The Ashtabula Train Disaster of 1876
by
Darrell E. Hamilton
(Chapters 1-3 of 15)

     A little over 125 years ago, on a cold, bitter, stormy night in Ash-tabula,  a  40-mile-an-hour gale  was  blowing.  There  were  already three feet of snow on the  ground  with  the  temperature  hovering around 10 degrees  below  zero.  In  many  places,  the  strong  wind had thrown huge drifts of snow six feet or higher.
        The  Village  of   Ashtabula   contained  nearly  3,500  residents. Running east and west through the  Village  of  Ashtabula  was the Lake  Shore  Railway.  The  Village  at  the  time  contained several small places of business, three saloons and three hotels. One of the hotels, the  American House, still stands at the corner of Main Ave. and 46th St.
        At the Gulf, described by some as the  "Deep Gorge"  at the time, an experimental bridge was built. It was built in the year 1865. The bridge was built  on  an  arched  viaduct.  From  the  bottom  of  the gorge,  two  lofty  pillars  of  stone  seventy-six feet high were built. Flanking  these  pillars  were smaller abutments of an older bridge left  standing  but not used since the new experimental bridge was opened up for train traffic.  The span of the bridge across the Gulf, from abutment to abutment was the unusual length of 150 feet.
        Most of the people of Ashtabula at the time thought the bridge was  a  scary sight.  The  bridge  was not built as an arch nor was it supported by abutments below. It was a web of iron netted, braced and  bolted. The  bridge  was  built  of  wrought iron with long iron braces.
        There  was  trouble  building  the  bridge from the beginning to the  end.  The  engineer  who  made  the  drafts for the bridge noted that braces, smaller than intended, were used. The engineer differ-ed so much with the president of the   railroad at the time over the construction of the bridge, resigned his  position with the railroad. However, the bridge was built anyway.
        Never the less, the bridge was still standing 11 years later until the night of December 29, 1876.
        The  winter  had  already  produced three previous heavy snow falls.  The  snow  had  falle n all  day l ong and was still falling with blinding  fury  and  below  zero  temperatures.  Below,  in  the  Gulf, there was no road to the bottom of the bridge, only steep steps that had disappeared in the snow.
         Earlier  in  the  day,  a  train  had  passed   over the bridge. The engineer had noticed a "rumble", but because of the  blinding  snow storm and wind, paid little attention to it.
         It  was  a  Friday  night  and most of the residents of Ashtabula were inside snuggled up to their warm fireplaces. No one was away from  their homes unless they had to be. One of those residents was Norris  Simons,  ticket  agent  for  the railroad. He was on duty that night  at  the  depot  which  was  located  where  the  present  depot stands now on West 32nd Street.  Norris  Simons was also my wife's great-great-great-uncle.
        The No. 5, "Pacific Express",  had left New York the night before and was due in Erie at little  after  noon  but  it  was  two and a half hours late. It should have reached  Ashtabula  by  5:15  in  the even-ing.
          Another resident out that night was Edward W. Lockwood. He lived  on  the  east  side  at that time and had used the bridge to get home.  He  had  crossed  the bridge many times  before and knew he wouldn't  get  caught  on  the tracks  because  he could always hear the  train's  whistle  blowing.  This  night was to be a different story for  Edward.  The  blinding  snow  storm  and the howling winds, he found it difficult navigate  across  the  bridge much less to hear the train that was approaching.  Edward  had  just gotten across when he when saw the headlight of the approaching train.  He  hurriedly jumped from the tracks into a snow drift as Number 5 went by.  The engineer saw Lockwood jump from the tracks and looked down on him.. That was about 7:30 p. m.

The Ashtabula Train Disaster 0f 1876 - Chapter 2
by
Darrell E. Hamilton
        The train that had started from New York the night before, had divided  at  Albany;  a  portion of it was plunging through the snow drifts  of  the  mountains  of  Vermont  while  the  other portion was struggling amid the snow drifts near the banks of  Lake  Erie.  Both trains were destined to be wrecked except that the  Chicago bound train would take with it, countless lives.
