Year: 1869

NNOun0eu.


Upon one of our inside pages will be found


Telegram giving the details of the disaster at


Mast Hope, N, Y, yesterday morning, which


was first announced in our yesterday afternoons


issue. This is the description of the catastrophe


given by an eyewitness published in the New


York World this morning.


SCENE OF THE DISASTER.


The little town of Mast Hope station on the


Erie Railroad, one hundred and seventeen miles


west of New York, was the scene about mid


night on Wednesday night of frightful dis


aster, resulting from the collision of the west


ward-bound passenger train with freight train


also bound west, which had been run upon


siding but not sufficiently far to clear the track


upon which the passenger train was running.


In consequence of this neglect the engine of


the freight train presented an obstruction


against which the express train ran, plunging


headlong at a rapid rate, throwing the en-


gine, the tender, the baggage car, express car,


smoking car, one passenger car and sleeping


coach from the track, and almost demolshing


them The splinters and debris of the broken


cars caught fire from the live Goals of the loco


motive and the flames thus kindled spread


to the wreck and had attained considerable


headway before they could be eXtinguished. The


engine was almost entirely destroyed by the fire,


and all but the three last coaches of the train


were burned. In the smoking car were large


number of passengers and those who were dis


abed by the shock and unable to escape from
) the wreck were burned, some of them to death.
EFFECT OF THE SHOCK.


The passengers were thrown into the utmost


confusion and alarm by the accident. The hour


was midnight, and the majority had disposed
themselves for such rest as could be obtained on
railroad car during the remainder of the jour


ney The smoking car was occupied by num-
Der who had sought the vehicle for the purpose
! of Willing away an hour or so, and, by sitting
up, enticing that repose which they feared they
could not obtain otherwise; the occupants of the
remaining passenger cars had chosen their COM


Portable corners for the night or had already
4 sought cOuches in the sleeping car


The train was dashing along at its usual rate of


speed the engineer probably confident that the


track would be kept clear by those whose duty
1t was to attend to this business, and that his
duties were merely confined to running the
train. Onward the engine sped, dragging its
train with living freight towards destruction


Suddenly the crash came. The engine was
dashed against the locomotive of the freight


train; the tender, baggage-car, and most of the


remaining cars of the train were smashed or
telescoped together and all on board


perienced the full effects of theSdreadful shock.
{ A SCENE OF TERROR.


The sleepers aroused from their slum-
bers, and those who were fortunate enough to
) escape injury rushed for the doors to learn the
cause and extent of the disaster The wounded
unable to move were left without assistance by


their fellowbeings, who, obeying the first law of


nature-self- -preservation-were almost frantic


in their struggles to be first to make their escape


for what terrible fate might yet be in store for


them they knew not The occupants of the de-


molished cars surmounted by the debris, and


impeded in their efforts to escape, shrieked


loudly for help, mingling their cries with the


dreadful groans of the wounded.


All was confusion. The officers of the train


seemed paralyzed, and knew not what to do
Those of the passengers who had reached q
place of safety looked on in blank astonish-
ment, thankful that they had emerged from the
wreck, but for the moment seemingly ignorant
of what was to be done.


THE WRECK ON FIRE.
The scene at this moment was Illuminated by
dob saI,g gIa1,
ing and then terribly distinct light upon the
surroundings, enabling the terror-stricken spec
tators to comprehend to some extent the disas-
l ter, and assisted them to bestow relief when it
was, most imperatively needed. Some of the
men engaged in the humane labor of removing
the wounded and terror-stricken helpless, while
the employees of the road upon the two trains
devoted their attention to extinguishng the
fames


RELIEF FROM THE VILLAGE.
The inhabitants of Mast Hope were aroused
from their slumbers at the dead of night by the
frantic appeals for help proceeding from the
passengers OF the traln and humanely responded
with alacrity to the summons. Soon the entire
village was aroused houses were thrown open,
+ the most available surgical aid was obtained
and everything was done for the wounded and
helpless that could be done. Aid was summoned
from the nearest points along the line of the
/ road, and by daylight reinforcements had ar
rived and all the help that was needed was upon
After the flames were extinguished, the
| charred and blackened bodies of some of the
victims were found and removed to the depot
for inqsest. The baggage was either burned or
crushed into indistinguishable mass and
the mails in the express suffered similar
fate. The safe of the express messenger
removed, which was all that was saved from the
express car


THE ''sIDING."


At the point where the accident occurred,
side track breaks off from the main line,
which 'Iay over" trains ordered to wait un-
I'll through trains have passed Owing to the
shortness of this track, the freight train which


was switched off almost entirely filed it, so that
the engine (No. 275) slightly protruded over the
main track. 1t is stated that 1t would have
been possible for the engineer to back few
feet further, but thinking he had reached the
end OF the track, he neglected to do so. AS a
consequence, when the express train, drawn by
engine No. 31S reached the spot, that engine
struck No. 275 and was thrown from the track,
almost entirely demolished. The train came
laundering on, and as each car reached the
wreck it was smashed to pieces. The fire from
the engine was communicated TO the first car
and thence to the others, and in few moments
Ihe scene was one of the most indescribable con-
! fusion.


~ Another Account of the Collision.
The N. Y. Herald correspondent writes as


follOws:--


d While all were wrapped in sleep, or in light,


uneasy slumber, on board the train, the emil


grants in the smoking car even ceasng to talk,


and the doors opening only at long Intervals Tor
the conductor or some restless member OF the
baggage corps to pass through, and while the
train was dashing along with that speed OF mo-
ton which leaves the sensation on the ear OF
4 the passenger that the wheels dance with dell
rious revolution on the rail- the fllckering light
E at the depot of Mast Hope hove in sight around


o,l hon wv