06.24.08 Chestnut Grove Cemetery | Ashtabula Train Disaster | Ashtabula, OH Ashtabula is home to one of the most deadly train/bridge disasters in American history. It was a snowy night on December 29th, 1876. 92 of 159 passengers and crew were killed after the bridge collapsed. 48 were unrecognizable or consumed in a massive fire that was ignited by kerosene stoves and lamps. The bridge was owned by Lake Shore and Michigan railroad. The Engineer was Charles Collins and the Chief Architect and Designer was Amasa Stone. Collins was noted as saying that the bridge was "too experimental", but reluctantly approved it's construction due to pressures from the company. After testifying before an investigative jury, Collins went home that night and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. 2 years later, Stone committed suicide after partly being held responsible by that same jury. Philip Paul Bliss, writer of a hymns, a Gospel singer, and teacher was aboard the train. He managed to survive the initial wreck, but went into the icy blaze in search of his wife Lucy. Both were never found. Parts of their bodies, along with the other unrecognizable were buried in a massive plot in the center of nearby Chestnut Grove Cemetery. The cemetery is also home to Albert Humphrey, an outfielder who played 8 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911. At a nearby hospital, you can hear audio about the crash. The door to the Collins crypt.   © 2004 - 2008, All work depicted on this site is property of OutsiderGraphics.com