The Red Cloud chief., 1884-02-08
PLUNGE TO DEATH.


-
q Passenger Train on the Hlonon Route
q Through . bridge Over White
River, Near Indianapolis-Six Persons
Roasted 70 Death In the Burning Cars and
Several Injured.
INDIAKAPoLLA IKD.. Jan. n.
Tho accommodation train from Monon,
due here ut 1880 O'Clock O. m, had made
the last stop before reaching Indianapolis.
and was just getting under Roadway when
Il began to cross the bridge over white
River. The train consisted OF an engine,
baggage and express car, smoking-car and
ladies' coach. Conductor WIS. Losey was
in charge, and John Bremen wal engineer.
The latter, after leaving the station. how.
ever, had gone into the baggage-car for
some p unknown, leaving James
Nonan, the fireman, incharge Of the engine.
The bridge was Of the ordinary Howe trusse
pattern, consisting of two spans, each 150
feet in length.
A speed of about fifteen miles per hour
had been attained, and the train had pulled
its full length on the bridge, when NonaK
felt the b~aggage-car sinking. He had his
hand on the throttle-valve Ut the moment,
and instinctively pulled her wide open. As
the engine shot forward the baggage-car
plunged downward. and the tender was
separated at both ends from its connections
and the engine fairly climbed into a posi-.
ton of safety on the remaining span. The
jerk lifted the tender of the rails, and it
ran a short distance on the ties and string.
ers without leaving the bridge.
The first break in the bridge occurred dr.
rectly under the baggage car. which
seemed to be pressed down by some super.
natural power, and it dropped like lead in.
ahead a few feet and dropped sQuarely
upon the forward car. The rear coach
went down through q second break in the
span and the channel was choked with the
debris Of the bridge and of the forward
part Of the train.
News of the disaster reached the city in .
few minutes. Tn railroad officials acted
with the most commendable promptness in
dispatching q relief and wrecking train.
Inside of an hour after the accident occur.
red the train was on the ground, but little
could be done owing to the want of pecul.
lar facilities with which to work.
The sight that presented itself was sufa.
cient to Justify the narrowing rumors that
rapidly found their way into circulation
through the streets. Half the bridge was
down and with the debris of the cars in
flames, which originated from the stoves in
the coaches, nothing but the wheels and
other iron work remained. A dozen mer
were e~ndeavoring to quench the flames with
buckets of water, but unavailingly. Soon
q large bucket brigade was formed of vol
unteers on the relief train, n the burning
wreck was rapidly cooled SO as tOpermit
the work of recovering the bodies to begin.
The dead and seriously injured we're all
confined in the ruins Of the smoker and
baggage car, and these lying one on top OF
kho otkor uvoro in Aoon wafar nooP tho nior
The river was high n the current strong
and icy, adding to the difficulties of the
work, which was quite tedious, there being
only one skiff to work in. It was q sicken
ing and hea~rt-rending labor. Five form
less and almost unacceptable trunks OF
taken from the ~smoldering pile. The
names of those dead, together with their
residences, were:
John b. Brewer, engineer, Lafayette.
J.E. Ricketts,, baggage master, Monon.
Abel Smith, American Express Messen'
ger, Madison.
George Lowry, brakeman, Buena Vista.
John Bray, Deming, Ind, passenger.
Lynn Clark, Westdeld. . passenger, In
The others injured, all of WHOM were pas.
sengers save White and Parker, are: .
w: p. Houk, Westield, Ind, head cut
and bruised.
William A. Zamars, ex-Sheriff of Hamil.
ton County, arm broken, lace cut. side
bruised.
William T. Stuttgart, Carmel, skull frac.
tured and hip hurt.
B.. j. White, bridgeman, bruised.
Charles Parker, bridgeman, face and head
cut.
Mrs. Sullivan and baby. wife and child
Of section boss, bruised.
J. B. Horton, slightly scorched and
bruised.
Thomas Parr, Superintendent of Bridge
Repairs on the road, who was working on
the bridge when It went down, is missing.
and it is believed his body is underneath
the wreck at the bottom of the stream.
The ladies' car was thrown on end, n
frightful scenes ensued. Mrs. Sullivan,
with her babe tightly and securely clasped,
stood on her head, wedged in between
seats. She was released and all made their
way out, only to hear the frightful cries Of
the smoker were instances of unparalleled
sufferings and Of great bravery. From this
car there was no escape for the unfOrtu-
mates, whose injuries did not allow volun.
tary motion.
The suspicion raised by q statement OF
Conductor Losey hat three unknown bodies
are yet in the wreck is strengthened by the
report that several persons are missing.
Among them are ElwOodM Noon, q merchant
at Hortonville, who is said to have been on
the train n has not since been seen. He
has q wife and ten children. Another pas.
senger of whom nothing is known is Mat
Hayes, of Louisville, a travelling agent for
Fairbanks Scale Company. His wife is
the daughter of n. McCord, Secretary of
the Indianapolis Car Company, who drove
out to the scene of the wreck in search of
his son.in-law.
Although the bridge was being repaired,
stay bolts being frightened ana nuts re-
moved, no signals were displayed calling
for caution in running over the structure,
and the most ordinary precautions against
danger under the circumstances appear to
have been neglected.
Those of the wounded who are 50 badly
injured that they could not be moved were
cared for in the village, DR.. j. W. Bates
residence being turned into a sort Of hospi.
tal. Lindley Clark, Of Hadem. Kan. for
merly q resident of Westfield, is fatally in.
head. He has q family.
faeld Mills, and VIM. +. Swiegart are in a
serious condition. w. p. HOuk, who was
badly burned and cut about the head, is a
postal clerk on the Cincinnati, ~Indianapo.
lis, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad, running
between Cincinnati and Chicago. He was
taken to his home in Westfeld. He had
been laying Oh for some days, and was ON
his way to indianapolis to resume his run
tonight.
This is the most serious accident of the
nature that has ever occurred in CentralIn-
diana. Il created great excitement IN the
city and the bulletin.boards were eagerly
scanned for the latest information from the
wreck. The management of the road is