The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-09-16
THE TERROR OF TRAVELLERS
WASHED TRACKS AND WRECKED
TRAINS

WASHED TRACKS AND WRECKED |
TRAINS.
THE APPALLING ACCIDENTS RESULTING FRosl
THE LATE sTORM-FIvE TRAINS WRECKED
AND sEvEN PERSONS KILLED.
The following are the full particulars of
the disaster already reported in brief by the
Sentinel, as they appeared in the Chicago
Times of Saturday, from It's Harvard CORE
spondent:
HARVARD, ILL.,, Sept. 1O.-TfIe storm
OF Thursday night seems to nave been
of wonderful force and fury. The effects of
it are almost inconceivsble, Those who
have lived here for 40 years recollect moth
ing like it. The aiterno> IN was close and
sultry. The sky was o gerhung with dark
clouds toward evenip z, and the ominous
sound of mutter ing thunder was
heard occasionally. The gathering forces
Of the element did not burst at
once over tne <ndscape 1t was July
O'CLOCK Delore che first great drops OF toe
slowly gather ng tempest fell upon the
earth. Inc previous night had been
stormy one and the surface of the earth
was satn' .ated with moisture. when tne
storm Q roke over the land on THURSDAY
night mere was no thirsty soil to drink 1t
up. j ne water came down in sheets, and
the eaveus were livid with the glow of the
cleo sric fluid. The believing thunder and
tn tremendous fall of rain filled the bOsoms
Of all spectators of the scene with dismay.
Fears began to be entertained of disaster,
which subsequent events prove 10 nave
bsen we'll grounded.
THE WRECK OF FOUR RAILROAD TRAINS,
and the dead bodies OF seven men, killed IN
their ruins, within short distance of this
place, attest with startling force the ruin
that was wrought, and the uncomfortable
-oft IN otO a VI
landscape was inundated. Where had been
little streams the day before. rolled great
rivers of water the next morning, sweeping
all before them. Much destruction was
caused to the crops in places. Where there
had never been any water before, a flood
swept along. Stacks OF grain were sur
rounded with water, in some instances TO
the depth of two or three feet. The waters
of Geneva Lake, Wisconsin,, which lies in
this storm visited region, have risen Is
inches. This is not vast lake, and Las
never been known to have been perceptiply
affected by a storm before. The culverts
through the railroads were washed out and
bridges were swept away. The principal dis
aster occurred az Lawrence, two miles arda
halt north Of this place. Your CORE
spondent. who arrived on the spot this after
noon Is able however, to furnish some fur
tber interesting particulars. The Green Bay
express, No. 3, Conductor R9nours, arrived
at Harvard on time that evening, notwith
standing the fury of the storm which had
been raging through the fore part of the
night It was a few minutes past midnight.
He resolved to push on. The train moved
out, and proceeded on its way. One OF the
oldest and most trusty engineers on the
road, Henry Morris, stood at his post with
his hand upon the throttie-valve. The fall
ing rain and the Dlackness of the night COM
pletely obscured the rays of the head light.
To advance through the night was like
plunging into abyss. As the train
approached Lawrence creek the speed OF
the train was diminished so hat it moved
scarcely faster than walk The engineer
peered ahead in vain. His trained ears and
careful ewes could not overcome the obsta-
cles around him. Suddenly the slowly
moving and ponderOus engine, tbs Perry
III. Smith, sank down, and was almost
instantly
BURIED IN THE RUSHING WATERS.
The tender and the express car followed.
The baggage car came next, and this was
followed by a second-class coach. All these
plunged into the vortex and were ground
to atoms. The gentlemen's coach stood
ready to take the plunge, but was fortu-
nately arrested in its course, otherwise the
destruction OF human life would have been
appalling. This coach, however, WAS badly
shattered, and bv some means the roof was
entireIv torn off. OF the inmates OF this
coach, none were killed, but all of them
were more or less bruised and injured. some
of them severely, but not fatally. The engiU-
eer, Henry Morris, went down In the Hood, ana
was instantly killed. His body was rec0y-
cred this morning. The baggBcenan was
heo,lv man in the baggage car. He was
also killed His name ia James Furry. A
newsbOv named Carr and passenger, W.
7 Grouse of Neeauuee, Mich, the only in
mates Of the secODG-clsss car, were also
killed almost instantly. Tue inmates of
the day passenger coach, though severely
shaken up and terribly frightened, escaped
without loss of life. The sleeping coach
remained on the track unharmed, the in
mates being scarcely aware that an accident
had happened. A scene of the wildesL ex-
element and confusion prevailed.
THE sHRIEKING PASSENGERS.
the whirling waters, the falling torrents,
the hideous darkness, the vivid flashes OF
lightning and the reverberating thunder,
were all elements which contributed to the
terrible scene. Conductor Ranour imme
diately started two men toward Harvard
with red lamps to intercep. freight train
which was close behind them and to give
the alarm. These men reached Harvard
about o'clock A. NJ, and rescuing party
was at once organized, which proceeded TO
the scene of the disaster as rapidly as
possible, accompanied by surgeon. All was
done that co1ld be done for the comfort oil
the sufferers. They were most of them con-
veyed to Harvard and Hospitality received
at the Ayers House. The dead bodies OF the
unfortunate train officials and the dead pas
senger were taken out of the wreck, and also
conveyed to Harvard. Subsequently caskets
were obtained and the bodies placed in them
and they were to day shipped to their vari-
GUS places of destination. The waiting girls
and the ladies of the family of Mr.. Ayers
prepared some
FLORAL DECORATIONS FOR THE DEAD,
which were placed over their caskets. The
inhabitants of this place did all in theil
power for the living and the dead. Law
renee creek, where this accident occurred
an INSIGNIFICANT creek In ordinary times