The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-08-30

SCORE KILLED IN WRECK.
CoACHES LEAVE TRACK AND
FALL IN RIVER.
Two cars Plunging From Trestle
Nrash Against Masonry Abutments.
9hattertn% Into Fragp-ents-Many
veterans Victims. ~

Manchester, N. Y, Aug Jith
a list Of killed and injure5 /fro,,
complete at midnight, 2 . sons are
known to have lost lives and
between SO and &C. ave baen in.
jured, many of = - seriously. in the
wreck OF Leh' \ alley train No. 4,
on a trestle here today.
Two car the train plunged off
the stru We're hurled against
the storf\ 4nbankment and dropped
to the bed Of Canandiagua outlet, AZ
feet below, When the fast-running
eastbound train was derailed and
broken in twain on the viaduct. An
other car rolled down the embank.
ment beyond the river. The re.
naming IL cars Of the train kept the
rOadbed.
The first car which went over. a
day coach, plunged to the creek bed
and was crushed upon the rocks. 1t
landed upon its side and few of Its
occupants escaped death or serious
injury. The following car plunged
head first into the chasm and with
the forward end resting in the creek.
stood balanced almost parpendicu-
larly.
The wreck. aside from Its fright
fully calamitous character is remark
able In that two cars from practically
the centre Of the TRAIN were singled
out Of the disastrous plunge into the
river bed.
The train carried many veterans re-
turning from the Grand Army en-.
campment at Rochester, and at least
two Of the old soldiers are known to
have gone to their death In the wreck.
A large proportion Of those killed and ;
injured were women.
1T is feared that other bodies NAV
|sst be- found in the wseckaee 4 ana =
that several of the more seriously in
jurej will die.
The wreck was one Of the most
disastrous ever recorded on the sys-
tenn. Crowded with passengers, many
OF whom were war veterans and ex-
cursionists from the G. A. r. encamp-
ment at Rochester, the train made
up OF IA coaches, drawn by two big
mogul engines, was 40 minutes late
tny,
and from there sped eastward to
make up time before reaching Ge-
neva.
The engines and two day coaches
had just passed the centre of 400.
foot trestle over Canadiagua outlet,
$50 yards east of the station at Man.
chester. at 1885 o'clock when the
Pullman car Austin, the third Of "a
long train, left the rails 1t dragged
the dining car with it and two day
coaches and two Pullmans, In this
order followed. All bumped over the
ties short distance before the coup
ping between day coach No. 237 and
the rear end Of the diner broke The
forward end of the train dragged the
derailed Pullman Austin and the diner
over safely, after which both plunged
down the south embankment and
rolled over.
The free end OF an ill-fated Lehigh
Valley day coach. in which most of
the victims were riding, with a Grand
Trunk day coach, stripped the rear
guard of the south side Of the trestIe
and plunged TO the shallow river bed
more than 40 feet below.
The end of the first day coach that
went over struck the east embank-
ment Of solid masonry, and with the
other 6O-foot car behind it, both shot
against the wall with terrific force.
Both cars were filed with passen-
gers. In few moments the cars lay
a mass Of battered wood. metal and
glass. under which a hundred men.
women and children, many of whom
were killed instantly, were buried
The greatest destruction occurred in
the day coach. No. 237. a dozen per
sons later We're taken dead from the
second day coach. which. after fol
lowing the first over the trestle. snan-
ped its rear coupling and thus saved
the rest of the train from being
dragged along.
This second day coach struck on
the bottom and stood end up, the
rear end projecting a few feet above
the top of the trestle. All OF the
passengers in this car were piled In
a tangled mass OF broken seats ct
the bottom of the car