Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-02-05
ovER a TRESTLE.


Carmel, Ind.--The Smashed Cars Take
Fire and Men, Women and children aro
Pinioned in the Blazing Ruins-.Sevcu
Pcrsons Crushed and Burned to Death
Twenty-Five or Thirty Badly Hurt.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Jan. 2s.-The
wreck on the Monon at Carmel, sixteen
miles north of this city, yesterday
morning is one of the worst disasters
that ever occurred in Indiana. 1t grows
more narrowing in character as the ds-
tails become known. The list of the
dead numbers seven and twenty-seven
or twenty-eight persons are injured,
some of them fatally. 1t is believed
that the deaths will finally number not
less than twelve.
The wreck occurred at point on tho
road whore there is sharp curve and a
trestle 100 feet long and twenty feet
high. The Chicago train was behind
time, and was making unusual speed
when it approached the dangerous
stretch of track. just as the trestle
was approached the hind wheels
of the tender jumped the track.
The engine baggage-car and
smoker passed over the trestle in safe
ty. When the ladies' day-coach reached
the center of the bridge it fell through
with n crash. The wreck took fire from
the stove and that car was entirely con-
sumed. 1t was in this coach that all
the casualties occurred. Three were
burned to death; the others were
killed by the fall or crushed
in the wreck. The sleeper (hind
carr also fell from the bridge
into the creek, but fortunately did not
take fire. After the engine and first
two cars had passed over these cars left
the track and rolled down the twenty
foot embankment. The engine staid on
the rails and it's front wheels alone, of
the whole train, remained on the track.
The injury to the express and baggage
trainmen occurred on the far side of the
death chasm.
The bridge took fire from the burning
car. but few of its timbers were burned.
1t stands a melancholy monument of
one of the greatest disasters known
in Indiana. There were critical
examinations of the timbers, and
many defects were found in them.
Some of the citizens of Carmel
say the bridge has been noto-
riously weak and that wreck has been
expected at any time. There was not
only prevalent adverse criticism of tho
condition of the bridge but of the fail
ure for hours of the railroad company to
do any thing in caring for the dead.
The deaths up to the present time
number seven and the wounded about
thirty. The dead are:
Mrs Nellin Euhnnl, nj burned IN
DEATH 3s years old; c. o. Deming, OF Frankfort
City, skull crushed, S. years old died after res.
cue; Hattie Oldham, 6 years old, burned TO
death: Carrie Oldham, years old also burned;
Miss Mary Hoover, OF Horton, Ind, "a years old,
crushed to death: Miss Hattie Hensley, of In
danapolis, bursed to death; Henry Munson,
ofNora, crushed to death.
The dangerously injured are:
Mrs. Octavia, OF Oldham, chest and temple;
julius B. Pearson, OF Sheridan Ind, travels for
Franklin MacVeagh s. Co., Chicago, badly cut
on head and injured internally; Lewis Nauman,
OF Cleveland, commercial traveller, right leg in
jured, head, face and arms considerably
burned; Henry Miller, OF New York, Chicago rep.
resentative of Sivernaud Bros. hurt about the
head, large cash in region OF each temple,
fears of internal injuries, supposed to be IA
tally hurt; Miss May Fitzpatrick, of Indianapo-
lis, spinal injuries and head cut condition Sc.
sious; Miss Ella Douglas of Frankfort, injured
internally, will probably die; Abe Angle,
conductor, cut head, sprained,
and believed to be injured internally; Henry
Clarke, of Eagletown, badly bruised about the
head and breast; NJ. S. Halliday, Boston, inter
nally injured; George S. Biglow, of Chicago,
head and body cut; Frank Stewart, of Indian.
apols, injured internally; George Munger, ex-
press messenger OF the train, left foot badly cut
and back severely injured; +. Jackson, porter
of the sleeper, hip severely injured and head
badly cut; j. p. Altizer, of Chicago, shoulder
hrriSpd and otherwise s1iphf1y iniured. Charles
L. Writ, OF Frankfort, severely bruised b. C.
Whtsett, OF Indianapolis, head badly cut and
back bruised N B. Ingersoll, OF Detroit,
slightly bruised Thomas Cadwalader,
of Chicago, leg strained; d. H. Jus.
tus, baggagemaster slightly injured
about the head; S. w. Stingcl, Of Rossville
hips hurt and arm cut; Henry Slusher of In
dianapolis, bruised about the head; Harry
Angle, son of the conductor, of Indianapolis,
head and arm cut; Otto Gresham of Indianapo-
lis son of Judge Walter @. Gresham, arm
strained; l. ID. Baldwin, district passenger
agent of the road, forehead cut and back hurt;
win II. Marker, travelling agent for Lord &
Thomas, of Chicago slight cuts and bruises;
Michael Fitzsimmons, brakeman of the train,
head cut; George L. Miller, u merchant OF Ter
hume hips injured.
The injured were taken to the various
hospitals of this city. The railroad
company is being severely criticised for
not promptly attending to the wants
of the injured. No special train was
dispatched to the wreck, and it
was three hours and half after
the accident before any of the injured
had medical attention. The dead
were allowed to lie upon the ground
near the wreck until o'clock in the
afternoon, when they were brought here
by a special train. The railroad COM
pany seemed paralyzed with the awful
ness of the accident, and private citi-
sens had to step forward and look after
the dead and injured.
The cause of the wreck was the
spreading of the rails on n curve $50
feet from the bridge. The section fore
man, who reached the scene half an
hour after the wreck, explained that the
outside of the curve had been too low,
and he had elevated it one inch
by shimming it up temporarily.
Stone had been hauled there