Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-10-24
SOME ONE sLuNpEREp.

Plunges Into n Round House nt Crete,
In.-The Engineer and Three Chicago
Journalists Are Killed-Gross Careless.
ness In Leaving Switch Open the
Cause of tho Disaster.
CHICAGO, Oct 18.-Three 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 Q,
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 had
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 was 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. He
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 MCafferty.
artist for the Inter Ocean; Fred Henry, re.
porter for the Inter ocean, James Clark en-.
gineer Danville, Ill.
Injured: Frank Lafrcrty, fireman, Danville,
Ill., cut and bruised; Edward Booth, baggage.
man, Danville, H., slightly bruised; John
Parr, Chicago, reporter for Il. G. Dunn Co.,
seriously injured internally; ]. c. Saunders,
brakeman, Danvile, ILL.,, injured internally.
All of the bodies were recovered from
the wreck during the afternoon. On
Wednesday afternoon at 4:15 Fred
Henry and Frank McCafferty, accom-
panied by Passenger Agent c. l.. Stone,
of the Eastern Illinois, left Chicago to
make night trip in the cab of an en-
gine and prepare an illustrated special
article describing their experience.
Evansville was their destination.
Henry and McCatferty remained
in the engine cab until midnight, TAX
ing notes and making sketches, and
afterward rode in the smoker to Evans
vile, arriving at 2:10 Thursday morn
the newspaper men took berths in the
sleeper.
They arose at o'clock and on going
to the dining-car We're surprised to
meet Leonard Washburne, the we'll
known baseball writer.
AT Momence Henry and McCafferty
invited Waslburne to ride in the en-.
gine and he accepted the invitation.
The engineer and fireman gave their
guests the best seats in the cab. AS the
train approached Crete the speed had
been increased to 40 or As miles an hour
South of Crete there is sharp curve
to the east and at the bend there is a
semaphore target signal. The sema-
phore announced clear track. Just
north of the station there is a switch
leading to a 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 Inflated 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 Latferty
has lived to tell the story. He said:
81 was busy putting in coal 1t all hap
pened as quick as wink. AS we whirled By the
station saw Clark put on the air brake and re.
verse the engine. was then between the cab
and tender. Jumped out on the step to look
ahead just as the engine swung of on
the switch. Look out" 1 yelled
and with that 1 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 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 1:3O wal
the wreckage cleared away sufficiently
to reveal any of the bodies. Washburne
was found lying between the engine
and tender. A bolt of some flying end
of some rod had passed almost en-.
tirely through his head, which
was crushed and scorched al
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 beea
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 bt
removed.
Leonard Washburne was born in Terr,
Haute Ind, in 1857, 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 n high stand
sng in his profession
Frederick w. Henry was 90 years of age an,
anative OF Kentucky. He had been on the In
ter Ocean but few weeks and came to Chi
cago from Louisville, where he had been on th
Courier.Journal stan. He had the reputation
of being brilliant and promising young man
Frank A. McCanerty the artist, was 33 year
of age and u native OF Philadelphia AT th
latter city he obtained his art training and di,