Year: 1877

run Particulars of the Railroad Acct


dent ut Ashtabula.


special dispatch to the Tribune.


AsHTABULA, Ohio, Dec. 3O.-The
proportions of the Ashtabula horrer
are now approximately known.
Daylight, which gave an opportunity
to find and cnumarate the saved, re-
veals the fact that two out of every
three passengers on the fated train
are lost. OF the 160 passengers
whom the manned conducter reports
as having been on board, but SO can
found or accounted for The remain
ing 100, burned to ashes or shapeless
Jumps of charred flesh, lie under the
ruins of the bridge and train.


The disaster was dramatically COM
plete. No elements of horror was
wanring. First, the crash of the
bridge, the agonizing moments of
suspense as the seven laden cars plung-
ed down their fearful leap to the icy
river bed then the fire that came to
devour all that had been left alive
by the crash then the water, which
gurgled up from under the broken
ice and offered another form Of
death, and, finally, the biting blast
filled with snow, which froze and be-
numbed those that had escaped water
and fire. 1t was an ideal tragedy.


The scene of the accident was the
creek which, flowing down past the
eastern margin of Ashtabula village,
passing under the railroad three or
four hundred yards east ofthe station.
Here for many years after the Lake
Shore road was built there was a
long wooden trestlework, but as the
road was improved this was suppressed
ed about ten years ago with an iron
Howe truss built at the Cleveland
shops, and resting at either end upon
high stone piers, flanked by heavy
earthen embankments. The IRON
structure was single span of 159
feet crossed by double track seven
ty feet above the water, which at
that point is from 3 to feet deep,
and covered with eight inches of ice.
The descent into the valley on either
side is precipitous, and, as the hills
and slopes are piled with heavy drifts
of snow, there was no little difficulty
in reaching the wreck after the dis
aster became known.


The bridge has been regarded as
one of the very best of its kind iu the
country. 1t has been tested with six
locomotives, and trains frequently
crossed on both tracks simultaneous
ly without causing more an a
slight detection of the structure. 1t
was intended to be as strong as iron
and masonry could make it, and re-
quircd almost actual sight of the
wreck to convince the ChiefEngi
neer of the road that the bridge had
fallen under the weight of a single
train. The disaster occurred shortly
before 8 o'clock. 1t was the widest
winter night of the year. Three
hours behind its time, the Pacific ex.
press, which had left New York the
night before, struggled along through
the drifts and the binding storm
The eleven cars were heavy burden
to the two engines, and when the
leading engine broke through the
drifts beyond the ravine, and roll,
ed on across the bridge, the train was
moving at less than ten miles an
hour. The head lamp threw but 6
short and dim light in the front, SO
thick was the air with the driving
snow. The train crept across the
bridge, the leading engine had reach
ed the solid ground beyond, and its
driver had just given it steam, when
something in the undergearing of the
bridge snapped. For an instant
there was confused cracking Of
beams and girders, ending with 6
tremendous crash, as the whole trair
but the leading engine broke througi
the framework, and fell in heap ot
crushed and splintered ruins at tht
bottom. Notwithstanding the winC
and storm the crash was heard by
people withindoors half mile away
For a moment there was silence,
stunned sensation among the surviv
ors, who in all stages of multilatior
lay piled among the dying and dead
Then arose the cry of the manned
and suffering; the few who remained
unhurt fastened to escape from the
shattered cars. They crawled out O
windows into freezing water wais
deep. Men, women, and children
with limbs bruised and broken, pinch
ed between timbers and transfixeC
by jagged splinters, begged will
their last breath for aid that no hu
man power could give.