The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-15
SCENES AT THE WRECK.


The Unfortunate Passengers Literally
Crushed and Ground to Pieces.
Speciai to the indianapolis Journal.
BUFFALO, Sept 1.-The accident happened
at Silver Creek small station just east of Dun
kirk. Here the engineer received orders to run
ahead, regardless OF local freight No. 6, which,
the order stated, would side-track for him below
the station He accordingly pulled out with his
train Of IL cars loaded to their fullest capacity,
and had proceeded as far as the sharp curve two
miles below the station. when he saw smoke float
ing over the hilltop around which the curve
went The locomotives sounded warning whist
les. but it was too late. The local freight,
running thirty miles an hour to make the
Silver Creek side-track, colliied with the pas
senger train, causing one Of the worst accidents
ever known on the shore of Lake Erie since the
Ashtabula disaster. As soon as the engines
came into collision the shock lifted the baggage
car of the excursion train from its trucks and
drove it backward into the smoker, which was
filed with passengers. Starting in at the for
ward end of the car, it literally moved down the
seats and crushed their occupants, or ground
them into unacceptable masses upon the floor.
Out of the thirty-five occupants of the car but
TWO escaped with slight injuries.
The scene of the accident was in deep cut,
just where the curve commences. Tho shock
aroused the passengers in the rear cars, and the
sound of escaping steam aroused the neighbor
hood. In ten minutes 500 men, besides the ex-
cursionists, were the ground The Lake
Shore and Nickel-plate roads, upon receipt OF
news OF the accident, sent special trains from
Buffalo and Erie, filed with physicians and
medical appliances At the wreck the sight was
horrible The smoklng-car had been burst by the
teleseopiug, and from the cracks in the corners
and seats on the floor oozed blood in streams,
making large pools upon the ground One boy,
about eighteen years Of age. was caught between
the telescoping cars and the window-casing, his
body half projecting outlnto the air through the
window. His legs were crushed to jelly be-
tween the cars, and he called piteously upon by
ISLANDERS to put him out of his misery, From
all parts Of the car came the Of
the dying and injured. A large number
of men, using trimmed fir trees. which they had
cut in the woods, as levers, worked faithfully
for two hours before even the first imprisoned
man was got ont. Then entrance to the car
was gained, but the progress towards the in
terror, for the purpose of getting out the dead
and wounded, was slow, as the entire woodwork
had to be chopped away The dead were crushed
almost beyond recognition some of the bodies
being crushed into space of few inches.
Brains and blood covered everything. 1t was
literally death trap.
AS the work of carrying out tho dead and
wounded progressed, many painful sights were
Witnessed In one place, at the center of the car,
David Sharp, of Erie was riding with his ten
year-old son. When the collision occurred it
seemed as If they were paralyzed and unable to
getrnt. They were caught and crushed together in
a bAnp Charles McSparren, prominently con-
nected with the Stearns Manufacturing Com
pany, of Erie, had most marvellous escape. He
was picked out of his seat by the draw-head of
the baggage-car and thrown along the top of the
seats. His clothing was torn from his body, and
ne was finally forcibly thrown out of
the Car window, having received but
slight bruises. w. Reiffel and Henry G. Fink,
two prominent Erie merchants, we're the only
two who escaped from the car unscathed.
When the work Af removing the dead and in
jured had been completed, the corpses were
taken to the freight-house and laid upon the
floor for Identification. The injured were at
once taken to Erie in the hospta! car, and are
now being treated at st. Vincent's Hospital, in
that city. Over two-thirds of all the injured
will die.
The responsibility of tie accident Is hard to
place. Engineer Brewer has disappeared His
fireman claims that bs had orders to run to Sill
YER Greek regardless of the local freight while
the engineer of the freight exhibits orders en-
titlng him to the right of way as far as the side
track west of the station. The agent at Silver
Creek says he knows nothing of orders emitting
the passenger train to run by Silver Creek. The
accident is one of the direst misfortunes that has
ever visited Erie and the town is clothed in
mourning.
The coroner impaneled jury and announced
that he would BEGIN to morrow, at Dunkirk, to
investigate where the blame of the terrible
calamity should rest
Strange to say, seven coach loads of the excur-
sionists came to this city. and from here went
to the falls as if nothing had happened, Others
remained in town, relating their narrow escapes.