[By Telegraph.] (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1474, 14 February 1880, Page 12

[By Telegraph.] (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

The following are a few reliable particulars of the above dreadful calamity. The disaster caused the greatest consternation in Dundee and throughout the whole district. The first reports were disbelieved, but soon evidence of their truth was made too convincing. The train which left Edinburgh at 415 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, December 28th, for Dundee was composed of four third-class carriages, a secoßd-claas carriage, a first-class carriage, a brake-van, and an engine, in all eight vehicles. The train left Burnt Island punctually, and Btoppages were made at all roadside stations during the run through Fifeßhire, and at most of the principal oneß numbers of passengers were taken up. At St. Garb station, three miles distant from the south end of the Tay Biidge,£the train was just five minutes behind time. From here it was signalled on to the Bouth end of the bridge, thence to tbe signal cabin at the north end, and ultimately to the station at Dundee. At that time a perfect hurricane was blowing, and a minute or two later telegraphic communication between the station and the south end of the bridge suddenly broke down. At first thiß did not cause much surprise, but as there was no appearance of the train some uneasiness was felt, and in a few minutes the stationmaster and .the locomotivesuperintendent at Dundee went along the viaduct and on to the bridge. After proceeding several hundred yards they were able to discern by the light of the moon that part of the bridge had fallen. These two officials considering it dangerous to proceed further along the bridge on foot, retraced their footsteps, and on returning to the Tay Bridge station reported that an accident had occurred to the bridge. Every exertion was made to obtain communication with the Fife side, to ascertain whether the train had put back, but their efforts were without avail, and the railway officials came to the conclusion that the train mußt have been precipitated into the river. A number of persons had assembled at the station to welcome their friends, and the wildest excitement prevailed amongst them. The evil news spread far and wide, and thousands of persons were sopn at the harbour, all eagerly seeking, information. The authorities of the town at once placed themselves in communication with the railway officials, and a large steamer was got ready and sent to the scene of the wreck. She left Dundee about 11 p.m., and as by this time the force of the gale had considerably abated, the ves3elmade good headway up the river. As the bridge was neared it became painfully evident that the whole Btretch of high girders, upwardß of 300 feet in length, had been swept away. There was no sign of even a single bar of iron having been left. There was a wide gap where the high girders were the most conspicuous feature of the great bridge, where it spanned the navigable channel. It is difficult to conceive how 13 massive girders could have been blown so completely away from the bridge without leaving ecme trace, but so it is, tnd a wide gap only ehowß where they once stood. The carriages of the train would also, of course, feel the full force of the blast, and once the weakest part yielded the whole would go with a sudden crash. The astonishing thing is that the fall of such an enormous mass of iron was not heard in town, but it would appear that nothing was heard beyond the" roar of the gale even by persons who were on the watch for the crossing of tbe train at the Dundee end of the bridge. The following is an account of the accident by an eye-witness :— " I was seated by my fireside on Sunday evening, listening to the clamour of the storm without, when a blast of wind more furious than before caught the chimneys of a house' almost opposite and brought them down to the ground with a crash that startled every one of us to our feet. Stepping over to the casement I gazed out upon the street, and just then a blaze of moonlight lighted up the broad expanse of the Tay down below, and the long.Jwhite, sinuous line of the bridge came into view. Ido not know why, but 1 instinctively took out my watch. It was exactly 7 o'clock. 'The Edinburgh train will be due immediately,' I exclaimed to my wife ; ' come, and let/us go and see whether it will attempt to cross on such a night.' So Baying, we turned down the gas in the parlour, with many expressions of thankfulness that no friends of outb, bo far as we knew, had to cross the river at tbat time, and prepared to await the appearance of the expected train. The light by this time had become most fitful. Great masses of clouds were scouring across the expanse of the heavens, at times totally obscuring the light of the full moon. 'There she comes !' cried my children, and at that moment the slowly-moving lights of the Edinburgh train could be seen rounding the curve at Wormat. Then it passed the signal-box at tho south side and entered upon the long straight line of tbat portion of the bridge. Once on the bridge it seemed to move with great swiftness along, and when the engine entered the tunnel-like cloisters of tho great girders about the centre of the bridge, my little girl exactly described tbe effect of he lights as Been through the latticework when she exclaimed, ' Look, pa, is not that like lightning ?' All this takes some time to write, but to the eye it seemed as if almost simultaneously. With the entrance of the train upon this part of the bridge a cometlike burst of fiery sparks sprang out, as if forcibly ejected into the darkness from the engine, in a long visible trail. The streak of fire was seen till quenched ia the stormy water below. Then absolute silence fell on the eager gvoup afi tho window, and with Btunniug force tho id 6» broke upon jay mind. ' Heavens !' I cried, ' I fear the train is over the bridge.' With a growing honor I watched the curve at the north side to try whether I could see the train pass that point ; but as several minutes

passed and bo moving object became visible at tbat point, I snatched up my hat and hurried across Magdalen green, to meet several individuals all bent upon the same errand as myself. The terrific nature of the gale at this time may be inferred from the fact that descending the slops of tbe green I had to crouch down upon the grass to prevent being blown bodily away. It eeemed as if the wind had become a solid compelling power, and was actually attempting to drag one away with a giant's grasp. One gentleman was blown up against another on the green, and both tumbled together. The massive signal-post beside the signal-box on the north end of the bridge was bent by the wind like a willow-wand. On the esplanade sand and pebbles were dashed about with such violence that my hands and face were positively sore." Two gentleman who had intended to travel by train from Edinburgh were prevented by circumstances which detained them until they were too late. Another remarkable escape is recorded. Mr and Mrs Brown had been in Edinburgh from Dundee on a wedding tour, and were to have returned home by this very train, They were, however, pressed at a small party to remain, and at the last moment, chiefly on account of the boisterous weather, they were reluctantly persuaded to postpone their return for a day.