The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-03
Collision Between Passenger and a Freight
Train, Causing a Loss of Not Less
than Twenty-Seven Lives
The Victims Crushed and Mapgled, and
Burned by Steam and Fire.
Four Men Drowned at Pittsburg, and Six
Lives Lost in Michigan-SeriOus Wreck
on the Illinois Central.
A FR1GHrFUL ACCIDENT.
Twenty-Seven Lives Lost by a Railway Col
1ision on the Grand Trunk.

TORONTO, Jan 2.-One of the most frightful
accidents that ever occurred in Canada took
ploce this morning at five minutes of Z o'clock.
About fifteen minutes previous suburban train
consisting of dummy engine and two cars, on
the Great Western division of the Grand Trunk,
left the Union station, having aboard about sixty
passengers, chiefly employees of bolt and iron
works, situated in the suburbs The men re-
sided in the city, and were going to their work.
On rounding sharp curve, just before reaching
the bolt works, the engineer saw freight train
coming down the grade toward him. He reversed
his engine, blew warning whistle and with his
fireman jumped for life. The conductor heard
the warning, and shouting Jump, boys, for your
lives' sprang into the snow. In second more
there was terrific crash The engine of the
first train knocked the boiler of the dummy clear
through the first car, crushing the unfortunate
passengers in every direction, and pinning many
to the floor The impetus was so great that
the engine actually mounted the trucks of the
dummy which kept the rails The engineer of
the freight train, when he saw the collision was
inevitable, sprang from his engine, but Thomas,
the fireman, was killed instantly. To add to the
horror of the scene the boiler of the dummy
exploded, and steam and boiling water
carried death and terrible injuries to the man
gled and bleeding men. Then fire broke out
7 ~ A..
ton Shrieks, groans and heart-rending cries
for help from the agonized sufferers rent the air
Several poor fellows, suffering untold agonies,
with limbs and bodies burned to crisp, piteously
implored those near them to pour water upon
their scalded limbs or put am end to their suffer
ings. Strong men looked on appalled, and many
an eye dim with tears Every possible
phase of Disagreement was to be seen-limbs
cut, bruised and mangled half eaten away by
fire, swollen to enormous size by steam and
water-no possible horror was left to the magin-
alton. No more awful scene could be witnessed.
The first passenger car was terrible wreck and
several hours elapsed before the poor fellows
buried beneath the debris were extricated
A relief party of thirty or forty men was soon
on the scene and at once set to work slowly and
tendery, to rescue the sufferers, and about 10
o'clock a carload of dead and injured was on the
way to the city. On arriving at the Union
station the ambulance, station wagon and sew
eral cabs and buses were in waiting. A large
crowd had gathered, and as one after another of
II. = L - ~
to the conveyance, many turned sick at the
sight. The wounded men bore their sufferings
with fortitude and patience, few groans being
the only indication of their intense agony.
The scene at the morgue beggars description.
There fifteen bodies laid side by side in
rows. Mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers
were to be seen passing from body to body, and
with trembling hands lifting the coverlet to gaze
at the faces of the dead. Now and again a cry of
anguish would tell only too plainly the discovery
of some dear one carried off in the prime of man
hood
At the hospital, on the arrival of the wounded
the doctors Immediately set to work sewing up
the wounds, and did all in their power to allev
ate the sufferings of the unfortunate men. One
man, John Rowlett, died shortly after his arri
val at the hospital When found among the
debris he spoke cheerfully, and asked to be al
lowed to walk. On looking down he cried ''Oh,
Godl My legs are Off" and so they were, burnt
off
Public sympathy is thoroughly aroused for the
unfortunate widows and children. Already
subscription lists have been started and
offers made to provide funds Several
families of the men killed are in
poor circumstances Besides Charles Thomas,
fireman of the freight train, the following were
killed instantly:
G.. A. Gett, leaves wife and child.
Joseph Keefer, wife and two children.
c. S. Pohn single; was to be married tonight.
r. Mulligan, wife and child.
]. Kerneghan, wife and family.
Alex. Curruthers and wife: large family.
7. NJ. White, wife and five children.
Joseph Mcdonald, single
w. Teriff, single
Thomas Burns, single.
G. Prescott, single.
George Scale, single
John Mckenzie, single.
Charles Stanley, boy aged fourteen.
Seven have died at the hospital, follows;
Johli Rowlett; leaves wife and child.
John Lynch wife and family.
Eddy Robbins, boy.
Sam Bailey widower; leaves family.
H. G. Herman, wife, and child only six days
old
Fred. Bothroyd, single
Hugh Cunningham, wife and three children.
Three others are not expected to live through
the night
The severely injured are: w. Rogers, Pat
rick Norton, Matthew Walker P. Cavanagh.
The following were slightly injured: W. Fitz-
gerald, Richard Carruthers, NJ. Kelly, Charles
Mcdonald James Kelly, Alexander Banks John
Aggett, John CarTigan, Victor Gireaux, Thomas
Mcdonald and two Montgomery brothers. ~. 3,
Coroner Lynd impaneled jury who viewed