American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-10-18
A DREADFUL ACCIDENT.
Collision the Michigan Central Railway
Many Killed and Injured.

| Collision the Michigan Central Railway
Many Killed and Injured.
| Especial to the ST. Louis Globe DemocTat.l
JACKSON, MICH, October 1O.-The most
frightful accident in the history of the Mich
gan Central Railroad occurred between and
| ? O'Clock this morning, three miles east of this
place. The Pacific Express train No. ?, con
| ger -coaches, with mail and baggnse- cars
which due to leave Detroit mt $50 last
| Trunk Junction 40 minutes late. On arriving
mt the switch quarter of II mile east OF the
Jackson Junction, without the slightest warn
ing, it
CoLLIDED WITH A SWITCH ENGINE
which had been left on the main track. Botl
engines were completely demolished. When
| the Pacific Express struck, her engine and two
baggage cars passed off to the left, lcav ing the
smoking to strike the switch engine and
emsropt coach. III" upnn the latter fell tho the
henSicst burden of the disaster. The tender
baggage ear about half its length, and thi.
car in turn forced its way into the mail car
and these crowded the emigrant ear off the
track on to the embanl<mcnt and crashed
back through the two following coaches. All
was in inextricable confusion. The cars were
heaped one upon another, and beneath the
broken timbers lay the dead and dying II,
great numbers.
1t was some time before those who were
able to assist the suffering could recover from
their shock sufficiently to understand the full
force of the disaster. When the locomotive
struck, the engineer and fireman of the
switch engine jumped off and saved them
selves. Milton Gilbert of Detroit, the engi-
necr, and Smith of Jackson, the fireman, were
both literally torn to pieces and buried under
the wreck Both engines were thoroughly
demolished. In the first coach were some 30
or 60 French Canadian cmigrants, bound for
the northern woods to engage in cutting lum
killed or fatally injured. There were several
women and children among them Many OF
and hcmmed in by the train and timbcrs
and shrieked and moaned in vain for assist
ancc.
The passengers in the first regular passen-
ger coach were mainly unframed the harvest
of death being reaped in the second and third
coaches. The fourth coach escaped with
slight damage and none of the Wagner cars
were at all injured
As near can be ascertained,
THE ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED
by the switchman having charge of making,
up a freight train at Jackson Junction occu
pying the track with his switch engine and
caboose, with the understanding that the Pa
cific express was very considerably behind
time. The express train, however, had been
made up nearly all of her lost time.
The news of the disaster reached Jackson
from enS s their bed. ana hurried to the scene.
Physicians and surgeons were at once sum
moned from Jackson i, and bet Detroit;
O'Clock this morning. A large force of EN-
cred and proceeded at once to the work of
cxtricating the coaches from the wreck. The
ployees worked with will among the wound
ed, doing everything in their power to alleviate
their sufferings.
were killed, and but one is known to have
been injnrGd This Tn n, A , k%gfrs OF
Manager Ledyard arrived mt the scene with
4 corps of assistants at an early hour, and did
much toward assisting the unfortunates. The
victims were brought by Especial train to this
city, the injured being cared for at the IIurd
and Hubbard Houses and the dead being laid
Mt at he fll
& Olmstcad and simmons Quears. The road
was bockaded so that no trains could pass.
THE KILLED.
The number killed is fifteen, rs follows:
Milt Gilbert, engineer of the Pacific express
train, aged 33; f. Is. Smith, fireman of the Pa
Canadian: VIM John Rice, Philadelphia Mrs.
W. j. Rice, wife of the above; Mrs Garland:
Philadelphia; Annie Garland, daughter of
the above aged 10 years; Moses Gray, Troy,
Vt, aged %; Willie Elkins, Troy, VT. aged "a
Mrs. s. NJ. Sparklin, Philadelphia, and two
children, aged and years, two men, names
unknown.
THE WOUNDED.
The list of the wounded is : follows:
A child of f. j. Parnell, st. Catherine, Ont.
5. NJ. Sp,rkiin, Philadelphia, whose wife and
and sprained wrist. The family were bound
for Chicago. Hernis Desmaisauve, Angus,
Ont. Rosimon Desmaisauve, brother of the
above: bad confusion of the hand. Arthur
Rodgers Philadelphia, brother of Mrs. Cart
land and cousin of Mr.. and Mrs. Rice, all
bound for Sterling, Kansas; badly bruised all
express messenger; very badly hurt. Alfred
Bennett, bagga geman; bruised generally, but
no fractures VIM. Baggy, Troy, Vt; severe
confusion of the right leg; bound for Califor.
mia. Daniel Finn, laborer, Chicago; cut and
bruised generally. John Jefries, Newark, y.
j.; bound for Chicago; fractures and contu-
sions will probably die. Little Willie Rice
mother and father both dead; leg broken. j.
Parneli, st. GATHERINGS, Ont; leg broken at the
ankle joint: hands and face injured from
splnters. Mrs. J. F. Parnell st. Paul, Mimi.
cut about the head; deep cash in forehead.
Geo. A. Cunningham, Greenville, Wis; left
arm broken in three places; bad scalp wound.
Mrs. Parnell; cut over left eye, and left leg
sprained. Reuben Carter, Garsey, ILL.,, just re-
turning from England; right arm and hip
confused; little finger cut of Robert Weld,
Trenton severe injuries in back and body.
Leopold Hoffman, Randolph, Mass; severe
cut on foot. Delbert w. Benjamin, Jersey
Heights, n. j., injured in the elbow, hip, head
and lungs very generally. VIM Barney, Gault,
Ont, bruised quite severely. Mrs. \. w. steele,
Detroit, left leg badly sprained and slight
~ bruised on body; shock caused temporary
deafness. Mrs. Thomas Camp. Lockport, y.
Y, arm and side of head badly cut and Sc
verely bruised in back and side. Her daugh
ter, Il little girl about years old slightly
bruised on the side of the head. Mrs. Il. b.
Hart, Clinton, Ia, cut about the head severe
~, but not seriously.