The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-10-11
DEATHON THE RAIL
A Death Harvest on the Michigan
Central Railroad.
Collision Of a Passenger Train with
a Switch Engine at lack.
son Junction.
Full Particulars Of the Number Killed
and the Causes which Led
to the Disaster.

b a'u ue 1auses WHICH Leu
10 the disaster.
d
i DETROIT, October lO.-A serious acc
. dent occurred ON the Michigan Ceutrr
road early this morning. The expres
train bound west, which left Detroit iort
minutes late Colllded with d switch engin
Q on the main track, telescopiuS the bag
9 gage and express cars, and pillng eleyel
: coaches on top. The ilrst coach was fille
with emisrapts, most Of whom are kille,
] or SeriOasly injured. Many occupants o
the other coaches were also killed or In
jured. There are about twenty or twenty
I've passengers killed, and twenty to thiriy
: wounded. Surgeons were at once sum
moned, and special train carryinJ
physicians loft Detroit ut o'clock thil
morning. Everything Is being done iol
the sufferers that can be suggested.
Up to noon eighteen dead bodies hat
been taken from the wreck, ten Of whom
were taken from the emigrant car, and
have not yet been identified. The train
was made up OF seven Wagner sleepeS
four passenger coaches and mall and bag
gage cars. The passengers in the firsi
coach were comparatively unharmed, the
harvest Of death being reaped in the
second and third coaches. the fourth
coach escaping with but slight damage,
and none Of the Wagner coaches were in.
jured as near as could be ascor,ained, The
accident was caused BY tho switcbman
having charge Of making nm n ireivht
train at Jackson Junction occnnvin1 ths
main track with the switch engine and
caboose, understanding that The Pacific
express was considerable bebind lime
The express train, however. had made nm
nearly all the lost lime.
At Jackson this evening tina Nr,cbiuan
Central Railroad officials examined tbs
different ward emnlovos on dn,v Last
evening at Air Line .Jnnction whora Tho
switch engine with which Tho Pacific az.
press, west collided was nlacod nm Tho
main track. II apnsars that ,be mon an
gagged in making up fre;yht al tbe
east end of The vard want n
the telegraph Office a. tho Jnnc,,on
and got information that the Pacific ak.
press was nearly fifty minutes late. Cal.
we'll, the yard master, reported to Jones
engineer Of the switch engine, that thew
had forty.ave minutes Of the Pacifc's
time in which to make up the freight
train, and It was this work thew were do.
ing when tue collision occurred. The
following is pretty full synopsis of the
testimony taken, az teleVrapbed in n spe.
cial to the POa and Tribune Of this city:
Robert R. Jones, engineer in charge Of
the switch engine. saws that his engine
was standing in front Of the switchman,s
shanty, and NEr. Colwell, yartlmaster,
came to him and said: "There are some
cars in the other end nf the yard: we must
go up there and get them" Nv work ia
on the north side Of the switch. The
south side switchman asked me to switch
some cans over to his side. l told him
could not go on the main track
as the Pacific express was due. A
freight had Just come in from the East ON
express time. The switchman asked the
trainmen how much the express was late
They said twenty minutes, and I said,
"I'll stay right here, for it's time for them
II only twenty minutes late" Yardmaster
Colwell just then appeared and said,
"Bob, l want you. oh well, there Ia
plenty of time" Engineer Jones snid he
had sometimes ventured out on 10 minutes
time, and perhaps on Z or 8 minutes
though the rule forbid going out on less
than 10 minutes.
Engineer Jones further says that Col.
well was a nervous and excitable man;
that he had talked the matter over with
the switchman in tho yard they say he
drank, though he did not notice that he
was under the influence Of llouor last
evening; Jones has been on the road
eight years.
VIM. A. Girarl, fireman on the switch
engine, said in substance as follows;
When Jones was asked to take his engine
on the main track he refused, say.
ing something about 1t being express
time; didn't hear them say how much the
express was late. Colwell said she was
SO many minutes late; didn't hear the
number. Jones looked at his watch twice,
In the meanwhile Colwell stood on
the ioot.board. We then pulled down ON
the main track; didn't see the light Of the
express, but pretty soon Jones whistled
brakes, and told me to ;ump. nothing
passed between Jones and I about tbc
Pacific after the collision. l saw Colwell
at the wreck. | remained at the wreck
all night helping.
Evauder Colwell, the yardmaster, said
he had been employed by the comnany
three years, for he last s,x months =.
yardmaster at ,he Jpnc,;on. mv hrsinoso -
!. n male nm ,.o;n., ...as.n, - Ds''4soo l'
~, - t."ra 900 .Sa % S".S' a"..s ""aseu some ca's
e,ant S =" a. .S .o,a AU.su " 'ue SCUM sue;
.Sass ms " .LO ta' se'sstnpn olnce ana inquired
SarS"n ns '"s t, eNF'esS waSi operator item
tso"",, % .aI,,, sSPpeu nus instrument as
saosv ao" o,,a' seiSS,apn'IS' = lnfOW y, Ine,e
NJ. | a. Os' ,;n ca,n SIu iepneu' woula
ro1 ov ~ ~ ~ s.,, GT1wGi n'a askea, "Gy wont
1V.,, 1Su. sau' FAcIIC y ia.e' he says,
minu,a. Ur u'S S.a ,Sa Q. ,'5 t%e IGf .ney are 10