The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-26

Manchester y y, August Is
Speeding eastward behind time. Le-
nigh Valley passenger train No {, ran
into q spread rail- on a trestle near
here to-day. and two day coaches from
the rear section of the train plunged
downward forty feet. striking the east
emoankment like a pair of protectiles
In the awful plunge and crash at
least tS:fty-seven persons are tonight
believed to have been killed and more
than sixty injured. The injuries of
several are so serious that IL is feared
they will die
The wreck was the worst In the his
tory of the Lehigh Valley line in this
state, and one OF the most disastrous
ever recorded on the system. Crowded
with passengers. many OF within were
war veterans and excursionists from,
the G A. r. encampment at Rochester
the train made up OF fourteen cars.
1rawn by two big mogul engines was
forty minutes late when II reached
Rochester Junction. and from there
sped eastward to make up time before
reaching Geneva.
The engines and two coaches had
just passed the centre OF a 4O0-foot
trestle over Canandisgua outlet. $50
yards east OF the station at Manches-
ter at 1885 o'clock, when the Pullman
car Austin, the third of a long train.
left the rails. 1t dragged the dining
car with II, and two day coaches and
two Pullmans in this order. followed
All bumped over tho ties a short dis
lance. when the coupling between day
coach No. 237 and the rear end Of
the diner broke. The forward end OF
the train dragged the derailed Pull
man Austin and the diner over safely
after which both plunged down the
south embankment and rolled over.
The free end OF the Inflated Lehish
Valley day coach. In which most OF
the victims were riding. showed out
over the gulf. and followed by a Grand
trunk cay coach. stripped the reav
guard OF the south side OF the trestle
and plunged to the shallow river
bed. more than forty feet below.
The end Of the first day coach thar
went over struck the east embank-
ment OF solid masonry, and with tho
other siXty-foot car behind II, both
shot against the wall with terrific
force.
Both cars lay a mass of crumbled
wood metal and glass, under which a
hundred mon, women and children.
many OF whom were killed Instantly,
were buried.
The greatest destruction occurred in
the day coach. No. 2s7. and a dozen
prsons were taken later dead from
the second day coach. which. after
following the first over the trestle.
snapped its rear coupling, and thus
saved the rest of the train from being
dragged along.
This second day coach struck on
the bottom and htooi end up, the rear
end projecting few feet above the
top of the trestie. All of the passen-
gers in this car were piled in tan
gled mass OF broken seats at the bot
tom of the car. Indescribable pande-
monium followed. The Pullman car
Emelyn, which remained on the bridge,
with one end projecting over the gulsh
and several cars behind 1t derailed
and in immediate danger OF going over
the mass of wreciage below. were
soon emptied of all their passengers.
who. aided by gangs of railroad en-
ployes from the big freight yards at
Manchester, rushed to aid. 1t was
several minutes. however. before any
body reached the cars at the bottom
to help the victims.
The cars did not catch fire. Axes
were secured. and body after body
was removed and carried by the res
cuers, knee deep In the river bed, to
the bank on the west side OF the
trestlc. There the dead and injured
were laid out on the ground, while
tf-,,nI cn.ond