The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-06-26
FIFTY WOUNDED.
Frightful Railwa, Disaster Four
teen Miles from Cleveland.
IxooAOHEs COMPLETELY WRECKED

One Person Instantly Killed, and Forty
Nine Injured, Dozen of Them Fatally
AN Excursion Party Hurled Into n
Ditch, and Day of Pleasure Changed
to One of Death and Agony-Six Dead
the Result of the Accident on the Illi-
nois Central-A Fatal Disaster on the
Alton.
CLEVELAND, June GA train of fifteen
coaches, loaded with 400 happy excursion
lists, left this city yesterday afternoon on
the Nickel Plate railroad bound for Oak
Point, pleasure resort on the lake shore
about forty miles west Of Cleveland. The
train was drawn by locomotive running
backward When about fourteen miles
from the city, and while the train was
running between thirty and thirty-five
miles an hour, the tender of the locomo-
tive jumped the track and plunged into
the ditch. The shock threw the locomo-
tive off the rails also, and rs it tumbled
down the bank it hauled the first coach
with it. Six coaches following the first
were completely wrecked, one of them be-
ing split from end to end.
The Air Filled with Screams.
The excursionists had not an instant's
warning. They felt the first shock, and
second later they were struggling in the
mass of wreckage. One person was killed
and nearly fifth injured, some of them
fatally. The farmers living near the rail
road fastened to the scene, and with the
aid of the passengers unhurt began the
work of removal of the dead and injured.
The air was filed with the screams of the
shattered coaches. The accident was in an
out Of the way place and particulars are
scarce,
The Killed and Wounded.
The following is list of the killed and
injured, all residents of this city: Henry
Rogers, 81 years old, killed outright.
Wounded-Burt Keefe, skull fractured, leg
hurt, will probably die; Peter Redon, foot
crushed and wound in jaw; S. M. Clark,
ribs broken; Thomas GRAVITY badly
bruised and internal injuries; Mary Red
dy, ribs broken and internally injured;
Edw ard Shepherd, right leg crushed and
hurt internally; William Stegkemper,
scalp wound and leg crushed; Lizzie Ray,
hip badly bruised Charles Quirk, cut
Ernest Schriefer, scalp wound; w. j.
Hempstreet, right arm broken and leg
bruised; Col. John w. Gibbons, director
of police, bad flesh wounds and internal
injuries; Peter Campbell, foot crushed,
jawbone fractured, condition serious;
Michael Barrett, leg broken at knee. This
includes all those more seriously injured.
The total number of the injured is forty
nine, most of whom suffered severe bruises
or sprains.
A Dozen Fatally Wounded.
Ten or twelve were fatally injured, but
their names could not be learned owing
to the reticence of the hospital employees.
Every ambulance in the city was called and
met the special train that went out for the
injured.
A Miracle 1t Was Not Worse.
Some of the injured were brought to hos
pitfalls in Cleveland and score or more
were taken to their homes, where names
could not be learned. The engineer and
fireman jumped from the engine as it
turned over, and escaped injury. 1t seems
miraculous that at least score were not
killed outright. There were many chill
dren on the train, but not one was hurt.
Many of the excursionists returned to the
city late last evening in wagons, They
presented sorry appearance, their cloth
ing being covered with blood and mud.
The embankment over which the cars
plunged is about six feet high.
Coused by Spreading Rails.
Many of the passengers jumped through
the windows in their efforts to escape and
fled in all directions. Conductor Zeigler
was in charge of the train. So far as can
be learned the accident was due to the
spreading of the rails. The loss to the
railroad company will be very heavy.