Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-05
J. N. HAIG. baltimore; knee sprained

Mrs. BUSH. sii west Thirty-irst street.
arms; not seriously.
LEE CRANDAI.L Globe, Arizona;
slight scalp wound and finger sprained.
J. w. ELDER, Washington. ID. c.;
bead and nose considerably bruised.
JONAH II. HINCKEL. Trenton, But
Ter county, o.; left hip painfully injured.
MR.. PAGES ACCOUNT.
Mr.. Leigh r. Page. OF Richmond. was
a passenger In the rear coach. and gave
the following account OF the disaster:
THE train left Charlottesville 80 min
utes late. 1 felt jostle, and In a moment
the car came TO a standstill. Six or eight
other passengers we're in the rear sleeper,
all OF whom Immediately ran to the win
dow. not thinking that anything had hap
pened more serious than a simple derail-
ment. Upon reaching the window I saw
the locomotive on the left side of the
track. while the baggage and express
cars were thrown over into the river, and
the first passenger coach was smashed
into smithereens. The second car. which
apparently contained mostly Italians.
seemed to have met with more serious
results. One italian woman was found.
She had been instantly killed. while her
infant was taken from the wreck later
fatally injured. Another italian had been
thrown partly through the window by
the shock, and was caught by the legs
beneath the coach, so that 1t was a very
long time before the coach could be so
lifted as TO release him. The agony
caused by the pressure on his legs was
so great that his cries were heard from
some distance. The engineer was serious
ly injured internally and his arms broken.
He was also severely scalded about the
face. Some time after the wreck a man
was discovered in the second coach with
both Of his legs cut off below his knees"
04uhe baggage, as rule, is safe and In
tact The express-car, loaded mostly
with turkeys and other fowls, is partially
submerged in the river For some time
after the accident occurred the crew, as
well as the passengers. did not seem TO
unite in any effective effort to rescue. Ii
was only upon the arrival of the wreck
ing-car that systematic work was done.
III the parlor-car were Senators Platt,
of Connecticut, and Russell. and Commits
sioner-of-Pensions II. Clay Evans, or
Tennessee, accompanied by their ste
nographers and clerks. All of the party
were unhurt.
SCENE AT THE WRECK.
The wreck is as complete as 1t could
possibly have been made. The cars are
piled one upon another in an undistin-
guishable mass, and the engine is smash
ed beyond all recognition
Officers of the road. General Manager
Stevens and General Superintendent
Doyle came up In the formers car, bring
ing with them Drs. G.. w. p. Brock and
George Ross The officers remained at the
scene Of the wreck. where Mr.. Stevens is
giving directions over a private wire run
directly into his car, and the physicians
came direct to Charlottesville, bringing
with them the injured passengers. Many
of the wounded are being cared for at the
Hotel Albemarle. and at this hostelry,
which has been turned practically into
a hospital. the Richmond surgeons are
making their headquarters.
Engineer Duke. whose home is In Char
lottesville, was taken there. He Is being
nursed by his wife and attended by the
best physicians in the city, He Is des-
perateiy injured, but has stout heart,
and says, as above stated, that he VIII
recover.
General-Nanager Stevens was seen by
the Dispatch correspondent and asked for
statement of the cause of the wreck.
He handed over the following. which he
had sent over his own signature to Gene
al-Passenger-Agept Fuller:
From appearances the accident was
caused by broken axle under the front
truck OF the engine. The report that the
track spread on account of poor ties Is
untrue. Engine, express-car, postal-car,
combination-car coach, and two sleepers
are off track. and on their sides. Dining
car has front truck off, otherwise all
right. Rear sleeper did not leave track"
Mr. Stevens was very much concerned
over the report that the accident was due
to bad track, and said that the track was
as good at that point as at any place on
the line.
The engine was comparatively new
machine. 1t was put on here at Char
lottesville. and was carefully inspected
before il left the round-house. Two wreck
ing trains are now on the scene of the
disaster-one from Richmond and the
other from Clifton Torge-and section
gangs from all over the division nave
been assembled at the wreck. All are
busily engaged, but the nature or the
wreck is such, and the roadbed so narrow
at the point, that 1t Will probably be Two
days before the track is cleared. In the
mean time all trains for Richmond are
being run around by Orange Courthouse.
The train, when il left this city, had
aboard a full quota of passengers, ana
though II seems miraculous that any
escaped serious injury, many did ana
they have now scattered to their homes,
many going east on the special made up
AT the wreck and others coming 10 tns
city. whence they left over the virginia
Midland for the North Some OF them
give exceedingly thrilling accounts OF
their experiences.
MIR. PENDLETON'S EXPERIENCES.
Mr.. r. B. Pendleton, a well-known
borseman of Norfolk, who was in the
erst-class coach. gave the following ac-
count of the accident as he experienced
and saw 1t: -.
..In my car there were number or
ladies as well as a considerable number
NJ men. and In the smoking-car imme-
d,atelv in front of our coach were seve-
raj italian immigrants-fien, women, ana
cbiIdren We were bowling along at
lively speed, probably forty-five miles an
ho,r when suddenly and without warn
ing our car gave a lurch and then
n,nnge forward, turning as 1t plunged on
its side. Naturally the shock threw US
an from our seats, and for moment,
unt,l the car settled on the hillside, we
wore tossed about like shuttle-cocks. we
finally crawled from the floor. where we
baa been thrown in a heap. with satehels
ON ron OF us. and made our way TO the
,,,,ndows. We had TO climb up on top OF
seats to reach these apertures, and In
rcaa had IN smash the glass.