Carroll Free Press

Rail Road Accident.

A sad catastrophe occurred on Wednesday night of last week, the 28th ult., on the Pennsylvania Railroad about 60 miles from Harrisburg at a point called Jackson Narrows about five miles below Mill Creek.

Mr. James P. Cummings of this place, was on the train at the time of the sad occurrence, and was among the injured. His right hand and face were badly scalded, and his clothes were much torn, but no other apparent injury done him. We are indebted to him for an account of the terrible scene.

The train left Pittsburgh on Wednesday evening at 10 o'clock. The night was very cold and stormy, all things went on smoothly until about 4 o'clock in the morning. About 60 miles from Harrisburg a rock became detached from the mountain side and had slid down the hill and rolled into the middle of the Railroad track. The watchman had discovered it, but was unable to remove it on account of its weight. He then ran back and tried to give signs to the Engineer, but his light went out, and the Engineer did not see the rock until it was too late. He reversed the machine, but had not time to whistle down the brakes.— The train was running at about 30 miles an hour. The locomotive struck the rock and was thrown off the track, turning bottom upwards. The tender and baggage car broke loose and ran off in one direction, and the first passenger car in another. The first passenger car cleared the locomotive with little injury, and those in it were unhurt. But the second passenger car, in which Mr. Cummings was, shared a worse fate. It ran into the locomotive and was smashed all to pieces—one side was entirely broken off. The seats were nearly all broken—the lamps knocked down—and the hot steam pouring into the car severely scalded several passengers. The scene was one of horror—much more easily imagined than described—There in utter darkness, almost suffocated to death by the steam. Mr. Cummings says "there came a stream into my face and I fell to the floor, and while there I was relieved of it for a moment." The Engineer and Fireman were badly mangled, their skulls were broken in, and life was despaired of when Mr. Cummings left there.

He arrived at Philadelphia on Thursday evening at six o'clock, in rather bad plight.— He says in his letter of the 30th to Mr. Couch his partner here, "My face, ears and right wrist and arm are very badly scalded. * * * * * * I will not be able to do anything in the way of buying goods for three or four days." These are about all the facts given by Mr. Cummings in his letter.

The Cleveland Leader of Monday contains a statement very similar to the above with this addition: The other cars had been detached and escaped injury; but those already mentioned presented the most singular piece of ruin that could be imagined The escape of Mr. Martin, the baggage master, was almost miraculous. The car was crushed in on both sides, and the bottom was completely shattered. He seems to have saved himself by clinging to the bar on the top. Sixteen persons were scalded, one of whom died."

Since writing the above, Mr. Couch received a second letter from Mr. Cummings in which he says, the Engineer and Fireman are both dead.