Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1884 — DYING IN DREAD AGONY. [ARTICLE]

DYING IN DREAD AGONY.

Fearful Railway Accident Near Toronto, Canada. Nearly Thirty Men Killed—Horrible Scenes of Suffering. [Toronto telegram.! Toronto, so long free from any heavy calamity, opens the new year with one of the worst in its record, by which twenty-nine persons were almost instantly killed and double that number badly or fatally wounded. The accident occurred in the vicinity of High Park, near the Dominion Bolt ami Iron Works, from the employes of which establishment the list of killed and wounded was taken. The dummy traiu which conveys the men to und from their work at the iron-works started with its usual load of between seventy and ninety persons, and had got as far us the place mentioned when it collided with an eastern freight train from Hamilton. The engine of the dummy train was shot back, telescoping the front of two cars, which composed the suburban train, ail'd killing instantly some fourteen of the occupants. Roth engines were at once overturned, the dummy tailing over the northern bank and the large engine on the* southern bank. The tubes on board burst and scalding water and steam were thrown over the men who hud ialien on the track from the telescoped cars. The dummy in falling had crushed the men on the northern side of the passenger car underneath it. Those were the person's who were killed outright. The sight was horrible in the extreme, gome of the men, with their legs crushed and burning, were unable to extricate themselves, and filled the air with rheir cries. At last .J. J. Mclntyre, one of the foremen in the works, came along and set to work extricating the bodies and the wounded. The conductor of thedmnmy Set out for Mimieo to stop all traffic and telegraph for a wrecking party, medical assistance, and an auxilliarycar from Toronto. When they arrived the scene had been gathering more hideous features. Many of the wounded had not been removed from the ear and were being consumed by the flames. Men were' lying in all directions, burnt, bruised, and bleeding. The men around the scene iaf the disaster had begun to busy themselves, and soon the dead were lying in a ear and ready to be seat down to the city. The doctors sent up on the auxiliary were Busy among the wounded and dying. The surroundings of the dying made the calamity appear even more frightful than it was. lambs scattered over the track, 'pools of blood and pieces of the bodies o-f the sufferers all told terrible tales of disaster and death. j Where the disaster occurred was on the bend of* a curie, and none of the pe; sons on either train could see the other till the/were too close to do anything to save their charge from a most terrible death. The bodies were soon put in the ears and taken down to the morgue, and those of the wounded and dying were transported to the hospital. The impetus of the freight train was so great that the engine actually mounted the truck of the dummy, which kept the rails and remained on a balance. To add to the horror of the scene, the boiler of the dummy exploded, and steam and baling water scalded and carried death or terrible injuries to the mangled and bleeding men. Then fire broke out and completed the sickening work of destruction. Keveral poor fellows, suffering untold agonies, with limbs and bodies burned to a crisp, piteously implored those near them to pour water upon their scatdod lhhbs or put an end to their sufThe wounded men bore tlieir sufferings with fortitude and patience, a lew groans being the only indication ofThelr intense agony. The scene at the morgue beggars description. There are fifteen bodies laid side by side In rows on opposite sides of the room. Mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers arete be seen passing from body to body and, With trembling hands, lifting the coverlets to gaze on the laces of the dead. Now and again a cry of anguish tells too plainly the discovery of some dear one carried off in the prime of manhood. One man, John Rowlett, died shortly after arriving at the hospital. When found among the debris he spoke cheerfully and asked to be allowed to walk. On looking down, he cried; “O, God !-my legs are off!” And so they wore—burned off. Of those killed eleven leave widows and •Children, Barber, the conductor of the freight train, was placed under arrest Immediately after the acoident; Kennedy, the engineer, disappeared, and it was rumored that he had fled into the woods near the scene of the collision, and had hanged himself. Search Is being made for him. The conduotor admitted that he had received orders at Hamilton to run to Queen’s wharf, Toronto, avoiding all regular trains. He looked at the time-table, but forgot that the suburban train was on the list. The Grand Trunk is likely to lose heavily by the accident, as it has been conclusively shown that it resulted through the carelessness of one of its employes. The conductor claimed that he had been overworked and had not had time tc rest. Prominent railway officials here say the rels tives of all those who were killed and injured can easily recover heavy damages, and it would not be surprising if the Grand Trunk was mulcted $2,000,000.