Terrible accident on the Delaware Railroad
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A Train Precipitated through a Drawbridge--Seven Persons Killed and a number Injured.--From the Philadelphia
Ledger, of the 16th inst., we gather the following particulars of a railroad accident, which recently occurred a Delaware:
A most fearful railroad accident occurred early yesterday morning on the Delaware Railroad, just where the track crosses the canal, near
St. George's Station, by which seven persons lost their lives, and fifteen were more or less injured.
A wood train, consisting of thirteen platform cars, empty, and one old passenger, in which the conductor,
Mr. Albert Butler, and some twenty laborers were seated, went down the
Delaware road for a load of wood.
When the train reached the high bridge which spans the canal, lear
St. George's Station, the draw of the bridge was discovered to be open, but the discovery came too late to stop the train, the ice on the road preventing it, and it was precipitated into the canal, a descent of about sixty feet. Car, upon car was piled in pieces upon each other, crushing a number of persons.
The conductor was fortunately standing outside of the car, and seeing the train was about to make the fearful plunge, jumped off and escaped, but he had no time to warn the workmen in the car, and the entire number were seen mixed with the ruins in the canal.
The engineer of the train was killed instantly, as well as the fireman.
The noise made by the breaking of the cars soon attracted the citizens of that vicinity and persons engaged upon the canal, and a dispatch was sent to
Wilmington and
New Castle for assistance.
The citizens assembled rendered every assistance in their power to rescue the unfortunate men that were still alive amid the wreck, and also to secure the remains of those who had been killed.
In a short time the bodies of the engineer, firemen, and the following were got out:
Wm. McEiwee,
Wm. Menam,
Joseph Dolan,
Nathaniel Shay, and Joseph Griffins.
The remains of these unfortunate men were taken to
New Castle, where most of them resided.
The citizens worked with a will, and soon fifteen of the sufferers were rescued, some with slight wounds, notwithstanding the fearful character of the accident, and others were very dangerously injured.
These were taken to
Wilmington, and immediately placed under the care of a numerous corps of physicians and nurses.
