Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-08-06
WERE SLAIN BY A JOKE.
THE OHIO WRECK CAUSED BY
WANTON FoOLisHNESS.

Several Lives Are Lost-Nearly Forty Per-
son. Injured, some FatalIy-Two Cars
Thrown or the Track and Demolished
ThrI ling Stories OF Eye-wimesses.
The wreck at MddIetown, Ohio, on
the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton
Railroad, was one of the worst that have
ever happened In that vicinity. The
National ash Register Company OF Day-
ton had given its employees an excursion
to Woodsdale, in a train of sixteen
coaches. The day had passed mcrrlly,
and everybody was laughing and chat
ting when the train reached Middle
town at o'clock on its way home.
Some one had turned the air-brakes on
for joke, and the engine was putting
and wheeling to pull the heavy load with
the brakes on. Pretty soon draw-bar
broke. and the train was stopped on the
siding at Middletown for repairs. Will
lam G. Douglass one OF the foreman OF
the National Cash Register Works, tells
this story Of the wreck:
The train OF fifteen crowded ears
started on its return trip from Wo ods-
dale about Z o'clock and about an hour
later tho accident occurred at Middle
town. A drawbar about the middle Of
the excursion train broke and they
stopped at Middletown to patch IL up for
the run to DAYTON. hakemen were
Immediately sent out with red flags to
flag the approaching train, and nearly
half an hour was consumed In repairing
the disabled car. Red lishts were not
promptly changed to the rear of this
car, though the train was pulling out
when the accident occurred at nearly 8
O'clock. The $50 men, women, and
children were in the last three coaches
ana all knew that freight train No.
Al was following and they ap-
preciated and talked OF their
danger. Some of them called Con
ductor Peter g. Clancy's attention &c
their peril and he cautioned them thSi
If they heard train "A coming they
should jump from the car. Five min
utes later the awful disaster was upor
them. The excursion was slowly creep
Ing on THO side treots' ~~tsss. al OHInOus
roaring was heard from the expected
train No. IA, not over quarter of Q
mile away. Nearer and nearer cam'
the monster mogul with thirty-hv'
loaded cars, and when In sight OF Mid
dletown Station Engineer Schwind saw
the fiagman waving the danger signal
and he Immediately called for brakes
shut off steam and applied the sand
He saw that a collision was inevitable
Then he and his fireman jumped and al
instant later the crash came-a rear-en'
collision of mighty force.
The excursion train was pulling out oi
to the main track and all but the wv
| rear coaches had left the siding whe
Jue mUS Sut-uuStno- Sl-~,-i-~-S--y- va ~ .
behind it went plowing through Th
| two rear cars and hun an freight wer
| hurled into the ditch and the next coac
was struck fairly in the end, and tn
locomotive, pushing under, elevated
10 an ang'e of forty-Gve degrees, an
| there IL stood, filed with shrieking pee
pc This car caught fire, but Enginee
Schwind and his fireman were able :
axtinauiala "A. ' Dit.ss,s .,yr-ss0r ot nose iIot
| the locomotive Two cars lay crushe
| In the ditch with mass OF manned an
mangled people moaning In agony
pleading for help. Rescucrs set to wor
at once TO extricate the n. Legs, arm
and heads could be seen through broke
windows or pinned under the WRECK
| Means of the helpless sufferer
and means of the dying, mil
gled with the frantic cries
mothers seeking husbands and chi
dren. Many had been cut by glass an
the timbers In the rush to escape, an
bloody faces and hands bore CHASTITY te
timony to the great number who wei
injured. Physicians and citizens
Mijdletown were soon at the scene
Join in rescuing the unfortunates III
terror-stricken eXcursion'sts were mac
comfortable in the houses, the dead pc
sons were properly cared for, and the J
/. iured received all necessary attention.
A tramp named James Wilson, OF =
ireisht train. says he " a rafirosdsf'
occupation and was on the third c
from the front when approaching Mi
dletown; that he plainly saw the r
lights swinging, and that the engine
tried 10 stop the train but could not, III
the heavy cars crowded him into the c
cursion train.