Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-07-04
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT.
Freight Train Telescopes I Pis-
saD6er Train at RiYenni, 0.
fIsnty.aTs Killed and Hearty Forty
Parsons fRFibly Injured.
Yhs Bisms 10 Now Attached to the
Passenger Grain Crew.

SLh'GLASRt NtsSs &Al - ~ ~ WV =
this morning at RavennA, Ohio, on the New
No. 9, fast express, bound for New York,
while standing at the depot awaiting orders,
vas dashed into from the rear by freight
train. The day coach on the rear Was COM
pletelyitelescoped. and IS passengers were
killed and 3s severely wounded. coach
and two sleepers forward took fire and
we're soon consumed, burning the bodies
50 they were almost unacceptable.
A REvnnns, Ohio despatch Gays: Fifteen
bodies thus far have been taken out Of the
wreck and all but thee were burned to a
crisp. Thomas Colsiile was taken out Of
the wreck alive. He WAS terribly crushed
aud burned and his suherings were awful
TO behold. In al Agonized voice he called
TO friend: BILLY, for Gods sake get an
axe and Hill me-" He died soon after.
Henry Gildea was badly injured and died
socn after being taken 10 the hotel.
1t would appear that the accident was due
to carelessness Of some one in leaving .
switch open. The rear car contained 40
passengers, all Of whom were glass workers
employed at Findlay enroute for their
homes In New York state, John Griffin Of
Boston is among the missing.
twenty-five Killed.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, July 3.--A special
from youngstown says 25 persons were
killed 10 the RsvennA accident.
Passenger Train Crew Was to Blame.
RAvENsA, Ohio, July SIT is asserted
BY Supt. Mattison, who is invest lting the
disaster, that the accident is due to the
carelessness Of the passenger crew. The
train was in charge of Conductor Boyntop,
aud his son was rear fsgman, who. instead
Of going back, leaned against the rear coach
untii the freig ht was in sight, and then il
WAS too late to stop it.
On the person Of Willie Kane, a Corning
IN. Y glass blower ,jwas found $500. The
boy had been saving his money to surprise his
widowed mother, but death stopped his
journey. 1t is said that a three months
old child, found dead in the wreck, was the
child of q passenger, and when he saw that
1t and its nurse were killed, he hssrtlessly
left them and continued bic journey east
as soon as the train was made up. Coroner
Sherman is now holding an investigation.
No arrests Of sby train men have yet been
made.
Latest Account.
PIrrsBuRG, Pa, July Sat 3 O'Clock
this morning passenger train No. 8. east
bound, WAS at the station a. Rsvenns, o.,
while the coupling of special car was
being repaired. The train man was sent
back to flag the approaching train, sudden
ly the freight dashed into the rear end OF
u, trat M rp "a
killed, I6 of whom were glass workers of
Findlay, o., and Corning. N. Y. The
others were from Brooklyn, N. Y. Twelve
were injured.
The passenger train consisted of express
and baggage cars, three day coaches. two
pullman cars and & special car, was about
ten minutes late, owing to trouble with one
Of the cars. The train lay upon the Nypar o
main track Just at the bottom OF steep
grade, though the trainmen knew they were
followed by No. 80. a fast freight, at their
very heels, and once on the down grad. com .
ing into the station, would be hard mstter
to stop, especially as the freight did not in
tend to make Ravenna stopping place.
The freight was making time, snd came
down hill with rush, the engine and ten
der being fairly hurled through the rear
cars Of the passenger train.
The wreck caught FIRE. There was no
delay in ready assistance, but all efforts
were frui,less until ltbe arrival Of tie city
fire department The flames could not be
stayed, until water was poured in the
wreck for hours. In the first shock OF the
collision the front end Of the boiler WAS
broken ia and 81 the engine ploughed
through the mass Of humanity, four poor
fellows were actually scooped up in the
cauldrop, wounded and helpless, and there
they lay slowly roasting to death, before
the very eyes Of the spectators. After
wards they were fshed out pescemeal by
firemeh's hooks. The Aetna building
was transformed into morgue, and ss the
burIei fesh was hooked out they were
hastily removed there. Identification was
difficult.
In half dozen instances the entire head
WAS burned of. Among the 10 beheaded
and dismembered bodies but two retained
anything resembling the features Of hu-
man being. The coroner temporarily re-
moved from one form . clotted sheet, to
find beneath it the unmistskable form Of .
woman with an infant in her arms. A
searching examination is now being made
of the survivors. One fact has Impressed
all here-thst not one of the train men
met with any injury.
w. H. Young. Meadville, conductor on
the freight train, said: I'VE were running
at q moderate rate of speed, but the grade
was steep and we bad . heavy train. The
fsgman was not out far enough and We
could not see him in time to Stop. All the
trainmen got on in time to escape injury"
The two sleepers were the WARSAW" and
"Ascoli." The hind car vas . special in
which was q party Of glass blowers. This
car and the "Warsaw,r next to Il, was COM
pletely destroyed. The loss will foot up
In the neighborhood Of 500 600.