The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-06-19
NEARLY A HUNDRED KILLED
A TERRIBLE RAILROAD DISASTER.
An Excursion Train Loaded With Sunday
School Children Wrecked Near Dublin,
Ireland-NearIy a Hundred Were
FrIghtfuIIy MangIed.

DUBLIN, June IA train containing
an excursion party from Armagh was
wrecked near that place this afternoon.
The train contained 200 persons, COM
posed of methodist Sunday-school schol-
ars, their teachers and relatives. They
were going on an excursion to Warren
Point Dispatches from Armagh show
that the accident resulted in frightful
loss of life. Seventy bodies have been
taken from the wreck and there are others
buried under the debris.
Warren Point, the place where the
party was bound, is watering place at the
mouth OF the Newry river in county
Down. The excursion party left Armagh
this morning on two trains. The acci-
dent occurred at a point where the
trains had to ascend grade on
bank fifty feet high. The first train
assembled the grade without trouble.
The second section attempted the ascent,
but the weight OF the train proved too
great for the engine. Several cars were
detached and allowed to run back toward
the level track, but before they reached it
they came in collision with an ordinary
train from Armagh, which was proceed
ing at a good rate of speed. The excur-
sion cars were completely wrecked.
The scene which ensued was heartrend-
ing. Hosts OF volunteers were soon at
hand and the dead and wounded were
taken from the wreck and carried down
the bank. Medical aid was called and
special train from Belfast brought to the
scene twenty surgeons from that city and
q number OF medical men from other
places between Belfast and Armagh.
The disaster is unparalleled in the rail-
road history of Ireland. The accident
has cast gloom over Armagh. All the
shops were closed this afternoon, and the
people are in general mourning. The en-
gineer. fireman and guard OF the train
and the traffic managers clerk were sum-
moned before a magistrate, and were re-
manded on the charge of being response
bic for the accident,
The brake power of the engine of the
third train was inadequate. While the
second train was ascending the incline,
the engineer remarked to the fireman: Il
am afraid We can't do it
The following train was commencing
the ascent, when the engineer saw the
runaway cars. Shutting off the steam
and reversing the lever, the en-
gineer and fireman jumped from the
engine. shouting to the passengers
to do likewise. The latter, however, not
hearing the cries, did not obey. No one
was injured on that train. The engine
was hurled sixty feet down an embank-
ment. The carriage that ran into the en-
eine was shattered to splinters, and frag-
ments of dress, umbrellas, etc, were
scattered hundreds of yards. A dozen
corpses were found beneath the en-
gine in a parboiled condition. Some of
the occupants of the runaway cars tried to
escape, but the doors were locked. The
front part of the train started back in
pursuit of the runaway cars and the pas
sengers saw the collision at distance of
300 yards.
A car-driver named Hughes, who visited
the scene OF the disaster, was so Mortified
at the sight that he died on the spot. His
corpse was taken to Armagh in his own
cart.
Another account of the disaster savsthe
engineer Of the second train, finding his
engine powerless to pull the train up the
steep grade, unlinked several OF the cars,
with the object of taking the front portion
OF the train to the next station and re-
turning for the remainder. Heavy stones
we're places behind the wheels of the de-
tached cars TO prevent them from
slipping, but the locomotive on restart-
ing gave the whole train a shunt that dis
placed the stones. The result was that the
detached cars began to slip backward
down the grade, their speed gradually in
creasing until they had attained a fright
ful velocity. After running four miles
they crushed with terrific force into the
third train at point about a mile and
half from Armagh.
The shrieks of the children were horri-
BILE. The bodies of the victims were ar
ranged in rows as soon as recovered.
Many were mangled beyond recognition.
There is scarcely a family in Armagh that
has not some one dead. The embank-
ment on which the accident occurred is
seventy feet high. Many touching scenes
were witnessed. The children bore their
injuries with great patience. Wreck
ing gangs are at work clearing away
the debris private of the Irish
fusilcers, before the collision, jumped on
the foot plate OF one of the cars and
dropped four children to the ground. He
then offered TO assist others to escape, but
his offer was refused. In many cases
whole families were killed. Crowds of
people are visiting the scene Of the disas-
ter. and the air is rent with lamentations.
Before starting on the fatal excur-
sion the children paraded through the
streets OF Armagh with flags and
banners, and the towns folk turned
out almost en- masse TO wish them happy
holiday. The party OF excursionists in
Guided ministers, teachers, the parents of
some of the children and few other
adults.
The train consisted OF fifteen carriages.
The bulk of the children were in the front
portion of the train. Only about one
dozen children were killed. The
majority OF the victims were about
twenty years of age. They were in the
last carriage, which was completely
smashed. The scenes on the Identification
of victims by friends or relatives were
painful in the extreme. All the bodies
have now been taken from the wreck
The total killed is seventy-two, of which
sixty-four have been identified. At the
formal inquest this evening the magistrate
said it appeared on the face it that there
had been most culpable negligence.