Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-02-19
ACCIDENT ON THE ID. AND ~ n.
RAILROAD.
Engineer and Fireman killed.

Another one of those dreadful acci-
dents of the rail, which, when attended
as this was by the sudden loss ofhuman
life, sends a thrill Of horror through
the community, occurred near our city
at an early hour yesterday morning.
The train was the west-bOund accom-
mediation on the Dayton & Southeastern
Railway, appointed to leave the depot at
the foot of Paint street at G:l5 a.
m. Friday morning she pulled out of
the depot, probably fifteen minutes be-
hind time, with Uhirty-five passengers
aboard, about half of them being the
Bandmann theatrical party, who hav-
ing finished their engagement here were
on their way to Dayton, where they
were advertised to play that evening.
The train consisted of the engine and
tender, baggage car, smoking car and
one passenger coach. The engineers
name was William COnners, that of the
fireman Frank Knecht. They were
both young men, both married, and both
lived in Dayton. Neither Of them had
been on the road more than month.
The train was in charge of Conductor
James Bellville, also resident Of Day.
ton, and Receiver Gimperling was ac-
cOmpanying the party through.
The line of the road after leaving the
depot curves gradually to the right,
skirting around the base of Cemetery
and Bell's hill. Between the hills and
the track the water, rushing down the
steep incline, has worn gulley which
follows the course described for mile,
gradually widening and deepening as
it pursues its eastward course to Paint
creek, until at point half mile from
the depot it passes under the railroad
track. The gulley was spanned by a
piece of trestle of about twenty feet in
length. The trestle was supposed to
have been substantially erected, but the
place is generally recognized as a bad
one, for while the water never reaches a
very great depth, yet just before it
passes under the track it has sudden
and rapid fall and the stream pOurs
down the narrow detile with frightful
velocity, the bottom of the sudden de-
cline being just about where the trestle
timbers are planted. Neither the men
running the train, the road authorities,
nor the section men appear to have had
any thought of danger, for SO far as we
could learn, no one had suggested such
a thought. Both the engineer and fire
man had started off in a good humor,
intent only upon their duty, and proba-
bly, coming over in their minds the
pleasing thought that their engine was
pointed toward the city in which waited
for them their loved wives and little
ones. AS they passed the depot the en-
gineer pulled back the throttle, waving
his hand to Mr.. Frank Nichols, smiled
as he said, 81 am fifteen minutes behind
time and | will have to fly" That was
the last anyone but his companion-so
soon to be his companion in death-saw
of him alive.
1t is probable that when the engine
struck the trestle she was running at a
pretty good rate of speed. Their was
no premonition of the dreadful affair; !;
probably not a moments warning even
to the doomed men in the engine. Those
in the forward coach say there was SIM
ply a sudden flash of light, heart
rending cry broke upon the air, ter
rible crash followed, and then their car
came to a sudden stop and they were all
thrown to the forward end of the coach.
The instant the engine struck the bridge
the structure went to atoms and the iron
monster plunged headforemost into the
gap, then turned over onto its left side
and lay in the ditch, a crushed and
broken mass of matchmaking more,
for never was there more complete
wreck than the engine which now lies
in that gulley. The general impression
is that it will have to be taken out piece
meal. In the midst of the mass Of heated
iron and Kissing steam were buried the
unfortunate engineer and fireman.
When our reporter reached the scene of
the wreck nothing could be seen of
either of the men save the lower part of
the lifeless engineer, which protruded
from the wreck and enabled those who
knew the engineer to identify the body
as his by the figure of the pants.
The tender had followed the engine
into the gulley and was so mashed into
it that it was almost impossible to dis
tinguish which was engine and which
was tender. The engine and tender
haying filled up the ditch, the baggage
car had shot over on the top Of both of
them and had also turned over on its
side.
40 ~. - oc.Ln ooosIo,+ t1,o Hoo