The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-01

tne reSluence oil DE Bates. w Den ne HlSt got
out of the wreck, however, he gave his ex-
perieuce to friend, who repeated it to a Jour
nal reporter He said that he sitting in the
rear part of the smoking-car, looking out of The
window, when he heard a crash and imme-
diately felt the ear going down He jumped
from his seat. and at the same time was struck
by some flying timbers, which for time seemed
to pin him down lightly to the foer When he
recovered his senses somewhat he was almost
free from any encumbrance, and soon released
himself sufficiently to get in safe place
While there he heard the cries of the other suf-
ferers, but was unable to do anything to relieve
Them as his right arm was broken and he was
otherwise badly hurt.
w. P. Howk of Westfeld, who was badly cut
about the head, is a mail agent the Big Four
line, and was on the train as passenger. lie
was in the smoking car at the time the bridge
went down, and was sitting directly opposite
John Bray, the Hamilton county stock buyer,
who was caught in the timbers
II was sitting in the front part of the smoking
car, says Howk, when noticed that the train
was going down. One car was plunged against
the baggagecar, and the timbers were smashed
i'll. | have no recollection of what occurred after.
ward, but realized at the time that the position
was perilous one. cannotfor the life of me tell
how escaped, but am told by some of the pas
sengers that crawled out of the car window. |
recollect nothing after ear had gone down
until some one came up to me on shore here and
caught hold of me-
STATEMENTS OF THE TRAIN MEN
W. S. Losey, the conductor of the train, was
standing in the car, well near the front His
first warning of the disaster was the cracking
of the cords of the bridge, and hardly had the
sound fallen on his ear until the cars plunged
forward, as he states, Unto a telescope" The
passengers We're precipitated over their seats and
everything was thrown together into a confused
heap. The rear stood on the bridge during
the first few seconds, resting in
an inclined position against the
smoking-car and the passengers We're
able to escape through the rear door. There
were about twenty passengers in the rear car, as
near as l can guess Mr.. Losey says, ''and
think that they all escaped. | know nothing
about what occurred in the middle car Within
hve minutes after the bridge had gone down the
cars We're in flames and it was impossible to 20
to the rescue OF any of the passengers in the
front part of the wreck.
The injured were brought over to the station
as soon afterward could get them here
and telegraphed the news of the wreck to In
dianapolis.'
James Noonan, the fireman, who was alone on
the locomotive, the engineer having gone back
into the baggage car just before reaching the
bridge to get drink of water, says
that when the engine had got
out on the bridge he heard the cords
crack Then the tank jerked. l was bearing
on the lever looking out ahead, and when the
tank jerked pulled the engine open 1t sprang
forward and at the same time broke the tank
from the train and from the engine l heard
UIle CRASH DeDlllu me, anu L was lnen almost
across the bridge. looked back but could not
see anything of the train for the
smoke which came up, but
could tell that it had gone down. The flames
burst out the train i'll a few minutes. After
| had run the engine across the bridge / stopped
and walked back to the wreck. The cries of the
men on the inside could be heard, but it was
impossible to render them any assistance
Harry Veatch, the newsboy, whose home is in
this city, in the smoking car near the front
end. He caught among the seats, and his
escape was rather miraculous After freeing
himself, he climbed out of a window, and says
that two other men, who were passengers, es-
capped in the same way.
Charles Parker, of the worGmcn ON the
bridge. says; Il was standing on the down
stream side of the span which fell George
Beyers and B. J. White, the other workmen.
were standing on the opposite side, ana Parr,
the foreman, was underneath. When the bridge
began falling l held to it until it was down
within three feet of the water and then
jumped out into the stream and made my way
up to the stone abutment l think the accident
caused by the breaking of the threads ON the
rods. | heard the cords cracking as soon as the
wheels of the locomotive got on the track. The
safety-rods had been tightened and everything
fixed asN usual 1t appeared to be all right
until the rod broke, and then the pressure be
came so great that the bottom cords gave way,
and then the whole thing came down.
DR.. c. c. Loder of Hortonsville who was in
the smoking-car escaped with considerable diff
Guilty without any injuries. but has no
clear recollection of the manner of his
getting out of the car. He remem-
bers, however, seeing John Bray
plunged forward into the front part of the car,
which was crushed in the violent precipitation
on the baggage car, and that he was fastened in
the wreck. After getting safely shore the
cries of the men who were left in the wreck
could be heard for severel minutes. The flames
broke out over the cars in five minutes after the
bridge went down, and the whole train was
burning in fifteen minutes He kicked out
a window in the smoking-car and Lyon Clark,
who fatally injured, crawled out through it
after the timbers had been burning for several
minutes.
Joseph Claybaugh, lawyer from Frankfort,
who was slightly injured, was sitting near the
middle of the rear car, he states, and was
thrown over the seat in front of him by the sud
den and violent plunging against the forward
cars. His watch was broken loose from the
chain and fell in the car, where it was picked
up by of the other passengers
and handed back to him. There was no scream
ing, he says, and the passengers although rea
hzing that the train had been wrecked, did not
become unreasonably excited. There was no
panic in the efforts to escape, but all moved ont
at the rear end of the ear and not until they
were safe on ground was the real extent of the
wreck realized.
A. I. Pedigo, an insurance man from Frank
fort, in the smoking-car, and was badly
bruised. He has no recollection Of the manner
of his escape.
THOSE WHO WERE IN THE WRECK.
Inc occupants OF the SMOKING car were benla-
min Snyder, Trohune; DR.. c. G. Loder, J. b.
Horten Hortensville; Harry Veatch. Indianapo-
lis; A. 7. Pedigo, Frankfort.
Ladies' coach-Mrs Sullivan and child, Car
mel; William Seamans Westfed; Joseph Clay
baugh, FranIfort VIM. T. Swiggert, Carmel
Mrs Oscar F. Brown Mrs Robert Brown Mrs
John Kenyon, Charles White Clay Denny w.
p Howk Westfeld; w. Y. Hadley and wife,
BoXleytown.
SCENES OF THE AFTERNOON.
Morbid Curiosity Exhibited by Women-Re-
moving the Bodies of the Dead.