The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-01
MANY RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
Passenger and Freight Trains Collide
While Running at High Speed.
Five Persons Instantly Killed and Thirteen
Injured-Ten Lives Lost by Collision on
the Cincinnati Southern Railway.

| express the New York PENNSYLVANIA 81 Ohio
| railroad, consisting of two sleepers ana five day
coaches, collided with freight train No %, con-
slsting OF two engines and sixty cars three miles
west of this city, at O'Clock this morning. Five
persons killed outright, among whom was
passenger. Thirteen others were wounded
nine of them fatally. Both trains present ter
rible scene of destruction, as the fast express
was making ND lost time The blame is said to
rest with the engineer and conductor of the
freight train, who were running on the expresses
time.
The details of the wreck prove the disaster to
have been the most horrible that occurred
in this vicinity. The coliding trains were the
'.Thunderbolt " through train from Chicago to
New York. sisting of express, baggage,
smoker, ladies' car, and two Pullman sleepers,
due in this city at $50 A NJ. and freight train.
No. 3d. west-bound double header. Both
trains were over two hours late, and the express.
being entitled to the right of way. running
without orders. Simply taking it for granted
that the express WAS in. conductor Murray, OF
the freight. pulled out for Geneva, where he
had orders against trains % and 81. Almost
simultaneously the trains swept by the
last two Intervening stations Geneva and
Buc hanan. only four miles apart, and as the
word was sent to the dispatcher's office in this
city the inevitable result was certain. The two
trains, the ''Thunderbolt." running forty-fve
miles, and the freight train fifteen miles an
hour. met on a long. forest hidden curve with
crash that was terrible. Passenger-engine No
81 and freight-engne No. 81 seemed to rise
bodily in the air. and in instant they were
standing on their furnace ends. pilots pointed
to tho sky, and their drivers locked in the en-
brace of death And they stood for hours.
held firmly by the ruins of the two trains on either
side. Both engineers and fremen of the two
codng engines were crushed between the iron
drivers. and the mangied bodies of engineer
yT,, cd tod hath
just they were the point of leaping from
their engines. The sight sickening. but
was soon covered from view by friendly blankets.
The baggage-car, express-car aud smoker of the
passenger train were com pletely wrecked. The
hagCage-car teleScoped into the smoker
like wedge. splitting it open and sweeping
every seat from the floor The total number OF
passengers on the train ffty-three, fifteen
of whom were in the smoker. All of these were
more or less injured. and William H. Stephen
son, of Toledo, o.. died shortly after he was
taken from the ruins. The crash was heard for
great distance, and soon the neghborhood WAS
aroused. and men and women across the
field to the of the ruin. The passengers
who were not in jured seemed in daze, and for
a few moments the people seemed speechless
Tsh tine horror r.. OF .b. the
from the ruins brought them to real
ization of the terrible situation, and in very
short time large force of work
systematically doing all they could for the
wounded and dying. The railroad comnany
after dispatching two wrecking to the
senger train on which to transfer the passengers
of the wrecked train and bring the wounded and
such of the dead as had been recovered, 10
Meadviile The train was supplied with stretch
ers, blankets and all the paraphernaia for
ing for the dead, and the work of transferring
the wounded was prosecuted quickly yet almost
in silence. The several physicians of the city,
who went out on the special train, were busy
attending to the wounds of the injured.
and as fast as they could be taken out of
the coaches willing hands carried them to the
which had been especially prepared for
their use. The wreckiue crew worked with
will, and a portion of the maneled remains
of fireman Humes were taken from the wreck.
The Utmost prrocognizable form presented a
sickening sight. The limbs and lover part of
the body ground to pulp. The aged
father of Humes had arrived. and his wailings.
when he gaZed upon the distorted body of his
son. heartrending. Engineer Swan
exposed to view, but tightly was his body
wedged in the wreck that no attempt was made
to remove it. A portion of the body OF George.
and also the arm and shoulder of fireman irwin
could be seen. The work of clearing the wreck
prosecuted in the face of driving storm OF
sleet that lasted the entire afternoon, yet the
horrible scenes possessed peculiar fascination
for men and even women who fingered about
the ill-fated spot until the work of the wreckers
was completed. Those of the passengers who
were not blurred were transferred and sent for
ward other trains. while the dead and
wounded were brought to this city, the former
to be taken to the undertsker's and the latter to
the hospital Trains were run around the wreck
By the Meadville & Linesvie road, until the
New York, Pennsylvania e. Ohio was finally
cleared, about 4 o'clock this afternoon The
railroad officials did everything in their power
for the comfort of the injured Division Super
intendent c. A. Brunn and Trainmaster John
w. Babcock, from this city, among the
first to arrive at the wreck, and both remained
and gave personal direction to the work All
information possible was given cheerfully, and
all done that seemed right and proper under the
circumstances. The following is q list of casual
ties. Killed:
f. P. SWAN. engineer, Meadyille.
WILLIAM GEORGE. engineer. Meadville.
a6oiIla
EDWARD HUMES, fireman. Cambridge Ohio.
w. Fl. STEPHENSON Toledo o., passenger
the train.
Injured--H. f. Hoehn, New York leg crushed
Adolph Wagner, Buffalo, n. V leg broken; Adolph
Phoren, Paterson, n. j.. leg crushed; II. Markvel,
Middleeld o. one leg crushed, and other broken
Michael o'Bren, boy, No. 424 Thirteenth street.
Buffalo, n. Y, leg broken; T. N. Newton, Single
house Pa leg broken. David Beauland, Titusville,
leg broken: Charles Z. French Sterling, Mass, leg
broken; Horace Graham, fireman. returning from
Kent, Ohio, badly hurt across the hips; NJ. T. Wy
man; brakeman, returning from Kent. o. foot
crushed JOS. Boynton, baggagernan, leg cut hand
hurt and bruised about face and head J. NJ. Woods,
Greenve, hurt while getting out of the smoker: F.
A. Malone, Salamanca \. Y, leg broken Adolph
Buzer, Cincinnati legs crushed fireman Charles
Crumb, bruised about the head and shoulder; Philip
Foulk San Francisco, hurt.