The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-08-06
A STUPIDFATAL JOKE" "
THE PRIZE IDIOCY OF AN OHIO
ExCURSIONIST.

He Pulls tho Air Brake Cord on an EN-.
cursion Train. Causing Delay Which
Was Followed by Fri:htful Calamity
| Story of the Wreck.
The wreck at Middetown. Ohio, on
tho Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton
Railroad was ono of the worst that have
ever happened In that vicinity. The
| National Cash Register Company Of Day
ton had givon Its employees an excursion
| to Woodsdalc, in train Of sixteen
| coaches. The day had passed merr!ly,
and everybody wa laughing and cha t.
ting wien the train reached Middle
| town ct o'clock on It's way home.
Some ono hal 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 q draw bar
broke. and the train was stopped on tho
siding at Middlctown for repairs. Will
| lam &. Douglass, one of the foreman of
the Natona! Cash Register Works. tells
| this story of the wreck:
The train of fifteen crowded cars
| started on its return trip from WO DDS
| dale about O'Clock and about an hour
! later tho accident occurred at Middle
| town. 4 trawbar about the middle of
| the excursion train broke and they
! stopped at Middlct ,wn to patch it up for
| tho run to Dayton. Rrakcmen were
| Immediately sent out with red flags IL
| flag the approaching train, and nearly
| half an hour was consumed in repairing
the disabled car Red lights were not
promptly changed to the rear OF this
| car. though the train was pulling ont
| when tho accident occurred at nearly S
| o'c.Cck. The $50 men, women, and
| children were In the last three coaches
| and all knew that freight train No.
III was following and they ap-
prcciatod and taxed of their
dnctor Peter 6. Clancy's attention 10
| their peril and he cautioned them that
| ii they heard train "A coming they
| should jump from the car. Five min
utes later the awful disaster was upon
them, The excursion was slowly creep
| Ing off the side-irack. when an otninous
| roaring was heard from the expected
! train No. ~, not over quarter Of a
mile away. Nearer and nearer came
| the monster mogul with thirty-five
loaded cars, and when in sight of Mid
dletown Station Engineer Schwind saw
| the llagman waving the danger signal,
and he Immediately called for brakes,
shut off steam and applied the sand.
lie saw that collision was inevitable.
Then he and his fireman jumped and an
instant later the crash camo--a Tear-cnd
collision of mighty force.
The excursion train was pulling out on
to the main track and all bat the two
rear coaches had left the siding when
the noSu engine with the heavy train
behind 1t went blowing through. The
two rear "arS and hua an freight We're
hurled into the ditch and the next coach
| was struck fairly in the end, and the
locomotive, pushing under, elevated It
to al ang'c o: forty-tiye degrees, and
there IT stood, filed with shrieking pco-
pc This car caught fire. but Engineer
Svhwinl and his fireman were able to
| cNtnguiSh til blaze by use of hose from
the locomotive, Two cars lay crushed
in the ditch with mass of maimcd and
mangied pcop'e moaning in agony,
pleading for help. EcScucrs set to work
at once TO cXfrita ate them. Legs, arms
and heads Cou d he seen through broken
| windows or pinned under the wreck.
Means Of the helpless sufferers
| and means y; the dying, min
gl.si with the frantic cries OF
Il others seeking husbands and chill
dren. Many had been ct!t by glass and
| tIt' ltHlbtIS III Inc rush 10 escape, ana
bloody faces and hands bore CHASTITY scs-
timony to the great number who were
injured. Physicians and citizens OF
MiddletOWn were soon at the scene to
| Join in rcScung the unfortnnatcS The
| terror-strirkcn cXCur>inniSts Were made
| comforta bic In the houses, the dead per
| sons We're properly cared for, and the In
! 'urcd received all necessary attention.
\ tramp named James Wilson. of Co
| lumbus. Ohio, who. with his two little
Toys. was having a free ride on the
| freight train, SAYS lie IS a rliIroadnr by
occupation ami was on the third car
| from the front when appi oarhing Mid
| d.ctown: that he plainly saw the red
| lights swinging, and that the engineer
tried "a sop the train but could not. and
| the heavy ears crowded him into the cx.
| cnrSiOn train.