Huntsville gazette., 1889-05-04
JUMPED THE TRACK.

tlton, Ont, Resulting In Bad Wrcck
and tho Killing and InIuring of Large
q Number OF People-The Wrecked Cars
Burned.
HAMILTON, Ont, April 29.-The limited
express on the Grand Trunk railroad due
at 6:55 a. m. met with an accident when
about two miles west of this city, the re.
suit of which was the loss Of many lives,
The train was composed of an engine,
two baggage cars, smoker, q Chicago g.
Grand Trunk through passenger coach, a
Wabash coach, Wagner frst-class
coach, q Pullman car and two Wagner
sleeping cars in the order named. Con-
ductor Poole was in charge of the train.
with j. Watson, Of London, engineer, and
E. Chapman, of London, fireman. The
accident occurred at the junction, where
q ''Y" is built. 1t is used to switch
through trains for Toronto on the Toronto
branch from the main line.
The train is said to have been running
forty miles an hour or more, when, di-
rectly on passing the switch, the engine
jumped the track and plunged into a wa
ter tank which stood near the "Y,"
smashing the tank and turning the en-
gine upside down. The baggage cars
came directly after the engine, and the
motive and thrown on the main track,
leaving its wheels behind. The other
baggage car caught fire from the engine,
and the two were soon in flames. The
coaches following, with the exception Of
two Wagner cars in the rear of the train,
were huddled together by the shock, and
soon caught fire from the baggage cars.
The passengers on the train, numbering
a nd Nv Of xubn
were asleep, had terrible experience.
Large slivers of iron few in all directions,
and the confusion among the wrecked
passengers can better be imagined than
described. The majority of those
aboard the train were enabled to
get out before the fire had
reached them, but in the confusion
which reigned, it is not known how many
victims were left to the mercy of the
flames, pinned in by the material of the
wreck and unable to eXtricate themselves.
A man named L. S. Garvey, of Brooklyn,
had his head completely severed from his
body by piece of flying debris, and an
other, named Rudolph Ederer, address
unknown, together with an unknown man,
were also instantly killed.
Following is the list of injured: Ham,
Z,
Chicago, had his right leg broken and his
head bruised, he may also have received
internal injuries, in which case he will
not recover; Antony Maus, an Italian,
ON his way from Wisconsin to Italy, not
serious; Edwin c. Chapman, fireman, Of
London, not serious; Enoch Kinsey, a
mining engineer; A. Murray, engineer,
OF London, England, ribs broken, not Sc
rin TO, ,b.1 H.,
bell, OF Edwardsport, Ind, cut and
bruised. not serious; VIM. Lepsey, of No.
81 North Sangamon street, Chicago bad
ly-sprained ankle; A. L. Doney, No. 4s
West Adams street. Danville, ILL.,, head
cut. not serious; ]. A. Palmer Illion,
N. Y, head cut. not serious; George
White, going to Union Hill, N. Y, from
Wisconsin, ear cut off and head cut; An
drew ]. Carpenter, of Yankton, D. T., cut
and bruised, not serious; S. E. Young,
No. 2S4 North avenue, Chicago, knee and
back hurt, not serious; Joseph Morrow,
on bis way from the West to Clark 5
Island: Me-, cut about head, not serious
The two dead bodies and the remains Of
the fifteen burned bodies were brought to
the city and taken to the morgue. An in
quest has been ordered, and will be
shows that, as far as can be learned,
there was no negligence on the part Of
the railway company. The train simply
jumped the track at frog.
The engineer and fireman did not jump
because they had no time. They were
gotten out from under the debris with
difficulty, and it is miraculous how they
escaped serious injury. The baggage
nd
Fred Dumas respectively, both of Niagara
Falls, were in the car which jumped over
the engine, yet neither were hurt.
Seven cars, including one baggage, two
hrst-class coaches, a smoker, first class
day coach and two Wagner sleepers,
were burned, there being not a vestige of
wood or anything that would burn left.
One, q baggage, was demolished, and the
engine was the most complete wreck
Imaginable.
The loss to the company will be enor-
nous. Many of those in the train were
on their way to New York to take part in
the centennial festivities. Among them
was part of the Detroit Light Infantry,
but no one was hurt, except one who got
slight cut over his eye. Most all the
passengers lost their baggage, clothing,
was lost by the fire.
There were 1l5 people on the train be-
sides the ten trainmen; Of these fourteen
were in the day coach, thirty-five in one
sleeper, FIVE in another sleeper, and
eleven in third sleeper, leaving fifty
persons in the smoker and two coaches.
Thirty or thirty-five of these were in the
smoker. This car and the second bag
gage car were telescoped, and took fire
Immediately. The wrecking Of the tank
cut off the supply Of water, and the thirty
or thirty five passengers were at the
mercy of the flames. Of this number
thirteen, as far as can be learned, got out
safely. Two men were killed instantly,
one Of them, G. S. Curly, of Chicago, had
his head taken off and his body thrown
clear off the wreck, and the other, an
Italian, on his way to Italy, was crushed
to death.
The remains of from sixteen to eighteen
men were taken out Of the wreck an hour
or two later. They were cut to pieces al
most to man, and burned beyond all
possibility of recognition. They were
huddled together in heap in the end of
the smoker, and were pinned in by tim
bers which made it impossible to extri-
cate themselves. Nothing could be done
for them on account of the flames The