THE PASSENGERS.
The following account of the passengers on the ill-fated train has
been gathered with great difficulty. Communication with survivors and
correspondence with friends have been the sources of information, and
the description is given more for the satisfaction of the friends than
for any general interest. It must however be remembered that each name
has its own associations. This is true especially of those who died.
Their names are freighted with precious memories and carry a weight of
affection which, though unknown to the public, must make even the very
mention of it exceedingly valuable.
If it is a consolation to know the last words of the dying, certainly
the scenes attending the death of those who perished in this disaster
must have a melancholy, a tragic interest.
We give below an account of the passengers in the different cars in
succession, beginning at the front and going through, with as much
accuracy as possible, to the last one in the train.
From the first car, more persons escaped than from any other. There
were at least sixteen of these. Mr. C. E. Jones of Beloit, Wis., was
sitting in the front seat; Mr. and Mrs. Martin and two children, of
Lenox, Ohio, who were a third of the way back from the front; J. M.
Mowry of Hartford, Conn., and Dr. C. A. Griswold of Fulton, Ill.,
were sitting together in the middle of the car; Thomas Jackson of
Waterbury, Conn., and Mr. A. H. Parslow of Chicago; Victor Nusbaum,
from Cleveland, and Charles Patterson of the same city, were toward the
rear. This constitutes all the survivors on the right side.
On the opposite side, toward the front, were Edward Trueworthy and
Joseph Thompson, of Oakland, Cal., with Alfred Gillett of Cranberry
Isle, Me., sitting in two seats, facing each other. Mr. Thompson is
described as having a smoking cap on, while Mr. Trueworthy had a shawl
across his shoulders. Mr. Gillett was the only one out of this group
who was killed. In front of them were a Mr. Walter Hayes of Lexington,
Ky., with Miss Sarah Mann, who was also killed. Thomas Jackson of
Waterbury, Conn., Robert Monroe of Rutland, Mass., Mr. Alex. Monroe of
Somerville, Mass., Wm. B. Sanderson, Alex’r Hitchcock, of Port Clinton,
Ohio, and Charles E. Rickard of Biddeford, Me., were upon the same side
of the car.
Mr. F. Shattuck of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, is known to have been in this car
and to have been killed. Mrs. Fonda and her nephew, D. Campbell, of
Milledgeville, Ill., have already been described as among the dead.
There was a lady sitting at the right hand near the front who was
“slight built and had a child with her about two years old.” The child
was described as being “quite forward, for his age, talking well, and
was very bright and interesting.” Just behind them was a lady who was
described as “large, full formed, dressed in a plaid trimmed with
black.” A younger lady sat behind her who was “tall, well formed,
dressed in dark clothes and spent most of her time in reading a book.”
These were all killed. It is probable that the trucks of the car above
struck down just above where they were, as all in this part of the car
seem to have perished. Their bodies lay near where they sat, but were
too much crushed and burned to be recognized by their friends.
The author could have identified them had he received descriptions in
time.
About the middle of the car upon the left side, were two ladies sitting
together, both of them dressed in black. The one was older than the
other and had been to the East to bury a daughter who had died of
consumption. Both of these were killed.
The second passenger car was well filled. There were many ladies in it.
It is not known for a certainty who were its occupants, as no one has
yet been found by the author who had escaped from it. The dead who are
supposed to have been in it and have since been recognized or otherwise
proven to have been on the train, were as follows: George Keppler,
of Ashtabula, O.; L. W. Hart, of Akron, O.; Isaac Myer and Birdie
Myer, his daughter; Mrs. George and Mattie George, of Cleveland, O.;
Maggie Lewis, of St. Louis, Mo.; Mr. E. Cook, of Wellington, O.; Mrs.
Lucy C. Thomas, Buffalo, N. Y.; Wm. Clements, Bellevue, O.; Mr. M. P.
Cogswell, Chicago; Miss Annie Kittlewell, Beloit, Wis.; L. C. Crain,
New Haven, Conn.; Boyd Russell, Albany, N. Y.; Doctor Hubbard, Polk
City, Iowa, and others whose bodies have not been recognized, amounting
in all, according to the testimony of many survivors, to at least forty
passengers.
In the smoking car were about sixteen persons. A group was at the
rear end. It consisted of Mr. Tilden, the superintendent of water
works; Geo. M. Reid, superintendent of bridges, and David Chittenden,
of Cleveland. The conductor and news-boy were near by. Mr. Stowe, of
Geneva, Ohio, was standing near and listening to the conversation. As
mentioned before, this conversation was upon the weight of the engine
and the amount of water it used. Mr. Stockwell was sitting on the other
side, having just bought a cigar of the news-boy. Another group had
dispersed but a little time before. It consisted of three who called
themselves “the three blondes,” as the accidental resemblance to one
another had amused them. These were, Mr. J. M. Mowry, of Hartford,
Conn., who afterwards went into the first passenger car; Mr. J. C.
Earle, of Chicago, Ill., and Col. A. Maillard, of California, both
of whom remained. Two brothers were in the car--Mr. R. Osborn and F.
Osborn, of Tecumseh, Mich.,--who were sitting together. Two young men
were in another seat--C. D. Meranville and Wm. B. Sanderson. Mr. L.
C. Burnham, of Milwaukee, Wis.; Mr. C. Lobdell, Troy, N. Y.; Thos.
C. Wright, Nashville, Tenn., and Mr. Harry Wagner, conductor of the
sleeping coaches, were in the same car. Of this number, Mr. Stowe, Mr.
