The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-07-04
Railroad Accident.

Railroad accidents are so frequent that
in many instances they fail to attract
much attention. 1t is only when an &C.
cident happens close to the locality in
which one resides, or when relatives or
friends are sufferers from the mishap,
that the individual reader is sufficiently
interested to notice all details. The Sc
rious accident which befell the afternoon
train on the o. & N. w. going west last
Friday covers both conditions OF prox-
unity and acquaintanceship. The acci-
dent occurred short distance west of
Batavia, on piece Of trestle work which
spans Duck Creek, one OF the branches
of the Little Miami River. The excess
i've rains and the drifts which had been
placed in the streams by the farmers who
had been cleaning lands for tobacco
above the point on the stream where
the accident occurred, had go strained
the trestle that it gave way while the
ofternoon train was passing over it. The
engineer in charge Of the train felt the
first indication OF the sinking trestle, and
Immediately opened the throttle OF his
engine, turning on a full head of steam.
This act undoubtedly prevented horri-
BILE accident, for had the locomotive and
the train been piled in one wreck, with
the danger of firing the whole mass, a
number OF horrible deaths would have
been the record instead OF number OF
causalties. The increased speed caused
by the act OF the engineer placed the
locomotive, baggage car and smoking car
on the solid ground, leaving the ladies'
car and officers car in the wreck. Quite
a number were injured who were occu.
pants of the ladies' car, but mono fatally.
The occupants of the officers car were
the greatest sufferers, Receiver and Gen.
ersl Manager Samuel Hunt being the
most severely injured OF any. The first
report received in this place was that
Mr.. Hunt was fatally injured, but later
information states his injuries to be se.
we're but not necessarily fatal. What
makes this particular accident more sig.
nificant to the people Of Hillsboro than
the ordinary accident, is the fact that
Mr.. Hunt is well and favorably known
in this place, and has been instrumental
in changing the narrow gauge railroad
to standard guage; also in giving us
quicker transit between this place and
Cincinnati than we formerly had. Mr.,
Hunt was in our town we'll and hearty
looking after the interests OF the road,
in company with his assistant, Mr.. 7. L.
Roads, on the day OF the accident. Mr.
Roads was also severely bruised up by
the mishap.
In addition to these two officials Of the
road, the conductor of the train, Mr.
VIM. Kain, had a leg broken, and the
colored porter, Wesley Griffiths, was bad
ly bruised. A number of people, mostly
residents of Cincinnati, sustained broken
limbs and severely bruised bodies. But
as mentioned above, the disaster is moi
as great as was first reported, yet serious
enough to call for sympathy. No refiec
ton is cast upon the management, Of
the tressel had been examined only two
weeks previous and found in safe con
dition. The accident was caused by the
great rush OF water in Duck Creek. Pas
senger traffic is now being conducted by
transfer, and freight traffic will soon b'