DEATH ON THE RAIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3896, 26 August 1891, Page 2

DEATH ON THE RAIL.

Horrible Accident on the Erie Bailroa4. Twenty-one People Silled, in the OJUO- - (Ohiol, July 8. Twenty- one people were killed and many injured at an early hour this morning in the most frightful railroad accident of the present year. At 8 o'clock the east-bound express on the Erie Road was lying at the station while some repairs were being made by the engineer. Flagman Boynton had started back with a lamp to ward off any possible danger from the rear. Suddenly, without warning, the headlight of a locomotive flashed around a curve and a fast stock train dashed down a steep grade from the west, crashing into the rear of a passenger train standing quietly at the depot. The passenger train was about ten minutes late, owing to trouble with one of the cars. The train at the time of the accident lay on the main track just at the bottom of a steep grade, and though the trainmen knew that they were followed by the fast freight no one seemed to think the freight was at their very heels, and once on the down grade coming into the station it was a hard matter to stop, especially as the freight did not intend to make Ravenna a stopping place. The freight was making time and came down the hill with a rush, the engine and tender being fairly hurled through the rear cars of the passenger train. PITEOUS CRIES FOR HELP arose from the heap of wreckage, and willing hands were already tearing sit the heap of broken and twisted timber and iron. Suddenly here and there tiny tongues of flame sprang up (rom the crevices of the wrecked brain. Fire was added to the horrors af the wreck, and fight as they would, the rescuers could not drive the ugly slement back one foot from the vietims, who shrieked and implored in vain for help that was willing enough out was far too weak to tear aside iron Hid timber before wreck and flames had done their worst. There was no dehy in rendering assistance, but all efforts were fruit* less until the arrival of the Jb'ire Department. The flames could not be stayed until water had been poured into the wreck for hours. It seemed to agonise the onlookers, but in reality &U that human power could do was done. At daylight a subdued and tearful crowd of several hundred stood at the station gazing on the sickening sight, while all about them was the smothering odour of burning flesh arising from the mass of black, lieaped up wreckage. Now and then the eye chanoed upon little shreds of slothing or charred flesh and bones, ;ach and all blackened and BOASTED TO A HORRIBLE DEGREE. Possibly the most fearful sight, if me could be worse than another, was :he~ appearance of the boiler of the Veigbt engine. In the first shook the ront end of the boiler was broken in, ind as the engine ploughed its way hrough the mass of humanity four )oor fellows were actually scooped up n the cauldron, wounded and helpess, and there lay roasting slowly to leath before the eyes of the spectaors, who would, but could not, aid hem. These were afterwards taken >ut piecemeal by firemen's hooks and iovered with sheeting. Aid for the wounded was soon at land, but for the dead there was iotbing but to hide them from sight is soon as possible. The Mtm build" ng was transformed into a morgue, ind as the masses of burned flesh ivere taken out they were hastily renoved there and either stretched at all lengthor huddled in little heaps. Coroner Sherman with assistants itepped from one to another searching or a letter or some means of identifyng one mass from another. This was limcult. In half a dozen instances he entire head had been burned off, eavmg snly the blackened trunk, pirn and ghastly, defying all efforts at dentification. The names and other ata could only be secured from surviving friends. No one could tell one rank from another. Among all the >eheaded bodies but two had retained ANYTHING RESEMBLING HUMAN FEATURES. It was here in the morgue that the nost touching discovery of the night pas made. The Coroner tenderly

Ifemoved from one form a clotted pheet, to find beneath it the unmis[atteable form of % woman, and worst pf all, clasped in her arms, as if to shield its young limbs from the lames that had evidently consumed poth, was an infant child. She had ihielded the babe until the last, and ken in death her blackened arms lere ucwilling to be separated from [heir charge. One poor woman was pinioned in he wreck, though apparently but rlighly hurt, whose appeals for help vifl' never be forgotten by the tpectators. The flames had not eached her, but were slowly eating heir way towards her. Strong ,nd willing hands swung axes as hey were never swung before, t was a battle between life and leath. As the heat basame more atense the me,n who were no longer ble to withstand the flames gave lace to others with the rapidity of ghtning, but it was a useless fight, he choppers had to fall back and bandon the woman to her fate. In

I moment the flames caught her chess Ind instantly leaped to her head. Hei liiteous cries of "Save me! save me!' Is the flames enveloped her form, and the expression of agony on her face Ls she sank down in the debris, caused Lhe strongest hearts to grow sick with horror. How many more susb frightful tragedies, though unseen, revere enacted within the burning [ruins in those brief moments, will nevsr be known. Of the forty glassblowers who occupied the rear coach, seventeen were ttulvt. tne ot ' Ders were more or less injured, two fatally,