The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-03-07
TERRIBLE WRECK.
THE DISASTER IN MEXICO WAS
AWFUL.
One Hundred and Four Dead and So In,
jured Taken From the Wreck-Bodies
Horribly Mangled and Dismem-
bered Beyond Recognition.

| bered Beyond Recognition.
| City of Mexico, March lone of the
most frightful accidents in the history
of the Mexican railways, resulting in the
killing of lO4 persons and the serious if
not fatal injury of nearly 100 others, oc-
CURED yesterday on the Inter-O Oceanic
road at point about % miles from this
| city.
A few days ago a great number of per-
sons left the capital and the towns in the
vicinity to go on a pilgrimage to the
Catholic shrine at Sacre Monte. Tickets
were sold at reduced rates over the In
ter-O Oceanic line and this road carried the
bulk Of the pilgrims. Yesterday a long
train, aboard of which was 1900 passen,
gers, was returning from the place of
pilgrimage. All went well until on a line
about midway between Temamtla and
Tenango was reached. On this part of
the road there is a steep incline, the line
at one place on it having sharp curve,
where it runs close to the edge of high
precipice. This is one of the most dan
gerous places on the road and was rem
dered more so by the fact that the track
here was not in the best condition. AS
the train began to run down the incline
many of the passengers were laughing
anu JOhllSs Willie OlueTS were lOOhllS out
of the windows at the rapidly passing
scenery, which at this point is grand.
Soon the speed of the train began to in
crease and was running at a frightful
rate. The passengers ceased their laugh
ter and joking and looked at each other
with strange fear depicted on their faces.
Steadily the momentum of the train,
which was now swaying and bounding
fearfully,. increased, and soon the dan
gerous high curve was struck AS the
pilot wheels of the engine struck the
curve the locomotive swayed again and
either jumped the track or turned over
a rail. 1t dashed across the scanty space
between the rails and the edge of the
ehasmi and then plunged downwards
One after another, three coaches filled
with passengers dashed after it and piled
up in a mass of wreckage at the foot Of
the precipice. AS the fifth coach left the
rails it 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 considerable distance they
were stopped by the hand brakes.
When the engine and the three coaches
fell to the bottom of the ravine there was
Il fearful crash, and mingled with it was
the shouts of the frightened passengers,
which could be easily heard above the es-
Gaping steam of the engine. The passen-
gers in the derailed coaches at the edge
of the precipce got out as quickly as
possible, and many of them fell on their
knees and offered thanks for their escape
from most awful death. In the meantime
a number of passengers in the other
coaches had returned to the scene of the
wreck and devoted themselves to the work
! of rescung the imprisoned persons in
S the wreck.
: The sight here was a most gruesome
I one. The carriages were shattered, and 8
= majority of the occupants were lyinf
+ beneath the wreckage. The shrieks ant
h means of the injured were heart-rending
n while many of the unhurt women ant
children walled and moaned in an agon.
e of terror. Here and there among the debri
e could be seen an upturned face, the eye
G fixed in the CLASSY stare of death, tn
features distorted with the last grea
e fear. Now and then would be seen a fac
= crushed out of all semblance to human
IT ity. Here was an arm, there a leg tina
e. had been severed from trunk, lyin
Y perhaps 80 feet away.
e The train hands were Americans, an
y as soon as possible some of them telegraph
S, ed the news of the disaster to this city
,e The intelligence quickly spread and caus
n, ed great CONSERVATION among the inhabi
rs ants, many of whom had relatives {
friends on the train. The railway officia
lie displayed great activity, and a speci;
train with surgeons, medicine, bandage
etc, was promptly dispatched to ii
scene. Arriving there, everything pOssib
~ was done to alleviate the sufferings
=, the injured, some of whom were in sue
III agony that they prayed for death to- r
n lieve them from their tortures. $50.
at Aided by the men who were in Il
in coaches that did not go over, the railws
ed employees and army corps cleared ava
he the wreckage sufficiently to get out Il
m injured and dead. One hundred and TO,
he dead and eighty-fve wounded were take
re out of the wreck.
a The injured who could stand to
m moved were brought to this city on Il
mt special train and taken to the milital
rk hospital which was thrown open to Il
i'd sufferers by President Diaz. The who
In hospital staff busted themselves in a
Is tending to the injured, who were as COZ
Portable as circumstances would PERM
ne Many of the dead will never be identiie
some of them being so horribly mutilatt
that it is almost impossible to recogni;
hS the remains as those of human beings
= SO far as can be learned the accideI
NJ was due to the negligence of the enginee
1t is stated that when the train entere
the incline he made no attempt to chez
its speed. Had the brakes refused t
o. work the momentum could have bee
40 checked with the hand brakes, but pei
40 sons on the train state they heard n
h. whistle for the application of the han
brakes. The engineer and firemen are be
lieved to be under the wreckage of tn
engine.
AS is the case in Mexico whenever a,
- accident occurs the feeling is very bite
rp against the railroad company and tn
a. train hands. All the latter who survive,
re will be held to strict accountability I'm