The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1911-09-01
20 DEAD,,5O HURT
PORTION OF lEHlGH VALLEY
PASSENGER TRAIN WRECKED
NEAR ROCHESTER, N. v.
MANY WERE G. A. R. men
Two Coaches Fall As Feet Carrying
Down Human Burden.-Diner
Dragged Over Bridge and
Went Down Bank.

Manchester, New York. - With
fist of killed and injured far from
complete, &c persons are known to
have lost their lives, and between 90
and 60 to have been injured, many OF
them seriously, in the wreck OF Lehigh
Valley train No. 4, on trestle near
here.
Two cars OF the train plunged on
the structure, were hurled against
the stone embankment and dropped to
the bed of Canadaigua outlet, 40 feet
below, when the fast-running east
bound train was derailed and broken
in twain on the viaduct. Another car
rolled down the embankment beyond
the river. The remaining IL cars OF
the train kept the roadbed.
The first car which went over, a day
coach. plunged to the creek and was
crushed upon the rocky bed. II land
cd upon its side and few of the occu-
pants escaped death or serious in
Jury. The following car plunged head
first into the chasm and with the for
ward end resting in the creek stood
balanced almost perpendicularly.
The train carried many veterans re-
turning from the Grand Army en-
campment at Rochester and at least
two of the old soldiers were known
TO have gone to their death In the
wreck. A large proportion OF those
killed and injured were women.
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. Spread
rails are believed to have been the
, cause of the accident.
The engines and two day coaches
, had just passed the center of 400
foot trestle over Canadaigua outlet
$50 yards east of the station at Man
: chester, at 1926 o'clock when the
' Pullman car Austin" the third Of the
! long train, left the rails. II dragged
I the dining car with IT and two da,
coaches and two Pullmans followed
All bumped over the ties a short dis
!. lance when the coupling between tn
s. day coach and the rear end Of tn
C diner broke. The forward end of tn
t train dragged the derailed Pullman an
the diner over safely, after which tn
diner plunged down the embankmen
n and rolled over.
o Both cars were filled with passei
IS gers and in a few moments the cal
E. lay a mass of crumbled wood. met,
and glass. under which 100 men, won
en- and children were buried, man
IS OF whom had been killed instantly.
~ The second day coach struck on II
~ bottom and stood end up, the rear en-
u projecting a few feet above the tc
OF the trestle. All of the passenger
in this car were piled In a tangls
In mass OF broken seats at the botto
u OF the car.
. Indescribable pandemonium folio
=. ed. The Pullman car Emelyn, viii,
- remained on the bridge. with one ell
=. projecting over the gulch and sever
" cars behind II, derailed and in INN
~ date danger of going over on the ma
y, OF wreckage below, were soon empti
of all their passengers, who, wi
: gangs Of railroad employees fro
Al. the big freight yards at Manchest,
hv susneu 10 inc hiu Vi tue inpfison
=, victims OF the disaster.
IA Axes were secured and body aft
"a body was removed and carried by I
rescuers, knee-deep In the river b,
to the bank on the west side Of I
trestle. There the dead and injur
IN were laid on the ground, while plan
~, and timbers were requisitioned and
-. field hospital established.
~ 1t was necessary to chop throu
the sides and bottom Of the day cos
and the work Of removing the victi
moved with painful slowness. De;
rus had come swiftly to many. a lal
Ter number Of the dead having had tn
or skulls crushed in when they W,
as thrown against the car seats and .
ns Jections.