From the St. Louis Republican.

TERRIBLE DISASTER ON THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.

The magnificent train of cars which left our city yesterday morning on an excursion to Jefferson City, to celebrate the opening of the Pacific railroad to that place, is now a mass of ruins, and infinitely worse than this, many of the noble hearts that participated in the pride of the occasion, are now stilled in death.

The train consisting of fourteen cars, left the depot on Seventh street at 9 o'clock, crowded with invited guests, a half hour after the time advertised. By the time it reached Hermann this delay was fully recovered, thus showing the good condition of the track. After leaving Hermann the train proceeded with good speed, and without the least difficulty until it reached the Gasconade, when one of the most disastrous accidents occurred which has yet thrown this city into mourning.

The bridge across that stream gave way, and ten of the cars were precipitated a distance of twenty-five or thirty feet. The locomotive from all appearances, had reached the edge of the first pier, when the structure gave way, and in falling reversed its position entirely, the front turning to the east, and the wheels upward. On the locomotive at the time were the President, MR. E. H. BRIDGE, MR. O'SULLIVAN, the chief engineer of the road and an additional number of employees.
MR. BRIDGE it is supposed, is the only one saved of the individuals named. An hour after the disaster, voices from beneath the wreck of the locomotive were heard asking for assistance, and when we left the scene of disaster active efforts were made to relieve the sufferers. It is is [sic] possible – nay it is to be hoped probable – that some of these unfortunates may have been rescued.

The road enters the bridge with a curve, and this circumstance, perhaps, prevented the disaster from being more fatal, as the cars thereby were diverted, and thus prevented from falling directly in a general melee. Enough of injury, however, was accomplished. The baggage car next the engine went down – to use the expression of one who was in it – 'extremely easy,' without causing any serious casualty. The first and second passenger car followed, and in these several were killed, and a great number more or less mangled.

In the third car, one or two were killed, only. This car, although in a dangerous position, and almost entirely demolished, was less fatal to life and limb. In the fourth and fifth cars a great many were fatally injured, several instantly killed. The balance of the train followed swiftly on their fatal errand, and the loss of life, with contusions more or less severe, was dreadful.

Some of the cars plunged on those beneath them with their ponderous wheels, and crushed or maimed the unfortunate persons below. Others hung upon the cliff in a perpendicular position, and two or three turned bottom upward down the grade. Only one – the extreme rear car – maintained its position on the rail.

Our informant thinks there could not have been less than twenty-five killed.

Doctors McDOWELL and McPHERSON were fortunately among the guests; and gave their best skill to the alleviation of the wretched sufferers. It was impossible, however, for them to apply bandages and reset limbs under the circumstances. The accident occurred where no houses are to be seen, in a wild forest; and during the time a heavy storm of rain, accompanied with lightning and thunder of the most vivid description, fell without intermission.

Couriers were despatched [sic] forthwith to Hermann for another train, and in an hour or less the wounded were in comfortable cars on their way to the city. It was an awful spectacle – one that appals [sic] the stoutest heart – the dead and dying lying without shelter, save that afforded by the hand of friendship or philanthropy, exposed to a pitiless storm, and the wounded groaning from amid the ruins, and supplicating the succor of the more fortunate.

The return cars reached the depots on Fourteenth and Seventh streets about 7 ½ o'clock. They were filled with the wounded and although their accommodations were limited, we heard not a single expression of dissatisfaction. Many in that melancholly train were fatally injured, and many suffered with intense agony; but they bore up like men, and exhibited the highest degree of fortitude.

We suppose that not one man out of ten escaped without injury to a greater or less extent, and although this may be termed a severe casualty of no ordinary character, yet it is wonderful how so many escaped with life.

Judge WELLS of the District court of the United States was along, with his lady. The judge received a slight contusion or bruise, and MRS. W. escaped entirely. One other lady was also in the company, and she too escaped.

Thus has happened a frightful accident – one more disastrous than it has been our sad duty to announce for a long while. The city is in mourning for many of its most worthy citizens, and domestic grief will require long years to heal the wounds it has inflicted.

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 3 – The whole number of killed as far as ascertained, is 22. It is impossible to estimate the number of the wounded, as scarcely a man on the train escaped injury of some kind, though the great bulk are fortunately only trifling bruises. The number suffering from fractured limbs, is not less than fifty.

The dead are to be interred to-morrow, (Sunday.)

The Huntingdon Globe Pennsylvania 1855-11-07

DETAILS OF THE HORRIBLE ACCIDENT ON THE PACIFIC RAILROAD – FALL OF ANOTHER BRIDGE !!

The St. Louis papers are filled with thrilling particulars of the late terrible accident on the Pacific Railroad. The editor of the News was on the doomed train and gives a graphic description of the disaster. After describing the rejoicings along the road he says:

“But how soon was the scene destined to be changed! How soon were so many of those bounding hearts to be pulseless. No one dreamed that death was near, and yet it lurked for us only a few miles further on. At 1 o'clock we left Hermann, preceded by a locomotive and tender, which had been sent forward, to see that the way was clear, and no danger impending. Soon we came in sight of the bridge across the Gasconade river, about nine miles from Hermann, and about thirty-five from Jefferson city. The bridge is approached by an embankment, thirty feet high, which terminates in a massive stone abutment. Forty yards from the abutment, and just at the edge of the river, stands another staunch stone pillar, three more of which reach to the other side of the stream, and support the bridge.

