Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-07-11
A FATAL BLUNDER.
It Causes a Horrible Railway Dis
aster in Ohio.
A Fast Freight. Crashes Into a Pas
senger Train at Ravenna-TwentY
Lives lost-Many Persons Hurt.


senger Train at Ravenna-Twenty
Lives lost-Many Persons Hurt.
RAVEN ma, o., July 3.-The most ap-
palling railroad horror Of the year oc-
Cured here at a. IN. Twenty per-
sons were killed and many of their
bodies burned to a crisp, while between
thirty and forty others were badly in
tured. The list OF dead, so far as
known, Isl
Thomas venhill, Corning, n. Y; David Rell.
tan, Corning, N Y; William Kane, Brootlyn
N Y; Albert Gantrap, Corning, N. Y; Henry
Gllday Corning N. ~ John Griffin, Boston;
Thomas Coville; nurse girl; r. Huff, F. Burns,
j. Demeen, J. Coyle, A. Hardin, Lewis Kim
ball. w. Newcomb, D. Ryan, D, Cassidy, p
Nolan.
All but three of these were burned to
. crisp. The residences of the killed,
where not 81 ven, are Corning, n. Y,
The fast express (No. 81 on the New
York, Lake Erie & Western railroad,
bound for New York, while standing
at the depot waiting for orders was
crashed into from the rear by>a freight
train. A day coach on the rear of the
train was completely telescoped and
two sleepers forward took fire
and were burned up Many of the vic
Tins were so badly burned that they
are almost unrecognizable. The freight
train that telescoped the express is the
dressed meat express from Chicago and
was running about 80 miles an hour
when it struck the passenger train.
The accident was due to carelessnessin
leaving a switch open.
The scene that followed the crash
was terrible in the extreme. The en-
gine plowed its way, pushed on by tho
weight and momentum of the heavy
ears behind it, through the coach
es as If they We're made OF thin
boards. Above the horrible grind
ing and Grunching could be
heard the agonized shrieks OF
the manned passengers, who but a
few seconds before were asleep.
When the collision occurred those in
the rear cars were either instantly
killed, wounded or pinned down by
portions OF the demolished ears. Then
the flames broke out and spread
with frightful rapidity. If the
accident had been awful before
it was now an unequaled hor-
ror. The flames rushed through the
debris and the shreks of the manned
or pinioned could be plainly heard on
the night air. In the forward cars the
wounded and unharmed passengers
were getting themselves ont of the
wreck. They at once did all they could
to stay the flames and rescue the i'm
periled. But before this was done twenty
people were sacrificed, that many bod
les being taken out afterward, Most
of these mangled corpses were black-
ened and burned in manner sickening
to look upon, some of them being roast
ed into unrecognizable masses. BY
daylight twenty bodies had been car
ried out. How many more met death
is not known.
The express train was forty-slX min
utes late and the engineer was trying
to remedy the fault in the engine when
the fast freight was sighted in the
rear. A brakeman was sent
back, but the heavy freight
train of twentyfour cars could
not be stopped on the down
grade in time and it crashed into
the rear of the passenger train The
rear coach contained forty-siN passen-
gers, all glassworkers recently EN-.
ployed at the Richardson g.ass works
in Findlay, who were on their way td
their homes in New York state.
According to the story of one of the
railroad men, the express was very late
and was running on orders When the
stop was made at Ravenna the engineer
and fireman went to work to repair the
engine. and the train was detained sew
eral minutes. A tlagman was Sent
back, but went only a few feet-at
most two car lengths. Suddenly
around the curve-west of the city
came train No So, composed of SWltt'
meat cars. The train was running q
miles an hour and coming down heavy
| grade The engineer supposed he haI
| a clear track, and it being
through train he was not expected
to stop at Ravenna. He called TO
brakes and reversed his engine, but al
to no purpose. On came the freight traiI
with but slightly decreased speed AM
no word of warning could be given th'
people in the doomed train. Th
engineer and fireman jumped, alightinI
safely A moment more and the heav,
freight crashed into the passenger train
The noise was heard for miles, For
moment after there was the silenc
of death and then commenced tn
most frightful cries ever heard
The means of the dying, the piteou
cries for help from the imprisone,
and helpless passengers, and the NUT
lated and bloody remains of the dead
seen through the fragments of the dc
bris, formed scene of horror no pc
can picture. The freight engine ha
gone clear through day coach in tn
rear, through the sleeper and buried il
self in the second sleeper, the third ca
of the train.
There was nothing left of the trai
but mass of debris. while the sides {
the third car stood about the monstt
engine as If to hold it prisoner Thi
scene lasted but Il moment whe
tongues of flame splang up here an
there and soon the week was wrappe
n fre.
CONCERNING LARGE CITIES.