Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-02-01
DOWN TO DEATH.
A Passenger Train Plunged He sdlong
Into White River.

passenger train due here Mt lO:30 mg
with n terrible accident at the bridu,
across White river, seven miles from
the city. High water had undermined
the abutments, and the locomotive AM
two cars dropped In the river. The
engineer, fireman and two other train
mel are reported drowned, and 81,
passengers are missing. A wreckine
train, surgeons and other assistanc,
have been sent from this city. TIL,
missing and supposed To be killed In
the accident are Geo. Lowery, brake.
man, Buena Vista; j. A, Ricketts,
baggagc-master, Louisville; John
Brewer, engineer, Lafayette; Smith,
express messenger, Indianapolis; Parn,
Bride, fireman; John BRAY, passenger.
Westield. Seven passengers are said
to be wounded.
bATER--The south-bonnd accom-.
mediation train on the Indianapolis 4
Chicago air line, due here at 1880 this
morning, met with a terrible accident
when seven miles from city at Broad
ripple. At that point the railway
crosses White river on a truss bridge
of two spans, each one hundred and
fifty feet long. The engineer had gone
into the baggage car for drink of wa
ter, and the locomotive was
In charge OF the fireman.
When the locomotive reached the CEN
ter of the bridge, the fireman felt the
structure sinking. He had his hand
on the throttle. which he opened, Civ
ing the locomotive all available steam.
The engine sprang forward with great
force breaking the couplings between
the tender and baggage car. The To-
comotive kept the track, hut the bag
gage and smoking car and
another coach dropped through
and piled up in one mass at the foot OF
the pier, the smoking-car being par
TALLY telescoped on the baggage-car
The wreck was partially submerged,
but the pSrtion above water inmedi.
ately took fire from the stoves. The
fireman states that when he ooked
back after the locomotive reached the
south side of the bridge the ears were
on fire and smoke obscuring he scene.
News of the wreck reached thecity in
a short time, aud wrecklng train,
with surgeons aud Other assistance,
was at once made up and sent to
Broadripple.
On reaching the wreck, q chaotic
scene was presented. The bridge of
cars were yet burning, and those pres
ent were so lacking In presence OF
mind rs to be unable to extinguish the
flames or afford relief to the sufferers.
The officials of the road went to work
vigorously and systematically, and i'm
a short time the fire was extinpuished.
and search for the bodies begun. six
persons were either killed outright or
burned to death. The remains recov-
cred were burned and charred
almost beyond recognition. being
horribly mutilated, and the only
means Of Identification was the find
ing of incombustible trinkets. known
to be the property of the dead men.
The following is the list of killed.
John Brewer of Lafayette, Ind, en-
yineer. / H.. Ricketts, bappa pc master.
of New ALBANY: Geo. Lowery. brake.
man. of Buena Vista, Ind: Ihos. Il.
Parr. bridge foreman, of INDIANAPOLIS;
Abel Il. smith. American express
messenger. of Indianapolis. The
only passenger killed was
Holm Buy. stock dealer.
residing at DemiDg. n. M. Elk.
sheriff Deman of Nashville had his
riyht arm broken and was injured
hndjv abnut the head and body. l..
& ark of Westfield. Ind. was Injured
internally and will die. The others
injured are Joseph Claybrough of
Frankfort cut Oh the head; A. r..
Pediro of Frank fort, body bruises; w.
p. Hawk of Westfleid, head badly cut;
w. Il. Swigerr of Carmel, skull tract
ured; Mrs. Sullivan and babe of Mt
Carmel, slight; b. Snyder of Tycoon
slightly.
a gang of workmel had been max
ing repairs on the bridge. All of them
were slightly Injured. The two pas
sengers seriously hurt, Demnn and
Clark, were left at Broad Ripple aud
the Others brought TO this city. The
accident is now attributed to n deiec-
live thread on the supporting rods OF
The bridge, the nuts on the ends of
the rods fitting so loosely that the
bridge was unable to support the
weight of the train.
The scenes AT the wreck were ex-
tremeIy distressing. The dead were
i'm the ruins of the smoking and bag
gage cars, and these were on top OF
each other and in deep water. A
sk ifI' was used for ferrying TO land the
remain ms of the dead.
b. J. White was working under the
bridge when the train went over. He