The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-01-23
THE ''STRONGr ENGINE
Dashes Into an Accommodate
Train on the O., H. q d. Road.
Five Lives Lost and Several InJured-Tho
Monster Engine Fails to Respond
to the Lever.


CINCINNATI, Jan. 1s.--The A. u. Dar-
win, Strong's monster engine, failed to
respond to the hand of its engineer last
evening. As result Spring Grove
Cemetery was the scene of frightful
railroad accident in which five persons
lost their lives and several were injur-
ed Last evening accommodation train
No. n, on the c., H. & d. roa1E leaving
Glendale at 6:25 standard time and due
at Cincinnati at 7:10, arrived at Winton
Place twelve minutes behind time. It's
schedule was 6:42. It arrived shortly
before o'clock, and proceeded on its
ly after it left Winton Place, the Strong
engine pulling the Monon Chicago
vestibule train came in sight.
The station agent at Winton Place
put out the block signal for 1t to
stop there, but it was too late. The
operator at Carthage, who should have
signaled, failed to do SO. Engineer
Coakley saw the signal and put his hand
to the throttle to stop the engine. But
the great mass Of iron, which excels in
power and speed any other locomotive,
dashed in under almost full headway.
He pressed down in vain; and, not know
ing that there was danger ahead, he
probably did not pay any partic-
ular attention to the fact that
the engine was not stopping. Sud.
denly, about quarter of mile
beyond Winton Place, the accommoda-
tion, travelling at it's leisurely rate,
came in sight. The engineer made a
last vain but desperate effort. The Dar-
win refused to stop suddenly, but dashed
majestically on to destroy the obstacle
in its track. Fireman William Bracker
jumped from the engine, as did also the
engineer. But Fireman John McGreery
stuck to his post There was q crash, a
jar that only slightly jostled passengers
in the vestibule, and the accommo-
dation was wreck. The great en-
gine plowed under the rear coach,
and sent it crashing through the ono
Immediately in front. The accommoda-
tion engine jumped forward at the first
shock and severed itself from the rest
of the train, bursting its coupling and
rushing on ahead, leaving the train to
its fate. The first two cars were unin.
jured. The third one was badly smashed,
and the fourth and fifth were tele-
scoped into each other. Suddenly there
was cloud of smoke, different from the
smoke of the tuning engine. This was
followed by burst of flame, and then
the deadly car-stove began to complete
the work of ruin. The last car first
caught fire, then the fourth, and then
the third. The flames soon enveloped
them, and the light of the fire lit up tho
gaunt trees of Spring Grove Cemetery
the fires of cremation lighting up a
graveyard. The cars were consumed to-
| gether with three wounded passengers.
Following is the list Of dead: +. w. With
erbee, Toledo, conductor of the accom-
modation; James Staley, Dayton, bag.
gagemaster of the accommodation; John
Wilson, Winton Place; William Klamitz,
Carthage; Chas. Kellar, Winton Place.
The injured are: VIM. Coakley, engineer
of the Strong locomotive, slightly
bruised and sprained back; John Nc
Greery, fireman of the Strong engine,
slightly cut about the face