.
The white face of the woman
gazed heavenward and her lips
moved in prayer. Even the fury
of the flames that withered her
lips and blistered and curled the
white flesh of her arms were
powerless to provoke complaint.
There was surging of the burn
ing timbers above and around
her.
A wild groan burst simultane-
ously from the lips Of the specta-
tors and strong men wept.
Through their tears they saw the
flames sweep arouad the face of
the martyred woman, and her hair
burned wildly for a moment. The
head dropped to one side as the
victim died; the praying lips we're
slifed and the soul of Mrs Vandus-
en- had passed beyond the fury of
the elements of earth. An hour
later the husband for whom she