The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-07
An Engine, Fifteen Cars and a Bridge
Wrecked, Two Brai<emen Killed,
and Travel Impeded.
The Shortage of Ex-Treasurer Dwig-
gins, of Montgomery County.
A Convict at the Northern Prison Shot
While Attempting Escape - Pick
Pocket Arrested-Minor Notes.
INDIANA,


Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
SHELBYvILLE, Sept. Ga terrible wreck
took place at Waldron, this county, at 1
o'clock this morning, on the c., l., ST. L. &
c. road, caused by the collision of two freight
trains, Nos SO and 49, entailing a loss of two
lives and a large amount of property. Your
correspondent visited the scene of the dis
aster at an early hour and learned the fol-
lowing details: The trains were going east,
No. So train being first, closely followed by
train 18. When near the town of Waldron
train No SO, composed of twenty-four cars,
stopped to take water, the engine and few
cars cutting loose from the train
and running on up to the water
tank, leaving the balance of
the cars standing with the caboose in the
wooden bridge across Conn's creek. In the
caboose of this train was George Corners,
brakemen on the Indianapolis & Vincennes
road who had recently had an arm broken
on the road and was on his way to his home
in Cincinnati. In stopping to water, train
SO got behind time and encroached on the
time of No. is. The bridge obscured the
light from the caboose standing in the
bridge, and besides the darkness of the night
a heavy fog enveioped the bridge Train 18
with Ed Smith as engineer and l, P. Baldwin
down the road, and before the
train could be stopped had
plunged into the caboose standing
in the bridge and it, with three other cars,
were hurled over and set on fire The freight
cars of the last train began to pile upon top
of each other, and the force and weight was
so great that the bridge went down with a
crash, precipitating fifteen cars some twenty
five feet into the creek below. The bridge
and fifteen cars are a complete wreck, with
most of the merchandise which was in the
cars. The engine of train 18 was demolished.
In one car that was wrecked was a load of
buggy tops, shipped by Charles Faclller &
Bros, of Dubuque Ia, and consigned to N,
D. Hunter, Louisville, Ky. Samuel Dill, a
brakeman, whose home is at Morgantown,
Ind. was thrown from the top of a car down
into the river and instantly killed, his neck
being broken and body badly mangled, and
when found was underneath the wrecked
cars. Conners was found along the steep
grade with both legs off. At the time of
the accident Conners was asleep in the
caboose. He only lived a short time after
the wreck occurred. John Moore, a brake
man on the rear train, was thrown from the
top of the cars and lit on and held on to one
of the cross pieces of the bridge and escaped
with with slight bruises. In a car in the
first train were two horses on their way from
Chicago to Kentucky, valued at $4,000, but
these were not hurt The engineer and fire.
man OF No. IS, when they saw the danger
leaped from their engine before it struck
and saved their lives. The engineer of No
SO was Chas Winslow, and the
conductor was Ed. Willett. J. W. Sherwood,
the superintendent of the road, was on hand,
and began at once to clear away the wreck
The loss will not be less than $25, 900 on en-
gine, cars, bridge and general repairs. Trains
over the road are run by way of North Ver-
non and Columbus. The bodies of Dill and
Conners are in the depot and will be re-
moved at once to their homes.