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

the cars and engine crashed MS though 1t
was an eggshell with % second crash almost
as great as the breakingo of the bridge. For
a few moments after this everything was
still down in that terrible chasm, and then
arose the screams Of the imprisoned occu-
pants of the cars who still remained alive.
The railroad station was only short
distance away, and help arrived almost in
stantly. but before the first spectator came
on the scene fire had broken out in the
wreck, and soon the flames were greedily
licking up all the woodwork that remained
out of water. There were 147 persons on the
train, and, strange to say, ~ were rescued
alive, though most of them were pretty
badly injured Seventy-fve were killed
outright by the fall, burned to death or
drowned i'm the creek.
The last of the six greatest railroad acci-
dents, the "Chatsworth disaster" in most
respects was worse even than the Ashta-
| bula wreck, though it lacked some of the
| terrors of snow, ice and water which added
| so much to the horrors of the Ohio holo-
| caust. On the night of Wednesday, Aug.
/ 10. 1887 at 40 minutes after 9 o'clock,
/ large excursion train, II cars, packed with
! a happy throng Of pleasure seekers dashed
/ 10y the Chatsworth Qlls.) station of the To-
| ledO, Peoria and Western railroad at high
rate of speed The train was drawn bytwo
/ of the heaviest engines on the road and
was bound for Niagara Falls.
| Shortly after the Chatsworth station, at
| which no stop was made, had been passed,
/ the engineer of the forward locomotive saw
| flames tapping at the stringers of a short
trestle work which led across a dry cut
/ some 10 feet deep. lnstinctively he reversed
his lever, but in the next moment ne saw
that it would be impossible with the heavy
train behind to stop before the danger spot
was reached The only chance lay in a
dash for safety, and throwing his lever back
again he put on every pound of steam, and
the cars fairly made a leap ahead. But
neither speed nor caution could save the
train The flames had undermined the
woodwork of the trestle, and it gave way
as soon as the weight Of the first engine
struck it. Then ensued an awful scene.
The $50 people on board were thrown in the
midst of the wreck, pinioned under the
frame work of the shattered vehicles. A
few Of the passengers remained uniniured,
but fire broke out like a flash in a dozen
different places.
When morning came, the shattered train
was still blazing. After the wreck was
finally cleared away it was found that 16
persons had been killed. Three hundred
and fifty passengers were injured, ma
iority of them severely, and for months the
affair hung like pail over what had been
one of the happiest and most prosperous
stretches of country in the west Compared
with this terrible calamity most of the sc
called minor accidents which have from
time to time shocked the country seem
small, but taken together they make a most
formidable list The most important Ol
them are as follows:
Nov. l, le55-rhe bridge over the Gasconadl
river on the Missouri Pacific went down undel
the first train run through to Jefferson City
20 killed, 80 injured. The chief engineer wa
among the dead
Aug rs, lSG5-A new engine out for tria
ran into the rear end of a local passen' OF
the HOusutonic railroad of Connections; l
killed, 10 injured.
April IT,, 1868 Train on the Erie road deraile'
at Carrs rock; 10 killed, 81 wounded.
May u, l6iO-Night express on the Missouri
Pacific ran into "a stalled freight at Eureka
Mo-; 10 killed, so wounded.
Aug. 20, lSJ1-ENpress on the Eastern rail
road ran into the rear end OF the Beverly &C
commodation at Revere, Mass; p killed, =
( wounded.
Feb. g. ls71-The Second Pacific express
on the Hudson River road ran into wrecke,
oil train near New Hamburg; p killed, 8
! wounded.
June %, 1s72--EXpress train on the GRAM
Trunk of Canada jumped the track on accOun
of a defective rail near Belleville, Ontario; 8
. killed, 40 wounded.
Dee "a. lS72-A broken wheel precipitate
an express train ON the Buffalo, Cory an
, / Pittsburg down an embankment at Prospect
n. Y; Is killed, 25 wounded
Jan. 10, lSIS-An excursion train on the Con
neCticut Western went down with bridg
ovevthe Pennington river at Tariffviue, Conn
l3 killed, 80 wounded.
Oct. g. lS7S-An excursion train returnin
- from a boat race Collided with the edge Of
b. freight car at Wollaston Heights, near BOs
! ton, because Of an improperly thrown switcl
10 killed, $50 wounded.
Oct. 10, l619-Th Pacific express onthe Micl
I igan Central COllided with freight train q
jackson Junction; 18 killed. 81 wounded
2 Jan. 13, lSs2-The Atlantic express on til
B. / New York Central at Spuyten Duyvil run int
f by the Tarrytown local. killed and
wounded.
3 May IA, lssl-A through freight on the Bait
more and Ohio ran into a gravel train at Coz
?, nellsville, Pal 13 killed.
IL April Z, lo6G-An express train on the HoosS
l. Tunnel line left the track between Bardwe
n and West Deerheld, Mass; u killed.
9 Sept. IA, l656-EXcursion train from Erie Il
q Niagara Falls ran into freight at Silv
a Creek, n. Y; 20 killed and 45 injured.
= Jan. 4, 1SS7-The west bound express on u
= Baltimore and Ohio ran into stalled freig
l. at Republic, o.. l6 killed, 20 injured.
l, Feb. 5, lSS7-Two cars of passenger train
& the Vermont Central jumped the track at Il
J. | White river bridge, near Woodstock; 81 kille
- March H. lSS1-Bussey bridge in the on
a skirts of Boston went down under a crowd
a train on the Boston and Providence road;
= killed lis injured.
u Feb. 27, 1Ss9-A passenger train on Graz
Ie Trunk was derailed on the bridge at 5
y George, Ont; 10 killed; 30 injured,
e, Aug. 10, l6UO-The Woods Holl express on
Old Colony road ran into a ratchet jack viii