The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-22
DASHED INTO ETERNITY.
A Terrible Accident on the
Lake Shore Road.
Fast Passengers Crash To-
gether at Full Speed.
Six Postal Clerks and Three
Trainmen Killed.
Kipton Station, o., the Scene OF
the Catastrophe.
None OF the Passengers Seriously
Injured.
Kipton Station, o., the Scene OF
the Catastrophe.
None OF the Passengers Seriously
Injured.

CLEVELAND, O., April ia frightful wreck
occurred on the Lake Shore railroad at Kipton
station. about forty miles west of Cleveland,
early This evening in which six postal clerks
aud two engineers were killed. The fast mail
No. IA. bound east collded with No. 81, the
Toledo express, just as the latter train was
about to pull on the siding to let the fast mail
pass. The fast mail was running at full speed
and the force of the collision was so great that
both engines, three mail cars and one baggage
car were completely wrecked. Following is
the list of the dead:
EDWAD BROWN. engineer Of No. p, To-
ledo, 0.
CHARLES TOPLIFF. engineer of No. IA,
Toledo. o.
49, STALEY. fireman No IL
+. J. NUGENT, postal clerk. Toledo. o.
CHARLES HAMMlL, postal clerk, Elyris, O..
+. +. CLEMENS, postal clerk, Cleveland, o..
JOHN j. B0WERFINE, postal clerk, Elyria,
JAMES MCKINLEY, postal cleIk. Con-
neat, o.
c. H. MCDOWELL, postal clerk Elyris. O.
Injured
- ANsEIG, son of section foreman, struck
by -reckage and badly hurt.
None OF the passenger cars left the track and
none OF the passengers received serious
injuries.
1t was the custom for those two trains to
pass at Kipton. the Toledo express taking the
sldetrack for the fast mail, which usually went
through Kipton without Stacking its speed.
The Toledo express was few minutes late this
even ng ard mad just come to q stop at the
switch when the fast mail came in sight
There is scarcely any curve at the station
but on one side OF the track was line OF
| freight cars and on the other the station.
These might have obscured the vision OF the
| engineer of the fast mail. lie applied the air
| brakes when he saw that collision was in.
evtable, but the speed of the train was not
checked materially. The engine OF the Toledo
| express was knocked squaTely across the track
and that of the fast mail reared in the air. rest
ing on top of the other.
The fast mail consisted of three mail cars
and two parlOr cars and the Toledo express OF
five coaches and two baggage The first
| and second mail cars were teescoped aud
smashed to kindIing wood and the third
crashed into the first two and rolled over on
the station platform, breaking the windows OF
the building. The two baggage cars OF the To-
ledo express were knocked from the track, but
did not turn over.
The force of the collision was so great that
Of the sixty-four revolving chairs in the
| two parlor cars only four remained attached 10
| the floors, all the others being broken and
hurled about in confusion. The passengers
were thrown TO the floors and badly shaken.
| but none were seriously hurt.
The passengers of the two trains at once be-
gan the work of rescue, and. with a corps OF
| physicians from the town, ministered to the
| few who were injured. All but one of the
dead were beyond human assistance as soon as
the collision occurred. The bodies were all
horribly crushed and mutilated arms and legs
being torn oil and the cOrpses were almost be-
| yond recognition.
Charles Toplij. the engineer of the fast mail,
RENAME brayely at his post and was found
with his hand on the throttle, dead. His hands
and face were so badly scaled that the black
ened flesh dropped from the bones when his
| body was taken out.
The poor postal clerks had not chance to
escape They were Gagged like rats and the
| telescOp ne of the cars crushed the life out OF
| them without moments warning.
Passengers who were on the fast mail arrived
here at 1890 tonight and brought the first
| authentic news of the wreck, there being no
correspondent or other facilities for getting the
news from Kipton. These passengers say that
| the cars and locomotives were piled in O heap
higher than the station. it is difficult to locate
/ the blame for the accident, as both the en-
! gineers are dead. 1t is said, however, that No
| q was ordered to stop at Overlin, but went OF
/ to KIptob. which is six miles further west. and
| had not sufficient time 70 make the side track