Chittenden, Mr. F. Osborn, Mr. Stockwell and the sleeping car conductor
were killed. The stove fell from one end of this car to the other,
making a clean sweep by carrying everything before it. As it hit the
end it broke through the timbers and then set the car on fire. Those
who were struck by it were instantly killed.
Mr. R. Osborn, whose brother perished by his side, was very badly hurt
and barely escaped with his life. The car stood after its fall at an
angle, so that those who were within, were obliged to go up an inclined
plane and to get out at the upper door. Most of those who escaped, went
up the north side of the track.
The destruction of life was greatest in the second coach, because, as
has been mentioned, the car struck upon its side and was badly smashed;
yet it is a singular fact that the bodies from this were better
preserved than from any other car in the train, as they fell into the
stream where the water was deepest, before the flames could reach them.
The following description was sent by the author to the “Inter-Ocean”
of Chicago, and has since proved its correctness by the fact that
several have been recognized by the description given in it:
“The drawing-room car contained the following-described persons:
“A lady from Chicago, who is described as being very handsome; she
had left her husband at Dunkirk, and was returning home,” so a
passenger learned.
“Next, a lady and gentleman. The lady is described as being
‘quiet in manner, and evidently a person of culture.’ She was
about twenty-two years of age. The gentleman was short, had black
whiskers and mustache. Opposite, and afterward in the state-room,
was a party consisting of a gentleman, his wife and two children, a
girl and boy [who have been already described].
“Next was a tall gentleman having on a long ulster overcoat. He was
from Boston, and was going to California; was a merchant tailor.
My informant, Mr. Thomas C. Wright, thinks that Mr. Bliss was not
in this car. He says others were in the rear of the car, but does
not remember them. Mr. Ormsbee of Boston, was in the car and is
the only survivor. He was at first pinned down hands and feet and
could not extricate himself. Afterward something fell on the top of
the car, and loosened him and he reached up his hand and dragged
himself out. As he went out he heard the lady in the corner of
the car calling for help. He has seen the photograph of Rev. Dr.
Washburn and recognized it. The probability is that that gentleman
was underneath the only part which was struck by the ‘City of
Buffalo,’ and was instantly killed.”
It is still a question whether Mr. and Mrs. Bliss were in this car.
The gentleman and lady who have been described above, are supposed
to have been Mr. and Mrs. Hall, of Chicago, rather than Mr. and Mrs.
Bliss. The gentleman was reading to the lady the book “Near Nature’s
Heart;” as the newsboy passed, he took out “Daniel Deronda,” read it a
little, and afterward bought “Helen’s Babies.” Mr. Ormsbee, the sole
survivor from the car, judging from photographs which have been shown
him, declares that they were not Mr. and Mrs. Bliss. Mr. Burchell, of
Chicago, however, maintains that Mr. and Mrs. Bliss were in this car,
and his statement is worthy of credit. There is no doubt that they were
either in this or in the “City of Buffalo,” and it is probable that no
trace of them will ever be found.
The occupants of the “Palatine” were, Mrs. Bingham, of Chicago;
Mabel Arnold, North Adams, Mass.; H. L. Brewster, Milwaukee, Wis;
B. B. Lyons, of New York city; Mrs. Annie Graham, of New York; Miss
Marion Shepard, Ripon, Wis.; Geo. A. White, Portland, Me.; John J.
White (?) of Boston, Mass; Chas. S. Carter, of New York; Mr. L. B.
Sturges, Minneapolis, Minn.; Mr. J. E. Burchell, Chicago, Ill.; Col.
A. Maillard, of San Rafael, Cal.; Mr. H. W. Shepard, Brooklyn, N. Y.;
Lewis Bochatay, Kent’s Plains, Ct.; John J. Lalor, of Chicago, C. H.
Tyler, St. Louis; and Jos. D. Pickering and nephew, of Buffalo, N. Y.
The persons who were in the “City of Buffalo” are as follows: Mr.
Henry White, of Weathersfield, Conn., who broke the glass door and got
out; Mrs. Bradley, of California; Mr. J. P. Hazelton, of Charleston,
Ill., and Mr. Gage, of Illinois, who escaped and afterward died. The
nurse and child of Mrs. Bradley, who occupied the rear state-room,
perished. Mrs. A. D. Marston and her mother and boy; Mrs. Trueworthy
and daughter, Mrs. Coffin, of California; Mrs. Moore, of Hammondsport,
N. Y.; Mr. Hodgkins, of Bangor, Maine; “a gentleman going to South
America, very polite and fine looking,” who afterwards proved to be
Mr. J. Spooner, of Petershaw, Mass.; Mr. D. A. Rogers, of Chicago; Mr.
Barnard and Miss Mixer, daughter of Dr. Mixer of Buffalo; Mr. Rice,
of Lowell, Mass.; Mr. J. F. Aldrich, of Des Moines, Iowa; and, it is
supposed, Mrs. H. M. Knowles, and child of Cleveland;--twenty-one
in all. The probability is that all who were in this car were so
completely destroyed that scarcely a vestige of them remained. There
has been the most thorough search for even the least scrap that might
give trace of their presence in the ill-fated coach. It is probable
that the fall at first served to crush those who were in it, and that
the position of the car gave a draft which intensified the heat so as
to consume the bodies. The fire burned here the longest, and was still
burning at two o’clock in the morning.
There were but few in the “Osceo,” which was the rear sleeper. These
were Mrs. Eastman, and Mrs. W. H. Lew, of Rochester, N. Y.; Mrs. T. A.
Davis, Kokomo, Ind.; the brakeman Stone and the colored porter who was
killed.
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