Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-10-15
Let every Democrat In Clearfieid county
60 TO the polls OH election day aud vote for
Dar.-i o. Barr for State Treasurer.
A RAILROAD HORROR on THE
MICHIGAN CENTRAL.
TWENTY KILLED AND THIRTY wouSprp

DETROIT, Michigan, October l0.-A
irlghtful accident occurred on the
Michigan Central railroad, short dis
tance east of the junction. About |
o'clock this morning the Pacific Ex'
press train bound west, which left Dc
troit forty minutes late, collided with
a switch engine on the main track ut
that place, telescoping the baggage
and express cars and piling the re-
naming coaches, eleven in number on
top OF the other. First coach was fill
ed with emigrants, most OF whom were
killed or seriously injured. Many oc.
cupants of the other coaches are also
killed or injured. 1t is supposed there
are about thonty or twenty five pas.
sengers killed and twenty to thirty
wounded. Tho majority OF the mum.
Der are thought to be emigrants and
second.class passengers. Physicians
and surgeons were at once summoned
from Jackson to the sceno of the dis
aster, and special train carrying ply
sicans left Detroit at 8 O'Clock this
morning. A large force OF employees
of the railroad company, together with
q large number Of citizens of Jackson,
are on the ground engaged in the work
of extricatlng the bodies from the
wreck. The railroad officials and sur
geons are busy at work among them
doing everything in their power to
alleviate their sufferings. The names
of the KILLED and wounded will be sent
as soon as they can be ascertained.
The engineer and fireman of the cx-
press train were literally torn TO pieces,
but the engineer and fireman of the
switch engine escaped injury by jump.
ing from the engine. The train was
made up of Wagner sleepers and four
passenger coaches and mail and bag
gage cars. The tender of the express
engine was telescoped into the bag
gage car about half its length. This
car, in turn, forced its way into the
mail car and these crowded the first
passenger coach TO the ri ght on TO the
embankment and crushed back thro
the two following. The passengers in
the first coach were comparatively un-
hurt, a harvest of death being reaped
in the second and third coaches The
fourth coach escaped with slight dam.
age and none of the Wagner coaches
were injured. As near MS can be as
certained the accident was caused by
the switchman having charge Of max
ing up the freight train at Jackson
junction occupying the main track
with the switch engine and caboose,
understanding that the Pacific Express
was considerably behind time. The
express train, however, had made up
nearly all lost time.
Tho Philadelphia Times, in alluding
to the disaster, says; "Not since the
Ashtabula disaster, which occurred
nearly three years ago, has there been
a railway accident involving the loss
OF so many lives as were sacrificed on
a Michigan line. 1t was
another instance of gross carelessness
and incompetency on the part Of the
employees Of a railway company. A
lightning express train was forty min.
utes late. A switchman took it for
granted that il il was as much behind
time as that that it might not come
for a good while longer With the
recklessness born of many narrow
escapes, he threw shifting engine on
the main track along which the ex-
press train had to come. 1t came in
hot haste through the midnight dark
ness. There was the inevitable col
lision. Cars were smashed to atoms
and score OF lives, perhaps more,
went out in agony"