The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-01
DEATH IN FRIGHTFUL FORM.
A Passenger Train Crashes Through
a Bridge Into White River.
Six Persons Known to Have Perished and
Several Others Believed to Have
Been Fatally Injured.
The Wreck Catches Fire and Is Burned
with Its Human Cargo.
The Bridge of the Chicago & Indianapolis
Airline Road at Broad Ripple the
Scene Of the Great Disaster.
An Appalling Catastrophe, for Which
There Is No Explanation.
Story of the Accident as Related by Surviy-
ing Eye Witnesses-The Work of RecOv-
ering the Bodies OF the Dead.
DOWN TO DESTRUCTION.
A Passenger Train Crashes Through Bridge
with Appalling Results.

Passenger Train Crashes Through Bridge
with Appalling Results.
The most appalling accident of its kind ever
recorded in the list of railroad casualties in or
about indianapolis befell the accommodation
train on the Monon route at Broad Ripple yes
terday morning, the entire train being precipi-
tated into the swollen stream by the collapse of
the bridge over White river at that point The
train which left Monon at 7:10 A. NJ, and was
due at indianapolis at 1890 o'clock was ON time
and running at the rate of thirty miles an
hour when the catastrophe occurred.
Engineer Brewer had just left his engine in
charge of fireman James Noonan and gone back
to the baggage-car after drink of water as the
locomotive neared the trestle-work on the north
approach to the bridge Noonan sounded the
whistle to apprise the villagers of the coming of
the train, when simultaneously. with the wild
shrek of the whistle there was reverberant
crash, the bridge was rent asunder, and the en-
tire train, except locomotive and tender, plunged
into the swiftly flowing river Startled by the
crash, Noonan whose hand was on the lever
pulled the throttle wide open, giving the engine
all possible steam and with the tremendous i'm
petus thus given the couplings between the ten
der and baggage-car parted, and they shot across
the bridge in safety, while the coaches behind
went down to destruction. The scene that fol-
lowed was appalling and utterly indescribable
The shock of the fall overturned the stoves and
heating apparatus, spilling their redhot contents
over the woodwork, and within seconds
time the whole wreck, or that portion
of it which remained above the water
was ablaze Passengers and train crew strug
ged as best they could to free themselves from
the debris and rent the air with frantic cries for
assistance until, seized upon by the relentless
flames or swallowed up by the icy waters, they
sank back exhausted, and death came to their re-
lief Cut, bruised, and bleeding, with mangled
limbs and lacerated bodies, men and women
fought their way desperately through the flames,
or clung to pieces of the wreck in the water in
their efforts to reach the Shore Those who were
so fortunate as to reach place of safety were
powerless to render assistance to their
less fortunate companions, and looked back
only to see a chaotic heap of ruins from whence
came piercing cries for help and means and
sobs, which grew weaker with each moment
until all was silent the kissing of the
flames, the roaring of the water, and the crack
ling of the ice as it washed against the fallen
timbers aud grated against the abutments
The bridge was fully twenty feet above the
water, which was from eight to ten feet deep,
and the cars were submerged below the window
sills. Water and fire faced the imprisoned pas
sengers and many who fanced the greatest
danger in one, fed from it to meet death in the
other. All was chaos and confusion, and it is
matter of marvel how anyone escaped The
first break in the bridge occurred within twelve
feet of the middle pier, and the baggage car
falling first, the smokingcar fell upon it, par
TALLY telescoping it and hopelessly imprisoning
the doomed occupants of the former, engineer
Brewer baggage-master Ricketts,, and express
messenger Smith.
Two women one with an infant, were in the
rear coach, and went down with it. The mother
grasped her child, and, with the little one nestled
safely in her arms, struggled heroically to gain
the air. and miraculously succeeded in reaching
the rear platform with her companion. Jumping
to the crossties, both managed to Chamber up
them to the ground above, and then sank down,
completely>unnerved and overcome by the shock
and their extraordinary exertions.
When fireman Noonan stopped his engine on
the south side of the bridge and looked back,
not knowing the awful extent of the calamity,
all that could be seen was a cloud of smoke, the
shattered remnant of the bridge, and the ten
der, which had broken loose from the baggage
car, and, although off the track had not fallen
from the bridge. He could distinctly hear the
piteous appeals for help, and thought he recog-
nized the voice of his late companion engineer
Brewer, among them. With almost incredible
rapidity the blazing coaches crumbled before the
intense heat, and fell in charred ruins upon the
trucks, while, warped and burned, the iron stays
and timbers of the bridge bent in shapeless
masses over the whole
At the time of the accident the bridge carpen-
ters were at work making some trivial repairs.
They were Thomas Par, foreman, Ben J.
White, Charles Parker and George Boyer. When
the bridge went down, they were all thrown into
the water, and Parr and White were caught and
held fast by the broken timbers. Parker and
Boyer jumped into the water on the down stream
side, and reached the shore by swimming.
White, with the most remarkable good fortune,
| extrcated himself, and though seriously injured
managed to make the shore, but Parr, doubt
lessly stunned by the fall, was held under water
and drowned.
The crash of the falling structure and the de-
spairing shrieks of the unfortunate passengers
were heard by the little crowd assembled at the