The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-03-09
A Frightful Railroad Accident
Near City of Mexico.
ANOTHER HUNDRED INJURED
Engine and Three Coaches of an Ex-
cursion Train Go Over a Precipice.
TRAIN HANDS WE'RE AMERICANS,

Twelve Hundred Natives Were Aboard the
Train Returning From a Pilgrimage to
the Catholic Shrine at Sacre Monte.
lessness of the Engineer.
CITY OF MEXICO, March 2.-One of the
most frightful accidents in the history
OF the Mexican railroads, resulting in
the killing Of 104 persons and the Sc
rious, if not fatal, injury of 100 Others,
occurred Thursday afternoon on the
lnteroceanic railroad at a point about %
miles from this city. A few days ago a
great number of persons left the capital
and the towns in the vicinity to 60 on a
pilgrimage to the Catholic shrine at
Sacre Monte. Tickets We're sold at re-
duced rates over the Interoceanic line
and this road carried the bulk Of the
pilgrims. A long tram, aboard of
which there were 200 passengers, was
returning from the place of pilgrimage.
1t went well until a point on the line
about midway between Timamtla and
Tenango was reached. On this part of
the road there is a steep incline, the
line at one place having a sharp curve
where it runs close to the edge of a
high precipice.
Passengers Ceased Their Joking.
AS the train began to run down the
incline many of the passengers were
laughing and joking, while others were
looking out of the windows at the rap
idly passing scenery, which at this
point is superb. Soon the speed of the
train began to increase and it was soon
running at a frightful rate. The pas
sengers ceased their joking and looked
at each other with a strange fear de.
picted in their faces. Steadily the mo.
mentum of the train, which was now
swaying and bounding fearfully, in.
creased and soon the dangerous curve
was reached. AS the pilot wheels of
the engine struck the curve the locomo-
tive swayed outward and then back.
AS the drivers went on the curve the
engine again swayed heavily and then
jumped the track or turned a rail. It
dashed across the scanty space between
the rails and the edge of the chasm and
then plunged downward.
Coaches Jumped the Track.
One after another three coaches
filled with passengers dashed after it
and piled up in a mass of wreckage al
the foot of the precipice. The next two
coaches also jumped the track, but most
fortunately did not go over the edge 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. AT.
ter running a considerable distance they
were stopped by the handbrakes. When
the engine and the three coaches fell to
the bottom Of the ravine, there was a
fearful crash and mingled with it were
the shrieks of the affrighted passengers,
which could be easily heard above the
shrieking Of the escaping steam of the
engine, which was knocked to pieces by
the fall.
They Thanked God.
The passengers in the two derailed
coaches at the edge Of the precipice got
out as quickly as possible and many Of
them fell on their knees and thanked
God for their escape. from a most awful
death. In the meantime a number of
passengers in the other coaches had re-
turned to the scene of the wreck and
devoted themselves to the work of res
cuing those imprisoned in the wreck.
The scene about the wreck was most
sickening as we'll as sorrowful. Rela-
tives were searching for missing mem
bers of their families and women and
children who had lost husbands and
fathers were crying and moaning in a
he~artrendering manner. Here and there
among the debris could be seen an up
turned face, the eyes fixed in the CLASSY
stare of death, the features distorted
with unknown fear. Again, what had
been q face could be seen crushed out of
all semblance to humanity. Here was
an arm, there was a leg that had been
severed from a trunk lying perhaps so
feet away.
Train Hands Were Americans.
The train hands were Americans and
some of them as soon as possible tele-
graphed news of the disaster to this
city. The intelligence quickly spread
and caused the greatest CONSERVATION
among the inhabitants, many of whom
had relatives Or friends on the train.
Railroad officials displayed commend.
able activity and an ambulance, medi-
cines, bandages, ETC., was promptly dis
patched to the scene. Arriving there
everything that was possible to alleviate
the sufferings of the injured, some of
whom were in such agony that they
prayed for death to relieve them from
their ~tortures. Aided by some of the