AMERICAN NEWS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 498, 3 November 1871, Page 1 (Supplement)

AMERICAN NEWS.

Two more frightful accidents am recoined, rivalling in horrible details the la'e Staten Ferry catastrophe. The Bulletin says “ A friehtf 1 accident occurred on the Eastern Railroad, at . Revere, seven mi es from Boston. The ‘ accommodation train started behind ' time, and, while stopping at the staI tion at Revere, the Portland Lightning Express overtook it, and telescoped it, kidiiig twenty-one passengers outright, of whom three were women, and wounding forty or fifty more. The cars took fire, and were consumed. Most of the wounded were scalded a id

their limbs fractured The engineer wan evidently not aware of the proximity of the Revere train until perhaps within sixty rods. He th“n whistled “ down brakes, but not soon enough to avoid the calamity. Some passengers at the rear part of the accommodation train heard theominous whistle,but to.) late to escape. On came the express train at groat velocity, and the engine struck the rearmost car full in the centre, forcing its way through two-thirds the length of the car. The smoke-stick was in-

J stantly knocked off, and the boiler 1 penetrated all the distance into the hind car, the rear part of which was smashed into a thousand splinters and the debris was thrown out on the side ‘■f the tender Of the rear half of the car not a fragment as big as a j house window could be found : the ) fore part of the engine utterly demolished, the ’pistons bent and the rods broken. The car was crowded with peop’e,every seat being occupied, and many standing in the aisle. In among these the locomotive rushed quick as a Hash, just as the Bcveady train had started, mangling and killing in a most frightful manner. But this was not the only and, perhap--, not-the worst, visitor the unfortunate passengers had. Simultaneous with the collismn he head cap of the boiler broke, and in an instant the wretched sufferers, were shrouded in clouds of steam and deluged with boiling water, which brought instant death to many of the wounded, and will prove fatal to others who had not been otherwise seriously injured. The lamps spilled their contents, but the fire, if any, was undoubtedly extinguished by water and steam. The work of resc ung the victims was at o ice commenced, assistance being soon furnished f.om Chelsea, Charlestown, and, at a later hj air, from Boston ; including s irgeons and physicians Dozens of poor creatures were jammed with the wood and iron work, and could not get out. An axe was wielded vigorously, and soon a rope was applied to the sides of the ' car, and all the remaining framework ! was pulled asundei. The dea l and ; wounded were taken out carefully and • speedily, and placed on a. platform or ‘ in the depot. Some were pinned with | splinters, some had arms and legs ‘ broken, while others were mangled I eyond recognition Many, in fact, \ the majority, of the dead were ap-1

parently free from bruises. but (be peeling .skin and deathly pallor which overspread the face and fle.-h told plainly that the hissing steam and scalding water had" been a frightful and effective agent of death. In the Town Hall of Kevere still lie halt a dozen bodies. They are horrible to look at; bloody foam li«s on their black swollen lips, their eves p otnule from the socket-, discolored, pa flesh hang hj ose from their cheeks, and great flaps of 1 oiled .-kin dangle from their hands They have baen era h'd cooked, and tortured ; and, deeper than all mere physical disfigurements, one sees something still more awful to look upon in their faces - a haunting look ( f nnspeakible agony. On the following cl iv, at Mobile, the steamer Ocean Wave left, with two hundred persons, for an excursion to Fi-h River, about twenty miles from the city. On the return trip, the boat reached Roint Clear at five p.m.. and made fast. The band and part of the passengers went ashore, and, after the lapse ot half an Inuir, the whistle was blown, and all returned to the boat, They had ju-t got on board when the boiler exploded witli great force, followed by a rumbling hissing sound Fragments of the timbers of the boat and the metal of the boiler were blown in every direc ion, the forward part of the cabin was carried a wav, (ho chimney fa 1 on the after deck and crushed it The boat almost im sunk. About sivt.v or seventy persons were killed or injured by the explosion. So far, nineteen bodies have hee i recovered, eight of whom were ladies Twenty - five wounded were brought to the citv and one of them, a young girl, has since died.

The scene was appalling n nd heartvending; wilder giief has seldom been witnessed. Many of the passengers were children.

Captain William Eaton swim for some time, with both legs broken. The boat reached him just too late, and he went down.

Two pilots were killed. The firemen were all killed, and the engineer and his wife injured.

It is impossible to correctly estimate the loss of life. By some it is snp-po-ed that at least thirty to forty persons a-e still burn d n the debris of the wreck or at the bottom of the bar.

An nnpoetical yonth desc ibed h : s fiancee’s hair as ft zVed in front, and frier seed and scrambled at the back.