The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-10-01

Mrs. Dewey from RichIand, Mich. were
killed, and twenty-five passengers were
more or less injured In the accident. 1he
telegram adds: Special instructions were
issued TO superintendents on Sept. % In re-
gard to this excursion, directing them
TO take extra care and TO block
all trains In both directions to IN
sure absolute safety. and to have
inspectors at junction points examine the
equipment TO see that it was in per-
feet condition for movement. The train
dispatcher instructed the crows OF freight
trains not 10 leave Ravenna until they re-
oeiYed orders, out. Notwithstanding this,
and in violation of said instructions, they
pulled out against the last section of No. 4.
We find that the engineer of the freight
had twenty-two hours before leaving Mead
Vile, and the conductor and crew twenty
five hours"
Mrs. !. c. Richards. of Muskegon. Mich.
who was sitting with her two children IN
double seat, describes the scene after the
crash when saw the front of the car
coming in, glass flying. and seats piling up
TO the ceiling jumped TO my feet. and IN
an instant was caught by the timbrrs. /
then pulled at MY little girl aged nine,
whose legs were caught, but could not
move her. all the time the screams and
groans of the injured driving me mad. In
G minute the men from the outside began
working on the timbers and soon they
liberated my daughter. One man caught
me up and was carrying me away when l
screamed that my babe was still in the
wreck. i put my hand down between the
timbers and felt the child's body, and
thought she was dead. When the child
felt my hand and heard my voice she began
crying and in another moment the brave
men had freed my baby. almost unhurt.
My mother-in-law, Mrs. Thomas Richar,
was held down by seat just in front OF
me and was terribly hurt. both legs being
broken and spine hurt. She never mOaned
but set her lips and bore 1t. Just across
the aisle from us Mrs. Sedgwick was brave
iy holding the blazing stove Oft her little
girl"
EXPERIENCES OF PASSENGERS.
Edward NJ. Moody. of Shelby. Mich. was
bruised about the legs. and his back was
also spraIned. He had been sitting in the
front seat. near the stove in the second
day coach, but just few moments before
the crash he had luckily changed his seat
and was not so badly hurt as he might 9TH
erwise have been. w. W. Olin, of Gales
burg Mich, was in the front car, the
smoker, and had left it only five minutes
before the accident. Mr.. Oiin has charge
of the eXcurslon, the entire business being
under his personal supervision. He and
his wife did all in their power to relieve
the suffering
Mrs Dewey, the woman who was killed,
had. in company with Mrs. Caroline Reed,
gone to the front part of the second coach
to get warm, as there was no ire In the
third coach. When the crash came Mrs.
Dewey was thrown out and partly down
the embankment. One leg was broken
and her head badly cut. She also received
internal Injuries. causing her death. which
occurred as she was being brought to the
extended over the Breadneck creek
Kalamazoo, Mich, in bis haste
to get out and help the suffering. stepped
OF the bridge and fell headiong to the
creek bank below, a distance OF thirty teet.
One of his legs was broken. Among the
others who met with an exciting expert
ence was Will Patterson, of Meadville.
| Patterson was the head brakeman on the
freight. and was out setting brakes as the
| train was slowing up TO enter the yards.
| He saw the headlight OF the passenger and
set four brakes. 1hen be ran lack, and
| when they struck be jumped Oft down over
| the high embankment. The distance from
| the top of the car was perhaps fifty feet,
and how he escaped alive without injury is
| my stery.
The small loss of lite is marvellous con-
siderine the manner in which the cars were
track they would either have gone over the
| bridge or down the embaDknlent, and
| scorrs wou.d have been killed. Even had
the demolished cars been a few yards fur
ther west the people who we-e thrown out
| IN the smash-up would have landed in the
creek fifty feet below. and the loss of life
would have been terrible to think of.
All day there have been terrible scenes
enacted at the Revere House IN this city,
where all the wounded were taken soon
| after the wreck. Every physician and
| surgeon available in the surrounding coun-
try was called on at once. and have been
very bnsy all day attending to the injured,
| whose condition is pitiabe. The shock of
| the trains coming together must have been
terrific, and it ia feared two or three of
those internally injured will not survive.
| lhe cost of the wreck to the railroad COM
pany cannot be estimated, but is something
enormous Coroner sherman has been
busy all day looking into the cause OF the
accident. and impaneling q Jury and to-
morrow morning he will hold an inquest,