Fearful Railway Accident in America.

Thames Star, Issue 2526, 9 February 1877, Page 2

Fearful Railway Accident in America.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

MANY OF THE VICTIMS BUBNED TO ASHES. ' .

(FBOM THK S.F. CHRONICLE.) Chicago, December 31.—The 5.15 train on the Michigan Southern of Chicago last night carried a sorrowful party: of passengers. There, were "one baggage, one first-class coach-and two sleepers; but even the baggage car bore something suggestive of J;he_ horror, for, among its lumber were trunks markedto Ashtabnla. Every other car held its quota of people en route to the scene of the accident in a sorrowful and tearful search for missing friends. In the first sleeper were J. V. Farwell, Mr Jacobs, Mr Homer Mr Whittle and William H. Jennings, going on to ..take charge; of the remains of P. P. Bliss, his wife and two children, all of whom are reported dead. On one occasion Mr Whittle related an anecdote of the war based on Sherman's sending assistance to a beleaguered citadel, and Bliss wrote the hymn, " Hold the Fort," which lias since been aung round the world. The acquaintance this inaugurated between the .two men-ripened into friendship, and they, joined hands in their efforts to rescue souls. They were to have opened services in Chicago again to-day, but the congregation who expected them will mourn the loss of one of the best hymn writers the country has pro-, duced. - Mr Bliss extricated himself from the wreck and then endeavored to free his wife and two children, who were wedged in between the ironwork of a seat, but his efforts were in vain, and he chose to remain and perish with his loved onqfr GRAPHIC MCIUBE BY A -FOBTUNATE HR* BENGER. J. E. Burchell, who was on the unfortunate train, left the wreck about 9 o'clock yesterday morning and arrived in Chicago about midnight. His story is full oftorror. He said: I should judge that jßere "were 250 passengers: We pulled out of Buffalo in.a blinding snowstorm an hour late and ran at the Tate of about fifteen miles, an hour until about an hour before the accident, when she slacked up to about ten miles an hour. A second engine was taken on at Dunkirk. Just before reach* ing the bridge the snow was very heavy, and at the station near by, the name of which I have forgntten, there was every danger of being snowed in. . We had lost an^ hour and a half from Buffalo to I the bridge. Before reaching the bridge I went through the train and noticed that the coaches and smoker were filled. The smoker did not come in its regular order; there were two passenger coaches ahead of it. Next behind the smoker, was a parlor coach in which Mr Bliss and his family were, and I noticed that it was one* third full. . I was in. the,car behind the parlor, and my car was filled. Behind that were three sleepers, which were also nearly filled. We neared the bridge'about 7.48, though due at Ash tabula at 5.15. We ran on the structure at the rate of about ten miles an hour, and the whole train was on the bridge when it gare way. The bridge is about 200 feet long, and only the first engine had passed ore;

when the crash came, the weight of the falling cars nearly, pulling back the locomotive that passed over. The first thing I heard was a cracking in the front part of the^ car,, and then the same cracking in the rear. Then came another cracking in thel front,; louder-than, the first, and then came a sickening oscillation, a sudden sinking, and I was thrown stunned from my seat. I heard cracking and splintering and smashing all around me. The iron work bent and twisted like snake*. I heard a lady scream in anguish, 11 Oh, help me." Then I heard a cry- of fire. Some one broke a window and I pushed the lady out who had screamed. I think her name was Miss Bingham. The train lay in the valley in the water. Our car was a little on its side, with both ends broken. The rest of the cars lay in every direction —some on end and some on the side, crushed and broken, a terrible -but, picturesque sight. Beloiv were the water and broken ice ; seventy feet above was the broken bridge. Most of all the passengers who escaped did so by way of windows. There was no egress at the doors, for the- stoves were there. (I ,Qne lady was pulled from a 'window and almost every stitch of cloth- ■ ing'^tripped from her, and when they .werfftakinjr her "out the rescuing party '(jcould rbear the screams of women and "children for aid, but could .render them * no "assistance. who came from the wreck,said they could see into the cars and could see the charred trunks of

