Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-08-07
WERE SLAIN BY 4 M
THE OHIO WRECK c.,,
WANTON FOoLlSHSUusEn

Several Lives Arc Iost-N.ar,v F..
sons Injured. Some Fatally- 1ort1
Thrown or tho Track and n.
Thrilling Stories of Eye-w,,r moli
The wreck at Middletown '' 81,
the Cincinnati, Hamilton and r' ~ q
Railroad, was one of the worst l H.!
ever happened in that yic, 81, taa'
National Cash Register Com n osnlly'
ton had given its en- ployes 90 pan y ot
to Woodsdale, in train - 81 sAe y
coaches The day had passed ID
and'everybody was laughing an ae
ting when the train reac f ana
town at 8 o'clock on its A w. N
Some one had turned the air "%s
for a Joke and the engine w, vra
and wheeling to pull the heavp S1 ,
the brakes on. Pretty soon a IVA tTa
broke, and the train was stonno VA
siding at Middletown for ren atru
lam q. Douglass, one of the fos.
She National Cash Register W o,sl
his story of the wreck: 'A
The train of fifteen croua.,
started on its return trip from wi
dale about z o'clock and about ~
later the accident occurred nj ~
town A drawbar about the mia :,
the excursion train broke and iu
stopped at Middletown to patch il !
the run to Dayton. Brakemap
Immediately sent out with red a.
flag the approaching train, ami
half an hour was consumed in ran
the disabled car. Red lights wa wan
promptly changed to the rear :
car, though the train was nnIliuI
when the accident occurred at mn
O'clock. The $50 men, women
children were in the last three y
ana all knew that freight trail
"A was following and tlev|
prectated and talked Of
danger. Some of them called IL
ductor Peter G. Clancy's attend
their peril and he cautioned then
if they heard train A coming
should jump from the car. Fiyl
utes later the awful disaster wa J
them. The excursion was SLOWLY
ing off the side-track, when an ou|
roaring was heard from the ey
train No. "A, not over ouartpI
mile away. Nearer and nearer
the monster mogul with thir1
loaded cars, and when in sight od
dletown Station Engineer Schwin|
the flagman waving the danger }
and he Immediately called for b
shut of steam and applied the 7
He saw that a collision. was inev
Then he and his fireman jumped
instant later the crash camc-a re
collision of mighty force.
The excursion train was pulling
to the main track and all but Il
rear coaches had left the siding
the mogul engine with the heay
behind it went blowing through
two rear cars and human fregh
hurled into the ditch and the next
was struck fairly in the end,
locomotive, pushing under, eeE
to an angle of forty-five desN
there it stood, filed with shrti,
PIE. This car caught fire, bGEl
Schwind and his fireman wM
extinguish the blaze by use OF I'd
the locomotive. Two cars lay
in the ditch with a mass OF mali,
mangled people moaning in
pleading for help. Rescuers set I
at once to extricate them. Legs
and heads could be seen through
windows or pinned under the
Means of the helpless SUI
and means of the dying
gled with the frantic GRID
mothers seeking husbands and
dren. Many had been cut by ga1
the timbers in the rush to esca5
bloody faces and hands bore ghas1
timony to the great number wha
injured. Physicians and ctiza
Middletown were soon at the q
join in rescuing the unfortunates
terror-stricken eycurSionists wera
comfortable in the houses, the ded
sons were properly cared for, and
jured received all necessary atten,
A tramp named James Wilson,
lumbus, Ohio, who, with his tSd
boys. was having a free ride q
freight train, says he is q rairoa1
occupation and was on the thl1
from the front when approaching
dletown; that he plainly saw \
lights swinging, and that the en-
tried to stop the train but could NJ
the heavy cars crowded him into
cursion train.