        Four  engines  had been used to push the train from the station at  Erie.  Two  strong  locomotives  were  straining  to push forward and overcome the deep snow.
        From  the  many  accounts  of  the  train wreck that I have read, some  have stated that the train was filled to capacity while others state  that  there  were  many  seats  vacate. I am inclined to believe the latter as the snow storm would  have  kept  many  people  home and  that  there  had  already been three harsh snow storms during the month of December.  Also  the fact that the train had a capacity at that time of 400 or more. There were less  than 200  hundred  pas-sengers and nineteen employees on board at the time but the exact number of passengers was never known.  The   official  count at the time was 197 passengers by the railroad  officials,  but  the  number of tickets that the conductor  had in his possession may have num-bered as many as 300.  Not  counted  in the official count were a few who had railroad passes and at least one  black man  who  was  rid-ing in the baggage car.
         Inside  the  cars  were  people from all walks of life. There were business men, clergymen, physicians, professional men, young men and  women,  both  black  and white,  and even children. Because of the time of the year and the weather, there were not as many child-ren on board as could have been.
        The  train  consisted  of  two locomotives; two express cars; two baggage  cars;  two  day  passenger coaches; a smoking car; a draw-ing room car and three sleeper cars.  It  was  a  beautiful  train  and well known for its elegance and beauty.
         Right  before  the  disaster, ladies in the sleeping coaches were preparing  to  retire:  some had  already  laid  down  in their berths. Gentlemen  were  quietly  dozing  in  their  seats  while  others were taking their last smoke before settling themselves in for  the  night. Some of the gentlemen were  engaged  with  card  playing.  Most  of the children were already in their berths;  some  were  already  fast asleep   dreaming  of  their Christmas visit with their grandparents or other relatives.
        Some of the passengers were headed clear across the continent to  California  while   a  few  were  to  get  off the train in Ashtabula. With  the  storm  raging  and  the   wind  blowing,  all  felt a sense of security inside the train.
        The  train  had begun to slow down on approaching  the bridge as  the  depot  was  a  short distance on the other side of the bridge. The second engine had already started to apply its breaks.
        All  of  a  sudden,  the  sound of the wheels rolling on the tracks stopped.  The  bell  rope snapped and the lights were extinguished. In an instant, the passengers could feel themselves falling.  An  aw-ful  silence  seized  the passengers; each one sat breathless, bracing and  seizing  the  seats  before  them.  Not  a  word was spoken, only deep breaths taken.
        At the same time, the engineer of the first engine, Dan McGuire, suddenly  heard  a  sharp   crack.  He then looked back and saw the locomotive, "Columbia", start to sink.  With  great  presence of mind
he  opened  the  throttle  valve  all  the  way  to drive his engine for-ward.  With  his  quick  thinking,  the  first    engine,  the   "Socrates"   reached  the  abutment.   The  second  engine,  "the  Columbia",  was drawn  forward and almost made it to the abutment.  It  struck  the abutment,   and  for  an  instance  clung  to  the  first  engine  by  the coupling  rod.  As  soon  as  the  coupling  rod  broke, the engine fell into the deep, dark gorge below.


The Ashtabula Train Disaster of 1876 - Chapter 3
by
Darrell E. Hamilton

        The  bridge  broke  in  the  center.  With  the  engine, "Columbia" hanging  on  to  the  first  engine,  the  rest of the train plunged into the Gulf.  Even  though  the Columbia held on for only a moment,  it gave  time  for  the  other  cars  to  plunge  below  it.  The first car to crash  was  the  express car that was behind the second locomotive. It also hit the abutment and fell  to  the  bottom.  Unfortunately  for any  survivors  in  the  express  car,  the  locomotive  fell on top of it instantly killing any survivors.  The locomotive completely revers-ed with its headlights toward the train that it was pulling. Some of the  other  cars  then crashed onto the other cars that were in front of  them.  Some of the cars flew through the air and landed as much as 80 feet away from the sides of the bridge.
