The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-08-04
STORM DESTRUCTION.

STORM DESTRUCTION.
DAMAGES ON THE LINE OF THE CINCINNATI &
LOUISVILLE RAILROAD-TRAINS WRECKED
AND DTTcHED-scBNEs DURING THE NIGHT
NO LIVES LosT-EXTENT OF THE DAM
AGES.
The Louisville Courier Journal of the 18th
inst. gives the following particulars of the
recent storm between that city and Cincin-
natl: The terrible disasters by storm given
in our telegraphic columns this morning
were not, happily, paralleled in this section,
but the rainfall of Sunday night was very
heavy throughout Central Kentucky, partic-
ularly along the line of the Louisville a
Cincinnati railroad. Three accidents &C.
Cured on that road yesterday morning. and
while there was no loss of life, yet the escape
of the passengers in two, at least OF these
accidents was little short OF miraculous.
The rains swelled the small streams all along
the line of the road suddenly and to an un-
expected hight. The passenger train No:
which left here at III O'Clock Sunday night
reached Sparta station, 20 miles from Louis
vile, without any delay or trouble. Near
Sparta is small creek called Lost Branch,
but the heavy rain had swollen it so greatly
that it was a miniature torrent. rushing
madly toward the river. The bridge had
beeu washed away, and being small one,
il has not been found necessary to have
watchmsn stationed at that point. AS the
train approached its speed was slackeued
somewhat, bat as the engine reached the
broken pier, it suddenly
DASHED INTO THE WATER.
The train was made up OF an express and
baggage car, one passenger coach and a Pull
man sleeper" in the order named. The
engine dragged the express car after it, and
the passenger coach was wrenched loose and
fell little short of the others; the sleeping
| car 1emained on the track, being stopped by
the passenger coach. The engine and ex-
press car plunged into 20 feet of water carry
| ing the engineer and fireman with them, no
| one being in the express car at the time.
How these two men managed to get out of
their prison, the water, and to the shore,
they can not themselves tell, but manage
they did. and were only slightly injured.
The engineer, Al. Harding, was hurt about
the leg and ankle, and the fireman was not
worse hurt. The passenger coach fell near
the shore and only in about five feet of
water. 1t fell perpendicularly, and the pas
sengers, about fifteen in number, were
thrown violently into the water at the bot
tom of the car. The lamps, OF course, were
extinguished, and the thrilling scene,
what with the darkness and
the danger, can be imagined
cape-to chamber out of the car windows
and to the shore. with only two persons at
all injured, and they not seriously. A Mr..
| Johnson, of Louisville, spralued his ankle,
and Mr.. Zies injured his hip, but not badly.
The passengers were all brought back to the
4 CITY by the noon train, and forwarded to
Cincinnati by the o. Il NJ. railroad and the
mail boats. The engine is probably a total
wreck. The express car was also badly
wrecked and the baggage and express mat
ter viii, bs greatly damaged by water. If not
ruined. The passenger coach was badly
damaged, but not wrecked.
THE SECOND ACCIDENT.
Previous to this accident a freight train
met with a similar wreck at Bank Lick
Bridge No. e, between Bank Lick and indie
pendence Station, and about 10 miles from
Newport. The freight train, which left here
Sunday night about o'clock, on
its way to Cincinnati, was composed
of IL freight cars and one caboose
car. Bank Lick stream, generally very
small, had been safely crossed by the Gin
cinnati passenger train, coming toward
Louisville, but from that time until the ar
rival of the freight train, about ten minutes
! before 5 o'clock the water had increased &c
, such an extent as to overflow the banks,
and hide all traces of the bridge. The engine
of the freight train had already crossed when
suddenly the bridge gave away, and it and
the whole train of cars, beside. the tank Of
the engine, went down into the water. Every
thing was pitch dark, and the men on the
train succeeded in getting into safe positions
by catching hold oflimbs oftrees and climb
ing these as the cars were dashed down the
stream. All OF the cars were badly damag-
, ed, and with their freight will prove large
I loss. Three men had stolen ride on The
train, and one of them came out of the &C.
, cident with a portion of one ear cut OFF, and
all his clothes except piece of his shirt
torn from his back. Ali the men were con-
siderably bruised, except one, but were
able to walk. The one in question, brake
, man named LearmOth, had his left leg hurt
, The train was we'll loaded, and consisted OF
: two cars of pig-iron, three cars of lumber
; two of tanbark, one of whisky and nine OF
: wheat, beside the csboose car. The trucks
of the cars can be saved and perhaps used
!, but the body of the cars will probably be 9
total loss. The freight was generally fol
!, Cincinnati. The men on the train hardly
know themselves how they managed to ex
, tricate themselves from the wreck it fel
and as the cars swept down the stream.
THE THIRD ACCIDENT.
, Passenger train No. 2, from Cincinnati Il
! Louisville, consisting of thesame number o
cars train No. 1, had passed in safety tn,
/ bridge which gave way under the freigh
train, and had proceeded 10 Glencoe, wher
! it ran into a landslide near that station anc
! was thrown from the track. Fortunately
in this case also, no one was hurt beyond
few bruises. But little damage of any sor
!, was caused by the accident, and it is doubt
. less fortunate that the train was thus stopped
7 else it might have been precipitated further
7 on into one of the suddenly swollen streams
This accident happened between the two
! points where the other trains were wrecked
= and occurred little after O'Clock
: President Wilder and Superintendent Me
. Leod went up to the scene OF the wreck yes
? terday, and dispatch received from tht
" latter last night stated that Bank Lick
bridge No. Z, halt mile east of Bank Llcl
: bridge 6, where the accident to the freigh
4 train had occurred, was also washed away
: while all other bridges were safe. OF cours'
trains on the road will not be run for severa
2 davs will falyo that Alma to ronoir tI,,