The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-07
A PLUNGE TO DEATH.
q Passenger Train on the Monon Route
Piunges Through a Bridge Over White
River, Near Indianapolis-Six Persons
Roasted to Death in the Burning Cars and
Inf

Piunges Through a Bridge Over White
River, Near Indianapolis-Six Persons
Roasted to Death in the Burning Cars and
Several Injured.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, Jan 81
The accommodation train from Monon,
due here at 1O:3O o'clock a. m, had made
the last stop before reaching Indianapolis,
and was just getting under Roadway when
it began to cross the bridge over White
River. The train consisted of an engine,
baggage and express car, smoking-car and
ladies' coach. Conductor W. s. Losey was
in charge, and John Bremen was engineer.
The latter, after leaving the station, how
ever, had gone into the baggage-car for
some purpose unknown, leaving James
Nonan, the fireman, in charge of the engine.
The bridge was of the ordinary Howe trusse
pattern, consisting of two spans, each $50
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 Nonan
felt the baggage-car sinking. He had his
hand on the throttle-valve at 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 posi-
ton OF safety on the remaining span. The
Jerk lifted the tender off 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 di-
rectly under the baggage car, which
seemed 10 be pressed down by some super
natural power, and it dropped like lead in.
to the water below. The smoker forged
ahead a few feet and dropped squarely
upon the forward car. The rear coach
went down through 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 q
few minutes. The railroad officials acted
with the most commendable promptnesS in
dispatching a 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 suffi
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 men
were endeavoring to quench the flames with
buckets of water, but unavailingly. Soon
a large bucket brigade was formed of vol
unteers on the relief train, and the burning
wreck was rapidly cooled so as topermit
the work of recovering the bodies to begin.
The dead and seriously injured were all
confined in the ruins of the smoker and
baggage car, and these lying one on top OF
the other were in deep water near the pier.
The river was high and the current strong
and icy, adding to the difficulties of the
work, which was quite tedious, there being
only one Sk.ff to work in. 1t was a sicken.
ing and heart-rending labor. Five form.
less AMI almust unacceptable trunks or
other portions of the human body were
taken from the smOldering pile. The
names of those dead, together with their
residences, were:
John H. 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, Westtield, passenger, in
jured fatally.
The others injured, all of whom were pas.
senSers save White and Parker, are:
W. P. Houk, Westfeld, Ind, head cut
and bruised.
William a. Zamars, ex-Sheriff of Hamil.
bruised.
William T. Swiggart, 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, and
frightful scenes eIisued. 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 more unfortunate in the front cars. In
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 a statement of
Conductor Losey that three unknown bodies
are yet in tine wreck is strengthened by the
report that several persons are missing.
Among them are Elwood Moon, a merchant
at HortOnville, who is said to have been on
has a 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 NJ. 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 and 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 so 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-
tai. LiIhdley Clark, of Hadem, Kan, for
merlv resident of Westfield, is fatally in
jured, his hurts being internal and ON the
head. He has family.
w. A. Seemans, proprietor of the West
field Mills, and VIM. +. Swggart are in a
serious condition. W. P. Houk, who was
badly burned and cut about the head, is a
postal clerk on the Cincinnati, Indisnapo-
lis, St Louis & Chicago Railroad, running
between Cincinnati and Chicago. He was
taken to his home in Westfield. He had
been laying off 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 Central In
diana. 1t 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
quite popular and Offer the victims of the
terrible affair every convenience. The road
itself was the object of sympathy in the I'M
fortunate experience that brought two such
dreadful catastrophes to the same line in