The 1876 accident at Ashtabula had all the elements of a classic tragedy: cold, snowy weather that lent eeriness to the dark of night; height, as in the 70 feet from bridge to river; modern technology in an experimental iron bridge; mechanical power in locomotives; human beings fighting for their lives; fire, water and ice all at once; the evil of robbers preying on the injured and dying; the good in heroes and heroines who risked their lives to rescue the needy; the event striking the unknown, and the world-famous, such as P. P. Bliss. It is difficult to imagine a worse happening to a little village of 2,500 citizens.