Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-28

A fatal wreck occurred on the Monon
road, near indianapolis, caused by the
spreading of the rails near a trestle. Six
persons were killed and large number in
jured, many of them seriously. To add to
the horrors the debris took fire and the
bodies of q portion of the victims were
burned
INDIANAPOLIS, January 27.-Passenger
train No. l, on the Monon, which left Chi
cago last night at 1885, was wrecked at 7:5O
this morning, one mile above Carmel,
village 16 miles north of this place. The
train was running at rapid rate, and was
approaching the long trestle across Wilker-
sons creek when the tender of the engine
jumped the track. The engineer reversed
his engine, and before the airbrakes could
check the speed of the train the locomotive
and baggage car had cleared the trestle, but
the four coaches attached went over into the
creek
The ladies' coach Immediately caught fire,
and in en- incredibly short time was reduced
to ashes. Fortunately ior the occupants Of
this coach, train No. 2, which left this city
for Chicago at 7:3O, had been ordered to
meet the train No. / at Carmel, and as soon
as word OF the wreck was received the
passengers hurried to the scene and went
earnestly to work rescuing the occupants of
the burning car.
A MOST HORRIBLE SIGHT.
A horrible scene met their eyes. In plain
view of all were two boys and woman. All
were dead, but their bodies were being rap
idlV consumed. The arm of one, projected
through the side of the car, could be touched
by those on the outside, but the opening was
not large enough to draw the body through.
Immediately in front of the boy was a lady |
who got on the train at Frankfort, and is as
vet unidentified. Her body was enveloped in |
flames, but there was no possible way to get |
her out of the burning coach.
Across from this lady was Mrs Eubanks, |
of Broad Ripple, Ind. Her head was hor- |
riblv crushed. The brakeman and a pas |
senger seized her by the arms and BY des- |
perate effort pulled the body through the |
window. Life was not yet extinct, but she |
lived only a few minutes after being taken |
out. Another of the rescued, but who has |
since died, was Mr.. Dening, of Sheridan. |
He was piuioned to the floor by timbers and |
horribly crushed.
Some heroic men seized axes, and after a
few minutes work cut away the timbers
that held the body, which was removed to
the north side of the track. There was no
medical aid present and the man died in
few moments.
THE FLAMES SUBDUED.
Buckets having been procured from the
farm houses nearby the flames were soon
subdued, and the fire prevented from COM
municating to the sleeper or other coach IS
A. l. !
was made for the dead. The BODY of a
woman was soon found. 1t was burned
to crisp. The Oldham children were found
side by side, the heavy stove lying across
their bodies. Mr.. W. j. Collins, who was
on the train, furnishes the following &C
curate list of the dead and injured:
J. n. DEMING, Sheridan Ind, crushed
MRS. EUBANKS, Broad Ripple, crushed
UNKNOWN WOMAN, crushed
TWO CHILDREN Of D. S. Oldham, Sheridan,
burned.
Injured:
J. D. Pearson, Sheridan, Ind, right shoulder
and arm crushed and injured internally; II, |
c. Miller, New York City, commercial traveller |
badly cut and bruised, leg crushed, cannot live;
Louis Newman, internal injuries. George Mum
ser, express agent, foot crushed and back badly
hurt: Charles G. Writ. Frankfort bruised |
head aud hips; B. S. WhItzel, indianapolis.
head badly cut and back severely wrenched: |
N. B. lngersoII. of Detroit commercial travel. |
eT, hip hurt and cut on the head; ]. P. AItzier
bruised about back and head, serious; G. w
bruised and back injured; Harry Angle son of |
conductor. elbow cut of and cut back of head |
In addition to these there are many more
who were slightly injured.
A SURVIVORS, ACCOUNT.
W. J. Collins, in his story of the wreck.
says:
The first idea of anything wrong was the SWAY
ing Of the cars, followed Dy the front end of
the sleeper going over the embankmenr. There
was a crash and a shock that threw the pas-
sengers from one end of the car to the
other, out of one berth into another |
and demOlishing everything in the car A |
gentleman kicked out a window through
which a number made their exit. Others see
ing that there was no immediate danger to {
those in the sleeper, dressed themselves ana |
then sought the open air. On emerging from | {
the sleeper it was discovered that the coach i'm
Inediately in front had been badly wrecked, be-
cause in leaving the bridge the front end | {
struck the embankment approach completely :
demolishing that end of the car. oVerturninc
the stove in which fire was burning. The car
Immediately took fire, flames spreading with |
great rapidity, and in moment enveIoping
the entire structure. Those who had escaped
from the other coaches, and were able to work
free themselves.
The first persons taken out were two ladies.
both dead. Then Mrs. Oldham and little boy, !
OF sheridan. Two other children of this lady /
were stu in the car, and, the mother noting this
fact although badly injured, made desperate
effort to return to the burning coach. Being
dissuaded in this, she appealed to the bystand-
ers TO rescue her children. By this time the
train from the south arrived and the passep-
gers tell TO work, urged on by the frantic ap-
peals OF the dying and injured, to give them
will.
FUTILE EFFORTS AT RESCUE.
Axes were procured and determined effort
lnaoe 70 get the dead and dying out, but the
efforts proved futile, as the flames spread So
rapidly the work had to be abandoned in a few
minutes. There was a scene of widest con.
fusion Ihe deck of the bridge was com
pletly demolished, the ties disnlaced rails
Dent, twisted and broken, piles spiintered and
that no parts of them can ever be utilized
As to the cause of the wreck, Mr.. Collins
saws he is positive it was due to tba snrood
ing of the rails within Is feet of the hri6go
''It was terrible, TERRIBLE said T p
Altizer, young Chicago travelling man
who was one OF the through passengers on
the ill-fated train. 81 was in the ladies
day coach which contained about IA
persons and 1 believe that I am
the only one Of that number who eseaned
serious injury. We were running at a preat l
rate of speed, nearly 80 miles an hour. he.
ieve. when the crash came. For an instant
could hardly realize what had happened,
was thrown violently to the floor and the car
was filled with dense volumes of smoke and
lust. The third seat ahead of me had been
occupied by a mother and her two little
boys, both of them particularly bright little
fellows.
"The stove fell upon the trio and their
,rIes could be heard above the confusion of
noises that followed. They were fairly
l. |