The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-01-31
TROUGH THE TRESTL 2.
1.uu.v CATASTROPHE AT GIN.
n ma Nv N CINNATI


gives tie dreadful details of The rsilrosd &C.
cident q Spring Grove, in the suburbs OF
that cit!, Saturday night: Sea- ION ., oil
freight rain No. 100, on the Mariet, rail-
road, lolded with shelled corn for Ls. Gust
Point, Maryland, and carrying twenty can.
including the caboose, left this city about
noon yesterday, with conductor Joseph A.
Morton Frank Lennon, fireman.: John
Conley, engineer, and HOFFMAN Hexter for
ward brakeman. The crew leaving Cincin-
nnati ineharge of the train were to run as
far as Clllicothe, where another set of en-
ployes vere to take the train and run
through TO Parkersburg, where transfer
was to b,made to another crew. But the
crew andtrain were fated not TO reach their
destinatin. In less than an hour after
leaving De depot in this city the engineer,
brakeman and fireman were killed. At
about bal past II the train reached the iron
bridge adoss Spring Grove avenue, and was
| crossing. II is thought that the engine had
just reaelsd the east side of the bridge, on
terra Arm, when the bridge went down,
carrying with it all the cars that were on
it aud driyeing back the engine, engineer
| and hrtnan Into the common ruin.
and covifipg them with the debris
of spiiptfs, corn, iron, timbers, ETC.
ONE CAR FOLLOWED ANOTHER INTO THE
HOLE
until the ivenue was entirely checked up
from one abutment of tie bridge to the
other withtoppling cars, spilled corn, and
bridge tinbers and iron in all shapes, and
twisted LIE ribbons. On the end OF the
lower abutlent a car hung as If poised on
pivot, redy to fall; but it did not fall,
and peopleKere cautioned not to 60 near
| it, lest theishould meet with an accident.
A messagevas instantly dispatched to the
Cumminsvle engine house for help, as the
cars were q fire from the furnace in the
| locomotive and il looked as though the
poor men bried beneath the ruins, if not
already dea, would be consumed by slow
hre- The firemen responded with the
Champion Extinguisher, and soon put
out the flames. Then the citizens,
With the help of the few rail-
load men pHsent, went to work with a will
to rescue th'engineer, fireman and forward
brakeman, who were covered with the
debris. Thebrakemar, seeing the cars going
! down, attempted to Jump, but was caught
by the hesv, iron bridge beams and pinned
TO the grouh in the back in the middle of
the avenue When found he was dead,
black in tb, face, and blood was spoutiDg
from his nst.ils. His death must have
been instantaneous. But the poor engineer
was yet alivl when discovered, few min
utes after tb accident. His body was half
exposed, andlaid on the engine. The other
half of his ody was covered with bridge
iron, rsilrod iron, ties, corn, coal and
splinters iron
THE wreck OF BROKEN CARS,
nine of which bad gone into the hole, while
eleven remsned on the track west of the
bridge. The dying engineer pleaded "for
Gok's sake" o take him out, to pull him
out any way so he was gotten out, but
there was no Aslp for him, and he must wait
the slow pr,,ess of being dug out. When
be was taken out he was dead. The
body was carried back and put in the
caboose on tb, main track. The body of the
brakeman wa next taken out, and also put
In the caboGe, and last of all came the
poor firemn's body, which was
scalded by team from the boiler. 1t
was found buried under the tank,
and presented horrible appearance.
The face was distorted, as though the unfor-
tunate victim lad died in great agony. His
body was als' placed in the caboose. By
this time Corner Msley, who had been
summoned by telegraph as soon as the &C.
cident occurred, arrived, and he ordered the
bodies sent tOthe city, where an inquest
will be held. There were also four boys
stealing ride On the train between the cars,
from fifteen to eighteen years of age. Two
dislocation OF he left arm at the shoulder,
aud the other bad a bad cut in the back oil
his head, besides being severely bruised
The other two
SEEING TIE IMPENDING DANGER,
Jumped off before they reached the bridge
and thus ESCAPED injury. The two that
were hurt were carried into the residence o.
Mr.. Watson, near the bridge, and were at.
tended ty DR.. Rove. Our reporter called tc
see them, when the four gave their names
as VIM. Burke and Samuel Malott (the two
who were hurt) Thomas Henry Dagan and
Thomas Jenkins. They said they were only
taking ride as far as the junction at Lud
low Grove. Burke and Malott were after.
wards sent to the hospital in the wagon
which had been sent for that purpose
Malott, who is the most seriously hurt, il is
| thought, will recover. There were sew.
eral theories advanced as to the cause Of
the disaster which has resulted in such
fatality and destruction. One, put forward
by railroad man, is that the bridge had been
tempered with by some one, out of malice
toward the company, by the looseniDg OF a
nut or bolt at the loop in the middle of the
bridge, at the bottom of the stringers. The
bridge had been built about three years, and
any number ofheavy trains had passed over
1t without affecting 1t in any degree. About
two years ago the south halt OF the bridge
was broken down by q Dayton Short Line
passenger train running into construction
Train vi buc DlluBo, Dub uO liNos Molc lOSt
The engineer of the passenger train, seeing
the danger, jumped before the train reached
the bridge, thus saving bis life, but
THE ENGINE WENT INTO THE cHAsM.
The bridge was regarded one of the
strongest in the country. 1t was put up by
the Phoenix Iron Company, of Philsdelphis
and was calculated to hold all the weight
that could be piled upon it. There is an
other theory, that the stringers were tc
short, resting on the abutments, and that
if they had been made two or three fee
longer at each end, the accident would moi
have occurred. This theory will hardly
hold good, as the bridge had been in use fol
some time and had stood almost any amount
of weight. Two watchmen have been en-
ployed by the railroad company for some
time to keep an eye on ths
bridge. aud it would seem hardly
possible tor any one to tamper witt
- = Ae--.1 -