The river is about two hundred and fifty yards wide, and the bridge thirty feet high, at least. The Pioneer locomotive had crossed the structure safely, and was waiting on the other side to see the result of our attempt. There was no fear of danger and no apprehension of peril.”

“We slowly moved along the embankment, and came on the bridge. The locomotive had passed the first span, and had its forewheels above the first pillar – beyond the abutment – there being then, resting on the first span, the locomotive, baggage car and two heavily loaded passenger cars. The weight was too much for the long, slender timbers which supported the rails and the enormous load above. Suddenly we heard a horrid crash – it rings in our ears now – and saw a movement amongst those in the car in which we were seated; then there came crash – crash – crash as each car came to the abutment, and took the fatal plunge. The affair was but the work of an instant. We were running slowly at the time, and the successive crashes came on at intervals of nearly a second. We ourself were seated in the seventh car – there being three behind us – and when we heard the horrid sound that came up, as each car slowly and deliberately took the leap, we hoped that our car might stop before it reached the precipice. But no; it seemed that the spirit of ruin was beneath, determinedly dragging each car to the spot, wrenching it from its fastenings, and hurling it to atoms beneath. Six cars fell in one mass, each on the other, and were shivered into fragments. The seventh fell with its forward end to the ground; but the other end rested on the top of the abutment. Those in it were only bruised. The eighth and ninth cars tumbled down the embankment before they reached the abutment.”

“Such a wreck we never saw, and hope never again to see. It was one undistinguishable mass of wooden beams, seats, iron wheels and rods, from beneath which came up groans of agony. Those who could crawled out of the ruin immediately, and either sought to relieve their own wounds or the wounds of their friends. Some wept tears of joy to find their friends alive; and others shuddered to find their friends dead. The uninjured organized themselves under the lead of MR. PRIDE, the conductor, and endeavored, by chopping, to extricate those who were yet alive from the wreck.”

“Here a beam was cut into to disengage a broken arm; there an iron axle was pried up to relieve a mutilated leg. There was no shrieking and screaming, though all begged, for the love of heaven, to be extricated from some mass of iron or beam of wood, which pinned them to the earth. All begged for water, drank it when it was brought, and prayed for more. There was hardly an entirely uninjured man to be seen. Most of those who had escaped had streams of blood flowing over their faces from splinter wounds. Others limped and hobbled about, looking for their friends. A board shanty was the only shelter to be had, and that was soon filled with the wounded, whose silent, speechless agony was enough to make the stoutest heart shudder.”

“Immediately after the accident, the heavens grew dark and black, as though the night had come. The wind shrieked from the leafless trees; the heavens were rent in twain, and from the crevice gleamed the white lightning, and the hoarse thunder bellowed its cruel mockings at the woe beneath. It seemed as if the elements were holding high carnival over the scene of slaughter.”

The St. Louis Republican suggests that the devilish malice of some evil disposed persons may have been at work to weaken the superstructure and thus to expose to the hazard of death the hundreds of valuable lives in the cars on that day. This much is certain, that MR. O'SULLIVAN himself believed that the bridge was perfectly safe, as he passed over it on a locomotive the night previous.

MR. O'NEAL, the engineer, was left at Hermann, very dangerously injured. Some of the bodies of the dead were marked with unusual and terrible mutilations. One of the survivors informs us that he saw two corpses with the entrails torn out by splinters. It is not yet practicable to give a complete list of the wounded among so many passengers, and where few escaped without a cut or contusion.

The Republican also notes an accident to the train from the scene of the disaster for that city, containing the dead and wounded. It says:

“On the way up, upon arriving at the bridge across the creek known at St. John's, about four miles above Washington, a portion of the train was left behind to provide for contingencies in case the bridge might break down, which was thought to be quite probable, the creek being much swollen from the heavy rains. The balance of the train proceeded to Hermann, took on the survivors, the wounded, and the dead, and about two o'clock started on its return. About five o'clock they reached the bridge across St. John's Creek. Before starting to cross, a number of the unhurt at the disaster, (among whom was our informant,) got out of the cars and walked across the bridge; afterwards, as soon as the locomotive started to cross, the whole structure gave way, and the entire train of cars, containing the dead and wounded, and most of the survivors, was left on the other side of the bridge.

Those who walked across got in the cars which arrived last night, and proceeded immediately to the city. How soon the dead and wounded may be brought in, it is impossible to conjecture. When our informant left the creek, there was no show for anything to cross, there being no boats of any description at hand. The wounded were all placed in one car, and with the kind attentions of physicians and friends were doing as well as could be expected. The dead (28 in number) were all boxed up and place in a separate car.”

The Republican Compiler Pennsylvania 1855-11-12
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!