those who had been literally burned to death. They described the bodies as wholly unrecognisable, beyond identification,- and presenting the most ghastly scene they had ever looted on. Some of the unfortunates had been burned literally to ashes, and in some instances only the calcined bones were left to tell that human beings had been there. Of fiftytwo taken from the wreck all were more

or less injured, and about forty of them dangerously," if not fatally. There was a fire engine there, but there was no nose. lVthi'nk the fire lasted about an hour, and by that time all the cars were burned.,-. I don't think any.one was taken out aliire,after the fire. I fear that all who were not saved before the flames got headway perished in the general conflagration. * At' the hotel I heard some employes of the road say that they had always been afraid' of that bridge. One man said he went over it two hours before " the accident; and thought then it was too light,' "I"should say there were at the ''le«streckoning, 150, persons killed outTight or burned to death, and this in "spite.of the fact that some of the officers '. claim that there were only 165 on the train.j I don't/know the names of'any • passengers except Mr Bliss. All along the road coming from the scene are anxious men, fearful that friends, or relatives were on the train and killed or injured. The railroad officials admit that there were over 100 killed.

•. . STOBT OF A POETBE. Jerry Stewart, who also came in last night, was porter on the New York sleeper Palatine." After narrating some

particulars as to the fall of the cars, he said : In my car there were 25 passengers. -I don't know any of their names. After we'struck, I sang out to my passengers, •' Get out of the upper windows." They all broke for the windows and all sue-' ceeded in getting but. I helped out an, .old gentleman and lady with a broken leg. X then ,went up the bank. After helping the woman with the broken leg up I went back and helped out an old gent. The ,fire had caught in the rear part of my car "'and the whole train was burning- briskly. I did not' see anybody crawling out, nor did I see any one lying around. All that were saved had been saved then. All who were not saved in 15 minutes were never saved at all. The wind blew fiercely, and there was no hope of putting the fire out. It burned for an. hour and "a half or two hours —nearer two hours,

I, should think. I think all the passengers in- the "coaches perished, for the sleepers fell on them and crushed them. The last sleeper was the Louisville car, .the Osseo. There were four or five people in it. , I saw only one who got out; it was a-lady,- but I do not know her name. The next-was the Boston car, the City of Buffalo. She' carried-a large load. I can't aay how many got out. I don't know how many, passengers there were nor how many Were lost, but I think a large number. The porterof,the«Osseo was James Doyal of New York, and the porter of the City of Buffalo was named Webb. Both were killed. I.saw nearly all my passengers afterwards up at the station, and one or two were fatally injured. The rest were badly but I do not think dangerously hurt. AT THE SCENE OF THE DKASTER. Ashtabtjla, December 31. —During the entire day over 100 men have continued to labor, clearing away the debris of the • wrecked train. Their labor was rewarded by recovering only two more bodies and some unrecognizable burned pieces of .flesh, and the belief is gaining ground that many passengers were totally or almost "wholly consumed. Intense excitement prevails and scores of persons have arrived here~from East and West in eager search of information regarding missing friends. Little satisfaction can be given them. 1 The boxes in the freight houses containing the bodies were numbered and white paper labels placed on those that had been identified. There are 36 bodies or masses of charred and blackened flesh in the building* Of these 17 are supposed to be indentified. Before hearing of the evidence alid after viewing the scene of the disaster and the. corpses,- the Coroner authorised the friends of deceased to remove the identified bodies to their homes. The jury then expressed the intention of a' careful investigation of the causes of the accident. A. L. Stone, brakeman, in the rear car, who miraculously escaped unharmed, was the first witness examined. He thought there were 160 persons on the train at .the time of the accident. The express was goiog at the rate of twelve miles ah hour, a little faster than ordinarily when approaching the bridge. After the accident'he ran to the depot to prevent the other train, that he believed was following, from crossing. The head , cars were heated by Baker's heaters, and stoves. Other witnesses were examined by the jafy, but their testimony does not differ materially from that of the brakeman. '