Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1875 — Remarkable Railroad Accident. [ARTICLE]

Remarkable Railroad Accident.

On the Detroit & Bay City Railroad on Thursday night last an accident occurred which eclipses anything on record in the annals of railroading. The accident occurred to the south-bound night express. It appears that when the train was in the vicinity of Oxford Conductor Noyes felfr a slight but sudden shock, and heard the bell-rope snap. He sprang to the brake, and after setting it swung his lamp for the engine to stop. The train went a distance of four or five car-lengths before being halted, but when it came to a standstill everything was found to be all right, excepting that one Blue Line car just ahead of the passenger coach was missing. A search was instituted and the missing car was found in the ditch in the rear of the train. From the position of things it appeared that the front end, of the car had jumped the track, severing the connection with the car ahead as it did so. The combined force of the cars in the rear as they came down on to the “ off ” car served to end it around until finally the rear draw-bar twisted it off (the night was very frosty), and the car was free. The coaches kept pushing it further and further, until finally the Blue Line had been sent entirely from the track, and at right angles with it, dealing the rail by fully three feet. The rear coaches rolled on past the ditched car as if nothing had happened, and stopped without accident or without the knowledge of the passengers several car-lengths beyond. The engine stopped and backed up, connections were made, the track men were sent for to gauge the rails, and the train, one car short, proceeded on its way, making its meeting point at the next station, where the particulars of the accident were stated and the remarkable affair duly discussed with the attaches of the, north bound train, which was met at that point. Such an accident has never before been placed on record, and the Detroit & Bay City is thus, as in all things else, entitled lo the broom. Whenever a car gets off the track the road is -generally blocked up for hours, and usually some damage is done; but in this instance there was no delay, no damage was done to,other cars in the train, and withal none of the passengers on board knew that anything unusual had occurred. Of course the happy results were in a measure due to good luck, but the presence of mind of the conductor contributed largely. —Bay City (Mich.) Chronicle. —Charles Ketch, of Lancaster, Pa., was recently killed under the following horrible circumstances: It seems he went to a s&w-mill to get a bag of sawdust, tripped on a chain connected with the machinery, and fell against a fifty-two inch circular saw, making 6 0 revolutions a minute. He was cut literally in two, from one end of the body to the other. His head was not injured at all, but his heart.and entrails were exposed to view, the right arm was severed at the shoulder, and two toes* were cut from the left foot. The body was hurled about six feet from the saw. It is estimated that 100 young women stand ready to do copying at two dollars per week where one is willing to do plain cooking at double that sum.