The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-02-19


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goun11nD rsooone1ng ~ AppsaEanee =
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~. L0Uzs, FEB. o.-About l:ss thia
morning. = slxty-two loaded cars. drawn
~ engine No. sos and pushed By engine
~ ,os, were going east on The Poplar
oeEose track, between Fifth street and
~ levee. The coupling broke and The two
sections q he train collided. throwing
oevea ears from the track and breaking
them Into spilntcrs. The force d The
collision threw the cars clean across the
sidewalk. and houses Nos. i07, lis, III
I'D 10 Poplar were AL more or les dam
oCo6.
ne responsibility for the accident 10
Dot clear, but seems 20 be divided. The
train was moving q the rate Of seven
miles a hour when the coupling q one
a the middle cars parted. This was at
Nfth street. The forward section Of the
bisected train, drawn By engine sos, ran
ahead, leaving zap between the cars.
when the forward train reached the levee
and switched south. Engineer Mshoney
found his way blocked BY another
engine and began to slack up. In
Tie meantime the second section Of
Tie broken train. which was not coupled
20 the rear engine, had been gathering
Roadway on the incline and IS the for
ward cars slackened, raced down the
track and dashed into the runaways with
terrible force. The effects Of the collision
were terrific. The cars left the track In
every direction. and striking out left and
right, scattered the debris Of half
dozen building fronts along the narrow
street.
The greatest destruction was It Poplar
street and the levee- In an angle formed
by the branching Of the tracks north and
south, was . one-story brick ONCE. IL
was owned by the Bonsack Lumber Com
pany. and occupied by Claytor, who car
ries on the business Of furnace setting.
Clayton was asleep when the accident oc-
CURED. A box-car, loaded with lumber.
left the track at the switch. and striking
the building. sent walls and roof flying
out into the levec. Clayton awoke to 6nd
himself in the midst Of shower Of bricks
and broken timbers- and with the stars
shining down his face. How he got out.
he says he doesn't know. bnf he escaped
alive and with only few slight cuts on
the face and head.
The destructive box-car was followed
By dat, grain car and long line Of
loaded coal gondolaS The b0x-car iaunt-
lily skipped across the debris Of the build
Ing. and turning end up. stuck on its
nose in the mud: the grain car broke
loose, rolled down the levee, and rolling
over on its side. broke square in half;
The platform car jumped ont Of its wheels
and . coal car rolled down to
the edge Of the river and stopped
for want Of rollers. The engine
escaped urinjuree. but when the runaway
train was finally stopped Poplar street
look ike coal yard struck by . cyclone.
Hall dozen wrecked coal cars had scat
tered their freight along the street and
sidewalk; . shed At Main and Poplar.
owned BY the Bonsack Lumber Company,
was knocked into s.pi:r hole in the side
wall in the Bridge { Beach iron foundry
would have admitted a whole train q
cars; . cart-load OF bricks was lying
on the floor Of q bedroom on the
1rst floor Of the Mississippi House
on the opposite corner, owned BY Frank
Mitchell, the lumberman. and rented by
John Girard; the bulk window and front
wall Of Charles Williams saloon, No. lis
Poplar, was shaved almost clean, two
telegraph poles were cut Oh clean as .
whistle and hung suspended from the
wires. and the owners Of several other
houses will need new steps. The loss
win amount 70 between $4,000 and
80, 900.