Evening journal., 1895-03-02


Coming Down Mountain Side Three
Coaches Followed the Engine over the
Edge Of the PrecipiOe.
CRY or MEXICO, March .. --One Of the
most frightful accidents in the history Of
the Mexican railroads, resulting Ia the
killing of 104 persons and the serious If
not fatal injury Of nearly 100 others, oc-
CURED on the Interoceanie railroad At a
point about 25 miles from this city.
A few days ago great number Of per
sons left the capital TO 60 ON a pilgrimage
20 the Catholic shrine at Saore Monte.
Tickets for the pilgrimage were sold at re
duced rates over the 1ntercceanic line,
and this road carried the bulk of the pill
grims. Thursday a long train. aboard Of
which there were l, 200 passengers, was
returning from the place Of pilgrimage
All went well until a point on the line
midway between Temamtla and Tenango
was reached where there is a steep in
cline, the line at one place having sharp
curve where it runs close to the edge Of a
high precipice This is one of tho most
dangerous places on the road and was rem
aered more so by the fact that the line
here was not in the best condition.
Lost Control Of the Train.
AS the train began to run down the in
cline many of the passengers were laugh
| ing and joking, while others wero looking
out of the windows at the rapidly passing
scenery. which at this point is grand.
| Soon tho speed of the train began to in
crease, and soon it was running at a
snghtful rate
| The passengers ceased their laughing
/ and Joking and looked at each other with
strange fear depicted in their faces
Steadily the momentum of the train,
which was now swaying and bounding
fearfully, increased, and soon the danger
GUS high curve was struck.
AS the pilot wheels Of the engine took
| the curve the locomotive swayed outward
and then back AS the drivers went on
tho curve the engine again swayed heavily
and then either jumped the track or turn
ed rail 1t dashed across the scanty
space between the rails and the edge Of
the ohasm and then plunged downward
One after another three coaches filed
with passengers dashed after it and piled
up mass of wreckage at the foot OF the
| precipice. The next two coaches also
Jumped the track, but most fortunately
did not 90 over the edge of the precipiee.
AS the fifth coach left the metals il
twisted and broke the coupling connecting
it with the coaches behind it. These
coaches kept the rails and passed safely
around the curve. After running a con
. siderable distance they were stopped bl
the hand brakes.
When the engine and the three COACHES
/ fell to the bottom Of the ravine there wa
/ a fearful crash. and mingled with it wer
/ the shricks Of the afTrightcd passengers
which could easily be heard above til
! shrieking Of the escaping steam of tho on
) gine, which was knocked TO pieces by tn
fall.
1 On the Edge OF The Procipice.
The passengers in the two deraile
I coaches at the edge Of the precipice got on
D Of them as quickly as possible, and man.
Of them fell on their knees and offerc
y thanks for their escape from most awfu
g death
= In tho meantime number Of the pa!
s sengers in the other coaches had roturne
J. to the scene Of the wreck and devote
IS themselves to tho rescue Of those imprisoI
y ed in the wreckage at the foot Of the pr
It eipice. The sight here was a most grew
it some one The carriages were shattered
!, and majority OF the occupants were ly
= ing horribly mangled beneath the wreck
d age. The shrieks and means Of the II
Is jured were heartrending, while many {
i the unhurt women and children moane
l. and walled in an agony of terror.
It Here and there among the debris coul
" be seen an upturned face--the eyes tixe
r in the CLASSY stare Of death and the fei
lures distorted with unknown fear.
II Again. what had been face could
t seen crushed out OF all semblance to III
manity Here was an arm, there L
that had been severed from trunk lyin
perhaps so feet away. The sight was OF
that will never be forgotten by those WI
" witnessed it.
The train hands were Americans, al
!, some of them as soon as possible TELEGRAPH
!, cd the news Of the disaster TO this cit
Il The intelligence quickly spread and caus'
! the greatest CONSERVATION among the il
- habitants, many Of whom had relatives
ii friends on the train.
The railroad officials displayed the mo
~ o0mmendable activity. and q special reli
a | train, with surgeons, an ambulance, me
Ia icines, bandages etc, was promptly dl
NJ patched to the scene Whom the train a
u. | rived there, everything possible was do
4. to alleviate the sufferings Of the injure
~ some Of whom were in such agony th
III they prayed for death TO relieve them fro
Il their fortunes. Aided by some Of the m
Y who were in the coaches that did not
II. over, the railway employees and the rel
III corps soon cleared away the wreckage sui
M GENTLY to allow Of the extrication of Z
NJ dead and injured.
al One Hundred and Four Dead.
al One hundred and four dead and
lal wounded were taken out Of the wreC
The injured who could stand being mS
ed were brought on to the City Of NJ
). ico on the special train and taken TO
- Military hospital, which was thrown op
u to the sufferers by orders tom Preside
Dy Diaz. The whole staff of the hospi
W busted themselves in attending to the
~ iured, who were made as. comfortable
w the circumstances would permit
" Many Of the dead will never be iden
~ fed, some of them being SO horribly mi
w gled that it is almost impossible TO rec'
Oeu nize the remains as those Of human hein
" So far as can be learned the accid'
was due to the negligence Of the engine
Il is stated that when the train ente
rsa on the incline he made no attempt
= check its speed by the use Of the airhrah
les Had these brakes failed to work, the 7
II mentum could have been checked with