The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-30
ASTABCLA Wreck RECALLED.
Eighteen Years Ago Last Night the TER b
Disaster Occurred.

Eighteen Years Ago Last Night the TER bic
Disaster Occurred.
Last night was the eighteenth ami
versary Of the terrible wreck at Ashta-
bule, o.
On the 18th day of December. 1875.
there occurred at Ashtabula, then q
small town in Ohio, one of the most ter
rible wrecks in the history OF the
world. A great many of the readers Of
the Eagle will remember il. Will F..
Reeves of this city was living at Ashta-
bule at the time and to an Eeagle re-
porter last night he recited all the par
ticulars of the catastrophe.
Snow had been falling for several
days in Ohio and the ground was COW
cred with it from two to four feet deep.
Train No. 5 had been compelled to put
on an extra engine to pull the cars.
and even then the snow was so deep
on the track that the train made very
slow progress.
The train was composed Of the engine,
three mail and express cars, three pas
senger cars and five sleepers. All We're
filed to the utmost seating capacity.
The train was coming In from the
north and about one mile north from
the center of the town was the bridge
over the Ashtabula river, a small creek
only about fifteen or twenty feet In
width.
Years before when the bridge was
built it was condemned by competent
judges as unsafe but the railroad COM
pany had an opinion of their own con-
corning it and thought that 1t was per-
fectly safe and all right. The train was
coming in from the north and was
very hard work for the two engines to
make much progress. The first en-
CINE started across the bridge and was
about half way over when the engineer
felt the track swaying beneath him.
Looking back he could see the cars and
the second engine falling. He imme-
diately pulled the throttle wide open
in order to get across the bridge il pos
sible. He stated that he could feel the
engine climb as If going up steep hill.
By turning the steam on full force he
managed to break loose from the Sec
ond engin and reached the other side
in safety. When he got out Of the cab
he saw that his engine was off the
track. The cars and engine going
through had caused the rails to spread
and his engine was right in the middle
of the track.
Immediately after going through the
cars caught on fire. Mr.. Reeves with
same friends were at party. They
Were laughing. joking and having a
good time generally. when suddenly a
horse was heard galloping UP the street.
Then mans voice could be heard cry
ing out for all men in town to get to the
depot and shouting the news of the
wreck.
The young men Immediately started
for the scene. When they reached the
wreck everything was wrapped in
flames. Shortly after the arrival OF
the young gentlemen, the fire engine
came up but the foreman was inmed-
lately given a telegram from the mana
ger OF the railroad at Cleveland COM
manding him not to throw water on
the flames. He obeyed the orders and
everything belonging to the company
wac destroyed excepting the head
engine.
The men from Ashtabula Immediately
commenced to save what they could
OF the passengers. Everywhere could
be heard agonizing schrieks and means
and the air was already becoming foul
from the stencil OF burning flesh.
In a short time all the woodwork was
destroyed and hundreds OF souls had
departed this life.
The citizens OF the town opened up
their doors tothe wounded and soon all
traces of the wreck were removed.
IN all there were about 400 people
killed and a great number badly burned
and bruised.
The bodies were burned to such a
crisp that about forty OF them were
never recognized and were buried by
the city. Always at this time OF the
year Mr.. Reeves IS filed with memories
Of this awful wreck and he cannot feel
otherwise than gloomy.
There were probably more persons
killed in this wreck than anything OF
the kind before or after.