The Portland daily press., 1891-10-01
A CHILD'S HEROISM
Manned and Burned, She Sill Shielded
Her Brother.
Terrible Scenes in q Railroad Wreck
in Ohio.
Women and Children Pinned Down
by Blazing TimberS.

AKRON, o.. September 3d. Early this
morning a collision occurred a mile east Of
Kent. on the New York, Pennsylvania &
Ohio railroad. between freight and passen-
ger train. Three persons were killed out
right. and "a injured. several fatally. The
passenger train vas the Michigan section OF
the Olln family excursion. the members go
ing to the national reunion Of their kindred
at Bennington, Vt. Many other Michigan
people took advantage OF the low rates 10
visit friends In the east. IL was foggy
night, and the collision occurred on long
fill. 80 feet high. In the middle Of which was
bridge, 60 feet long. over the PIttsburg &
Western tracks.
Part Ofthe passenger train was on the bridge
when the crash came. The engines pl0wed
into each other, and reared high In the air.
The cars on each side were crushed together
like cardboard. William Maxwell OF Mead
vile, travelling engineer OF the second diyis-
Ion, was riding In the passenger engine. He
had started back over the tender just before
the collision, and was caught between the
tender and baggage car and ground 10 Jelly
The engineers jumped and saved their lives.
Fireman Stephens, OF the passenger train,
jumped and was badly hurt In tumbling
down the embankment. Fireman Clayton
Glass OF Meadville was caught In the wreck
The passenger train consisted Of five sleep
ers, five day coaches aud a baggage car.
The latter aud the first day coach were
jammed into bits, the occupants being
buried In the debris. The second day coach
was badly wrecked. Seats and timbers lay
heaped up almost to the ceiling In the center
Of the coach. The rear portion kept almost
Intact, and was jAmmed into the forward
| portion OF the third day coach, which was
lifted OF the tracks and pushed skyward.
The second day coach was occupied by WOm-
en- and children. Mrs. Wiloughby Deway
| OF Riehland, Mich. In the forward part OF
the coach met instant death, the heavy tim
bers crushing her head. The other Dassen-
gers were buried In promiscuous pie 0t
seats and timber.
Then stoye was overturned and the tim
bers took fire, the flames bursting out In an
instant. The shrieks of the women and
children wedged In close to the burning tim
Der summoned workers to that part OF the
wreck, and score Of men were soon cutting
a way through the debris. Mrs. Alice M.
Sedgwick, with both legs broken, lay close TO
the red hot stove, pushing against 1t with
all her might to keep IL from crushing aud
burning her little daughter, who lay just be-
side her. The mothers clothing was burned
off and one side OF her body roasted. Close
TO her lay Laura Van InkeD, aged IL, who
was doing like service for her mother, lay
ing almost under the stove, her arms pin
ioned and broken.
Breaking into the car from the rear, men
brought water from the drinking tanks and
passed 1t to the imprisoned women. In five
minutes the woodwork was destroyed, aud
the fire cheated OF It's prey. For half an
hour more the men worked liked Titans, lift
ing out women and children, many with legs
and arms dangling. Mrs. A. NJ. johnson Of
Muskegon. cannot live, and Mrs. Alice M.
Thompson Of Montague, Mich, are pr0ba-
bly, fatally injured.