         The  majority  of  the  passengers  killed,  were  killed instanta-neously. Those were the "lucky"ones that died that day.
          Some   of   the  survivors  were  able  to  craw   through  broken windows and debris sometimes causing worse injury to themselves than they received in the fall. However, making a hole in a window with a fist or crawling  through a broken  roof  while  tearing  their flesh to escape was better than what awaited for the survivors still inside.
          It  was  a  cold,  bitter  and  dark night. Some of the passengers that  did  escape, could not see where they were going. They had to feel   their  way  to  safety.    Some  would  fall  through  the  ice  and drown.  This  was  probably  a  better way to die than what awaited the surviving passengers still trapped inside the cars.
          The  stoves  that  were  used  to  heat  the cars, were by govern-ment  regulations  at  the  time, to be self-extinguishing.  The stoves that  were  on  the  cars  that  fateful  night  were  not.  The railroad would be found later at fault for this violation.
           Fires  immediately broke out. Once the fire broke the through wreckage of the train. The valley began to light up.
           At  the depot,  many, mostly railroad employees, went outside on  hearing  the  trains  whistle.  Knowing  the  train was two hours late  made  everyone  anxious.  Standing  on the platform, they saw
the  first  locomotive's  light  approaching then they saw the rest of the  train  fall behind it. Many who lived near the depot could hear the sounds of cars falling in quick succession on top of the other.
          The  first  people  to  arrive  at the crash were the railroad em-ployees and a salon keeper  at  one  of  the  nearby  hotels.  Most  of them slid down into the gulf to reach the wreck.
           Upon  arriving  at  the  bottom,  they  were  appalled at the de-struction.  They  immediately began to chop through the wreckage with an ax to free the survivors and help them up the banks.
         In the meantime, flames began to rise.  It  was  only  a glimmer-ing  light  at  first.  It  probably  could  have  been  put  out  by a few buckets of water in the beginning. The flames began at each end of the wreck and then began to spread.  The  men were concentrating on getting the trapped people out of the wreckage.
         In the mean time, the fire department was under the control of a fire chief that wasn't fit for the job. He was slow in both mind and body. He was also an alcoholic.  Some  had  sought  his removal but were  unsuccessful.  It  was  unfortunate  that the control of the fire department was in such incompetent hands.
           When  the  firemen  did  reach  the  scene  with  the  hoses  and steamer,  no  orders  were  given to fight the fire. The fire chief only was  heard  to  say  that  there  was no use in throwing water on the flames. The railroad had a policy that when a  train  wrecked,  they were  supposed  to  let  the  train  burn.  The  policy  never gave any consideration if there was people on board. However , the fire chief could  have  taken  control  and  ordered  the  fire  to be put out. He was confused and unable to take control. Even as the  fireman  laid out the hose to the  pumper,  he  still  never  gave  the  orders to put out  the  fire.   A  hand  pumper  and  a  steam  pumper stood by idol while the fire grew. Someone ran up from the wreck  begging,  " For God's sake, water  should  be  thrown."  Still  no  orders  were  given even as people below called out for buckets.
        Finally buckets were procured and water was being thrown on the flames.  However,  their  efforts were in vain  as the flames were now out of control.
         Many  people  were  still  trapped  and were unable to be freed. The  fire  was  getting  so  intense,   that  the  trapped  could  not  be freed.   One  man  was  trapped  as  the  locomotive lie on top of him burned  to  death as the men tried to lift the locomotive off his legs. Another  lady  screamed  as  her  dress  caught fire. Unable to reach her, she burned as most of her flesh cooked off her bones.
          A   father  was  able to get his children to safety and then went back  for  his  wife,  she  was  trapped  and  unable  to  free  her.  She could  hear  the  other  passengers   screaming  as   they   burned  to death. She  begged  her husband to slit her throat before the flames over took her.  He  was however able to obtain help and she was re-united with her children.
          The  flames  became  so  intense  that  buckets of water became useless.  Screams  of  agony  could be heard by the nearby residents as the trapped survivors inside the cars literally roasted.