The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-06-24
TRAIN DERAILED.
Wreck of an Excursion Train on
tho Nickel Plate Road.
SIX Coaches Smashed to Pieces--One Man
INSTANTLY Killed and Forty People
More or Less Seriously Injured
Heavy Rains and Spreading
Rails Caused the Accident.

/
merry party Of Cleveland excursionists
yesterday while en- route to suburban
grove on the Nickel Plate railroad. The
rails Of the track had spread, and be-
fore the train of fifteen cars could be
stopped, the engine was ditched, eight |
coaches demolished and one young man |
killed and forty mine other passengers
injured. For weeks past the employees
of the Woodland Avenue and West Side
Street Railroad Company have been en-
gagged in making elaborate arrange
ments for their annual excursion, which
was to be to Oak Point, just west OF
Lorain, on the shore of the lake. Ar
rangements were made with the
Nickel Plate railroad to run two
excursion trains to the pleasure
grounds, one in the morning and
the other in the afternoon. Yesterday
was the time of the outing, and in the
morning fifteen coaches carried 1900
passengers from Cleveland to their des-
tination in safety. The afternoon train
left the city at $3.50 o'clock. The
engine was running backward, draw
ing fifteen cars, in which were
six hundred passengers. No stops
were made at the suburban stations
after leaving Detroit street, and the
train was run at high speed in an effort
TO make up the hour of lost time.
No thought of impending danger
or the fate that awaited the
train disturbed the minds OF the
happy excursionists, who chatted and
sang, and laid plans for an afternoon of
pleasure at Oak Point. The Inflated
train rushed on through Rockport and
Dover at the rate of thirty miles an
hour. Suddenly, and without warming
when two miles west of Dover sta
tion, the engineer felt the wheel Of
his locomotive leave the track. Wit,
one hand he whistled for the hand
brakes and with the other turned on
the air brakes The throttle was in
stantly closed. and as the locomotive
toppled upon its side and Oh down the
embankment into the ditch, Engineer
Gardiner sprang through the open win
dow of his cab and alighted upon the
ground in safety. The fireman, who
was in the tender, went over the en-
banlment with the engine. The tender
was turned completely over, and the
fortunate fireman landed upon the earth
under the coal pocket With rare pres
ence Of mind. injured and bruised as he
was; he crawled from beneath the tank
and climbing into the cab d the loco
motive, turned the blowoff valve to
prevent the escape of scalding steam.
The locomotive had become detached
from the tender and had turned COM
pletely around SO that the pilot was
pointing toward the west instead OF to-
ward the east, as 1t had been when 1t
lwasrunning. The engine S ood almost on
end In the ditch on the north side Of the
track. The jar and strain incidental to
leaving the rails broke the pin coupling
the engine with the train OF cars, a
most fortunate circumstance as after
ward appeared; for when the locomotive
toppled over and went down the bank
the train Of cars continued TO rush
along over the ties for distance Of 200
feet. Seven of the fifteen coaches left
the track. and the forward truck Of the
eighth car was derailed The seven
cars were totally wrecked, the first two
being splintered into kindling wood
The momentum OF the train was so
great that the boxes OF the derailed
cars left the trucks and glided over the
road-bed until four Of the coaches had
passed tho locomotive.
When the train finally came TO a
standstill, a terrible scene was pre-
sented. The first two coaches turned |
upon their sides, formed an inverted v
across the track, and the FIVE succeed
ing cars crossed and recrossed the road
bed, much in the shape OF rail fence.
Trucks lay on one side Of the embank- |
mont and the dismounted cars against |
them. The groans Of wounded men and |
women mingled with loud cries for as
sistance. Crushed and bleeding beneath |
the splintered end OF the fifth coach,
and pinned against the iron truck, lay |
the dead body OF young man. Men
and women were Jumping from the
windows and rushing out Of the doors
of the coaches The Kissing noise |
of escaping steam added TO the
horror. Passengers in the cars
which remained upon the track, in a
high state Of excitement struggled |
with one another in frantic efforts |
TO get outside. Women tainted, and men !
grew sick It heart Brave men who
escaped injury lost no time In going TO
the rescue Of their less fortunate fel-
low-travelers. Axes were found in the
cars and were made good use Of in ex-
Itricating those who were in perilous po-
sitions The wounded were carried out
and laid upon the grass beside those
who had tainted from fright The latter /,
quickly recovered consciousness. When |
opportunity was at last found to ascer-
tam the results of the disaster, II was |
found that one passenger had been in- |
stantly killed, and forty-nine other per |
soma more or less seriously injured. |
The man killed was Frank II. Rogers, |
aged 23. The injuries OF Peter Creigh.
ter aged 2S, and Bert Keith, II years
old, may prove fatal. At last accounts
the others injured were doing we'll |
Cob y ohm W. Gibbons, director Of police |
lof't6is city, was among those hurt
several Persons Drowned While stepping