Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-11-05
TERRIBLE RAILROAD WRECK.

half past one O'Clock yesterday alter
noon about three miles east of Char
lottesville, which caused the death of
four persons and the injury of nnm.
Der of others. The wrecked train was
the Cincinnati and Washington express,
Cincinnati to New York, which ger.
orally passes through Alexandria about
half-past 8 o'clock. At the time of the
accident the train was one hour late
and was running at high rate of speed.
Upon rounding curve on the banks of
the Rivanpa river, which is about one
hundred yards wide at that point, the
rails, it is supposed, spread, and the
engine, tender, mail and express car,
com bination car and day coach were
thrown over the embaDkment. Some,
however, think the axle of the forward
truck broke, which caused the wreck.
Tho accident was much like that re-
Gently on the New York Central Rail.
road, near Garrisons, N. Y.
The scene was terrible one. Men,
women and children screamed in agony
and terror. and there was the greatest
CONSERVATION among the uninjured pas.
sepgers. J. h. Alexander, express
agent, and r. N. Berkeley miraculous
" escaped from the flooded Car by
crawling through a window. The mo-
mentum Of the train was 90 great that
six cars were hurled beyond the engine.
A combination car and day coach were
thrown across the track against the
river bank. Several cars were piled
upon each other. Most of the passen.
gers were bound for Washington and
New York. Three relief trains were
at once sent to the scene of the wreck
and six railroad surgeons and fifty
stretchers ordered to be cent by special
train. Everything is being done for
the injured, who were taken to Char
lottesville for treatment.
Following is list of the killed ::
Henry Burnett, Keswick, Va, color.
ed, train porter; Mrs. Merara, Italian,
aud infant; Phelix Mareno, died after
being removed to Charlottesville.
About sixteen persons were more or
less injured.
The story of the wreck is most COM
pletely and graphically told by the
survivors, who reached this city about
II o'clock last night by way of the
Southern Railway from Orange.
The train was a through one from
Cincinnati, and known as the Cincin.
natl and Washington express, and was
composed of nine cars. 1t was due to
leave Cincinnati at 9:10 Wednesday
night, and would have reached Wash.
ington at 3:45 o'clock yesterday after
noon. The train was fifty minutes
late when it reached Charlottesville,
where change Of engines took place.
The engineer had reputation as a fast
but, heretofore, safe runner, and was
calculated upon making up the lost
time on the run to Washington. About
two and one half miles this side OF
Charlottesville is the little station of
Massie. At this pcint there is sharp
curve in the tracks as the river makes
bend. The engine was bearing
around this curve. Suddenly, and
without the slightest warning, it broke
from the remainder of the train and
left the tracks. Strangely enough. it
did not roll down the sloping embank
ment which leads to the river, but on
The contrary tumbled over on the upper
nil side. At the instant the locomo-
tive left the rails the fireman jumped
from tho cab, and striking on soft
plot of earth he was injured little more
Than the Jar and aud shock which he
sustained. Engineer Duke was not 80
fortunate. He remained at the lever,
and was afterward taken out of the
wreck badly injured, and will probably
die. As soon as the engine had left the
tracks the tender broke from the postal
car and shot forward over the
locomotive and landed about fifty feet
beyond, where the latter lay overturn-
ed, carrying the better part of the en-.
gine's cab with it. The remainder of
the train, thus freed from the locomo.
tive and tender, which had completely
left the track, then shot forward per-
haps fifty OF seventy five feet. A
singular thing then happened. The
TWO forward cars, the postal
and the baggage cars, left the
tracks and were piled up, tele-
scoped and splintered, on the upper
side of the embankment in the same
manner as the engine. A few feet
farther on the express car tumbled to
the lower side, and rolled down the
embankment perhaps twenty feet, to
the waters edge. The combination
passenger and smok er next dashed into
the wreck of the postal and baggage
cars, and it was here that the greatest
fatality took place. On top of these
three was piled up the regular day
coach, which in a way sandwiched in
the combination Car. The Washington
sleeper, which followed the day coach,
was overturned on the river side and
rolled, or rather slid, part way toward
the water, but did not enter the stream.
The two other sleepers followed togeth-
er with the dining car, the rear trucks
of which did not leave the tracks.
The scene which followed beggars de-
scription. AS soon az those who were
uniDjured had come to realize what had
happened they Immediately began to
climb out of windows and the rear end
of the cars to ascertain the extent of the
damage and assist in the work of
rescue. There were many ladies on
the train and they were nearly all panic
stricken. The cries of the imprisoned
passengers aud train crew were pitiful
to hear, and the survivors lost no time
in beginning to take them out of the
wreck.
1t was fully an hour before the ply