The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-01
\ TERRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
IfA'u C'a'Ass Throssh q rrsstls Over white
Aiver-Slx Hen Crushed and Roastsd-hAny
Others lsJarsd Fall Pa1tieslars
OF tho Dreadfal Occurrence.

| ioeoulotAVe LeACneu tne Centef OF tlt
bridge the fireman felt the structur,
sinking 9e had his hand on If,
throttle, which he opened, giving ths
locomotive all available steam: The en-
gine sprang forward with great force
breaking the couplings between the tender
and baggage car. The locomotive kept the
track, but the baggage, smoking car and
another coach dropped through and piled
up In q mass at the foot OF the piere, the
smoking car being partially telescoped on
the baggage chr. The wreck was partially
submerged, but the portion aboya waite,
Immediately took FIRE from the stoves. The
fireman states that when he looked back
after the locomotive reached the south end
OF the bridge, the cars were on fire and
smoke obscurlng the scene. -.
wREcKlNG TRAIN SENT OUT. !. = -. ::
News Of the wreck reached the city in a
short time and wrecking train with sur.
geons and other assistance was at once
made up and sent to Broad Ripple. On
reaching the wreck chaotic scene was
presented. The bridge and cars were yet
burning and those presen. wereso lacking in
presence OF mind as to be unable to ex.
tinguish the almes or afford relief TO the
sufferers. The officers OF the road worked
vigorously and systematically and in a
short time the fire was extinguished and
search for the bodies begun. =
Six persons were either killed outright
or burned to death, The remains recoy-
cred were charred almost beyond recopni.
ton being horribly mutilated, and the
only means Of identification was the
finding OF iucombustibls trinkets known
to be the property Of the dead men.
THE KILLED.
The following is the list Of dead:
JOHN BREWER, Lafayette, Ind, engineer.
J. E. RICKETTS,, baggage master, New
Albany.
GEORGE LAREY, brakeman, Buena Vista,
Ind. FL SsEE8 n ~ -
THOMAS PAIR, bridge foreman, Indian.
apolis..
ABEL 7. SMITH, American express mes.
sepger, indianapolis. - g-
JonS BRAY, stock dealer. Deming, Ind.
THE INJURED.
Es-sheriF Seaman, Of Noblesville, had
his right arm broken and was injured bad
ly about the head and body. Linn Clark,
Of ,Westdeld, Ind, was injured internally,
and will die The others injured are, Jo-
seph Claybourgb, Frankfort, cut on head;
a. 7. Peddigo, Frankfort, body bruises; w.
I. Howk, Westtield, head badly cut; w.
5. Swigert, Carmel, skull fractured; Mrs.
Sullivan and babe, Carmel, slightly; 3.
Snyder, Treohson, slightly.
A gang OF workmen had been making
repairs on tue bridge all day, OF whom two
were slightly injured. The Two passengers
seriously hurt, Seaman and Clark, were
loft at Broad Ripple and the others we're
brought to this city.
CAUSE CT THE ACCIDENT,
The accident is now attributed to de-.
fective thread on the supporting rods Of the
bridge, the nuts on the ends OF the rods
fitting 30 loosely that the bridge was unable
TO support the weight Of the train.
The scenes at the wreck were disIessiny,::
Tho dead were in the ruins OF the smoking
and baggage cars and these, one on ton Of
the other, were in deep water. AskM was
used for ferrying to land the remainaof the
dead. D. ]. White Was working under the
bridge when the train went over, He saws
be thinks the rods pulled through
the nutR, letting the bridge doEn. Whites
escape Ii truly marvellous. standing on
the Ice, the falling bridge and cars struck
him on the head and drove him through
the ice and down to the very bottom Of the
river. The timbers did not rest upon him,
however, and he swan out more dead
than alive, covered with bruises, but able
to walk. The newsboy OF the train says he
could have extinguished the fire with one
bucket Of water but it was not to be had.
: HEARTRENDiNG DETAILS.
CO. Loder and J. B. Horton were in the
smoking car. At one end, close to the
rsd-ho. stove, lay Linn Clark, a heavy
timber binding one leg immovably. Loder
tried to End an az with which each car is
provided, but 1t was on the other side Of
the car in three feet Of water. "For Gods
sake don't desert me-" cried Clark. "We
did not desert him." said Loder,. ."until the
flames scorched uBand re almost sui located
with smoke. Before leaving l kicked out
a window close by. Clark and left him in
agony. Presently the flames burned the
timber in two close by Clark and be
crawled out .ol the window WHICH We had
broken ior him" -
I'm Eve minutes after the train went
down." said Conductor Lasey, "the entire
wreck WAS wrapped in flames. In less time
than that all who had not escaped already
we're drowned. Frighliul screams came
from the ruins near the pier, but with but
two buckets and no boat We were powerless,
and all that We could do wss to close our
cars aud pray for death to relieve our.
comyades.p NJ @ : sSs .s-e
A patch Of gray beard led to the ideptil-,
cation Of John Bray. a train order in the
vest pocket led to the belief that handful
OF bones, 10 which were hanging few
shrsds Of roasted flesh, were the ieuains'
OF Engineer Rfewer. 4 button OF half
inch Of suapender or undergarmentS led 10
The Identification OF others. Ills believed
that all the killed have been recovered ex.
cept Thomas Parr, who was working on
the bridge and whose remains are supposed
10 Le It THE bottom ,ot the river. The
bridge and train were entirely dest;oyed.5
Cunning for tho Friuce OF wates.
Bnls1oL, January, 3l.-The. Prince Of
Wales stsyted on his return to London to-.
day. A large csowl assemb|sd at the
station to witness his departure and cheer.