The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-10-22
SOME ONE BLUNDERED.


A Chicsgo 4 Eastern Illinois Engine
Plunges Into Round House ut Crete.
Ill.-The Engineer and Three Chicago
Journalists Are kilied--t;ro.s Careless
ness In Leaving y switch Open the
Cause Of the Disaster.
CHICAGO, Oct 16.-Thrce Chicago
newspaper men were killed outright
Thursday morning in fearful railway
accident at Crete, ILL.,, 80 miles
south Of Chicago, on the Chicago &,
Eastern Illinois road. They were rid
ing in the engine of train 8.
north-bound. With them were En-
gineer James Clark and Fireman
Frank Lafferty. The train was
speeding along at forty miles an hour
to make up lost time. Through the
negligence of some one the switch at
Crete leading to the roundhouse hal
been left open. Upon the switch-track
were two fat cars loaded with coal.
The train whirled around the curve
south of the village and plunged into
the open switch There wa, a collision
of terrific force. and moment later
roundhouse, engine. tender and bag
gage car were together in a shapeless
mass OF splintered and steaming debris.
Four of the men who had been in the
engine were buried under the heap of
ruins. The fireman escaped serious
injury by leaping from the cab. lie
and several others aboard the train re-
ceived slight bruises and cuts. The
roster reads:
The dead Leonard Washburne, baseball
editor of the Inter Ocean: Frank M'Canerty.
artist for the Inter Ocean; Fred Henry. re.
porter for the Inter Ocean; James Clark. en-
gineer, Danvilse. Ill.
Injured: Frank Lafferty, fireman, Danville.
ILL.,, cut and bruised; Edward Booth. baggs ge
man, Danville, ILL.,. slightly bruised; John
Parr, Chicago, reporter for X. g. Dunn & Co.,
seriously injured internally; j. 6 Saunders,
brakeman, Danyille. ILL.,, injured internally.
All of the bodies were recovered from
the wreck during the afternoon. On
Wednesday afternoon at Ais Fred
Henry and Frank McCafferty. accom-
panied by Passenger Agent G. l.. Stone,
of the Eastern Illinois, left Chicago to
make night trip in the cab of an en-
CINE and prepare an illustrated special
article describing their experience.
Evansville was their destination.
Henry and McCatferty remained
in the engine cab until midnight, taxi
ing notes and making sketches, and
afterward rode in the smoker to Evans
vile. arriving at 2:lO Thursday morn
ing. The return train left at 2:3O and
the newspaper men took berths in the
sleeper.
They arose ut o'clock and on going
to the dining-car were surprised to
meet Leonard Washburne, the we'll
known baseball writer.
At Momence Henry and McCafferty
invited Washburne to ride ir the en-
CINE and he accepted the invitation.
The engineer and fireman gave their
gnests the best seats in the cab. As the
train approached Crete the speed had
been increased to 10 or IS miles an hour.
Sonth of Crete there is sharp curve
to the east and at the bend there is a
semaphore target signal. The sema.
phore announced a clear track. just
north of the station there is switch
leading TO roundhouse. The south
bound freight at $3.50 had switched two
fiat cars loaded with coal on the track
leading to the roundhouse. Whether
or not the freight crew went away
leaving the switch open is to be learned.
The trainmen have been arrested at
Danville. The ill-fated passenger train
did not intend to stop at Crete. The
speed was increased rather than abated
as the engine lunged around the curve
toward the station. Fireman .4afferty
has lived to tell the story. He said:
Il was busy putting in coal II all hap
pened as quick wink. As We whirled by the
station saw Clark put on the air brake and re
verse the engine. was then between the cat
ahead just rs the engine swung OF on
the switch Look out" yelled
and with that / jumped and fell be
tween the main track and switch The
newspaper men just looked around as
shouted but they didn't have time to move
from their seats until the engine was upset
with the whole roundhouse piled on top OF it :
The shock threw the passengers from
their seats, but none were injured save
those named above. Not until 1870 was
the wreckage cleared away sufficiently
to reveal any of the bodies. Washburne
was found lying between the engine
and tender. bolt of some flying enc
Of some rod had passed almost en-
tirely through his head. which
most beyond recognition. The body
of McCafferty was taken out soor
after o'clock. His neck had beer
broken and he was badly scalded in
many places. He had been thrown or
| top of Henry, whose head was crushed
Both were crowded down under the
boiler and had been terribly scalded
but in each case death must have beer
instantaneous. Engineer Clark wa.
under the tender, his body all crushed
Not until the tender had been raised b,
the big lifting-jack could his body b.
removed.
Leonard Washburne was born in Terr,
Haute, Ind, In 1887 and has been In newspape
work in western cities for several years. Al
baseball editor OF the Inter Ocean his brigh
and humorous stories Of the national gam
gave him wide prominence and high stand
ing In his profession.
Frederick w. Henry was e3 years OF age an,
| o nati.e Cf Kentucky. He had been on the In
/ ter Ocean but o few weeks and came to Chi
cagO from Louisville, where he had been on tn
| Courier-Journal staff. He had the reputation
Of being brilliant and promising young man
Frank A. McCaferty, the artist, was So year
] OF age and q native OF Philadelphia At tn
latter city he obtained his art training and di.
considerable work for magazines and the Phil
adelphia Press. A year ago he was employe,
| by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Quite recent
ty he came to Chicago believing that this cit.
| offered o better field for his work.
James Clark. the engineer, was one Of th
veterans Of the Eastern Illinois road. He wa
45 years old and had been in the service 70
| eighteen years. He was married and had
/ wife and two daughters ut Danyille.l
A Kansas Jurist PASSES Away.
/ LAWRENCE, Kan, Oct l6.-Judg
| Lawrence %. Bailey died in this city