Omaha daily bee., 1884-02-01
A SCENE OF HORROR.
PASSENGERS Roasted to Death in a
Burning Train.
A Plunge Through a Bridge Fol-
lowed by q Holocaust.
The Dead Burned and Mutilated
Beyond Recognition.
Details of the Terrible Disaster
and Lists Of the Victims.
Six Killed, Two Fatally Injured, and
Several Seriously Injured.
BROKE DOWN THE BRIDGE

AN INDIANA RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
INpIANAroILs, January 31.--The south
bound accommodation train of the In
dianapolis & Chicago air line, due at 1890
this morning, met with a terrible acct
dent at Broad Ripple. At that point tho
railway crosses White river on q truss
bridge Of two spans, each loo feet in
length. The engineer had gone into the
baggage. car, and the locomotive was in
charge of the fireman. When the loco
motive reached tho center Of the bridge
the fireman felt the structure sinking.
He had his hand on the throttle, which
he opened, giving the locomotive all
available steam. The engine sprang for
ward with great force, breaking the coup
lipgs between the tender and bagge-car.
1t kept the track, but the baggage,
smoking car and another coach
dropped through and were piled
up in a mass at the foot of the
piers. Tho smoking car partially tele-
scoped on the baggage car and the wreck
was partially submerged. The portion
above the water Immediately took fire.
The fireman states that when he looked
after the locomotive he had reached the
south end of the bridge and the cars
were on fire, the smoke obscuring the
Bcene.
A wrecking train with surgeons and
other assistance was sent to Broad Rip
pie and on reaching the wrecked bridge
found the cars yet burning and those
present SO lacking presence of mind as to
be unable to extingush the flames or
afford relief to the sufferers. Officials of
the road went to work systematically,
and in n short time the fire was extin-
guished and u search for bodies be-
gun. Six persons were either killed or
burned to death and their remains were
recovered, burned and charred almost
beyond recognition, and horribly mutt
lated. The only means of Identification
was by incombust,ble trinkets known to
be- the property of the dead. Following
is a list of the dead: John Brewer, La
fay ette, Ind, engineer; j. Il. Ricketts,,
baggagemaster, New Albany; George
Lowrey, brakeman, Buena Vista. Ind.
Thomas Parr, bridge foreman, Indian.
apolis; A. Il. Smith, American Express
company messenger, Indianapolis.
The only passenger killed was join
Kray, stock dealer, residing ct Deming
Ex-Sheriif Seman, Of Mobiles, lille, had
his right arm broken, and was injured
badly about the head aud body,
Lyman Clark, of Westield, Ind, injured
internally, and will die. The others in
jured are Joseph Claybough, OF Franz
fort, cut on the head: A. T. Peddigo,
Frankfort, body bruised. w. A. Hawk,
Westfeld, head badly cut; w. T. Swi
CART, Carmel, skull fractured; Mira. Sulli
van and babe, Carmel, slightly hurt, ant
B. Snyder, 1rohoon, slightly hurt.
A gang of workmen had been making
repairs on the bridge, all of whom wer'
slightly injured. Passengers Seman ant
Clark were left at Broad Ripple, and tn,
others brought to this city. The acciden
is attributed to a defective thread in on,
of the supporting rods of the bridge.
1t ia believed that all the killed hav'
been recovered except Thomas Parr VIII
was working on the bridge and who's
remains are supposed to be at the bot
tom of the river. The bridge and traii
was entirely destroyed.
The scenes around the wreck, with n,
appliances for extinguishing the flames
while the imprisoned victims cries TO
aid resounded through tho broken mas
was heart.rending. Clark wa pinione'
by a beam, but managed to escape afte
tho beam had burned off. Messenge
said if he had had one bucket of waite
at the beginning he could have exiting
uished the flames.