Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1891-04-20
II WAS AN AWFUL WRECK.
How Nine Men Were Killed on the
Lake Shore RaIlrond.


Lake shore Raiiroad.
CLEVELAND, April GA frightful wreck
has occurred on the Lake Shore railroad
at Kipton station, aboat forty miles west
Of Cleveland, in which six postal clerks
and two engineers and one fireman were
killed. The fast mail, bound east. collided
with the Toledo express just as the latter
train was about to pull on the siding tc
let the fast mail pass The fast mail was
running at full speed, and the force OF the
collision was SO great that both engines
three mail cars and one baggage car were
completely wrecked.
Following is the list Of the dead:
Bowerilne, John, postal clerk. Elyria, O.
Brown, Edward, engineer OF the Toledo
express, Toledo, o.
Clemens, +. H., postal clerk, Cleve
land, o.
Hammil, Charles, postal clerk, Elyria, O
Mcdowell e. H., postal clerk, Elyria, O
Mckinley, James, postal clerk, Come
aut o.
Nugent, +. j., postal clerk, Toledo, o.
Staley, , fireman OF the fast mai
train; died Of his injuries
Topliff, Charles A., engineer Of the fast
mail train, Toledo o.
The son Of Section Foreman Danzig wa,
struck by wreckage and badly hurt. Non,
Of the passenger cars left the track ant
none Of the passengers received serious In
juries.
IL was the custom for these two trains q
pass at kipton, the Toledo express taking
the side track for the fast mail, which usu
ally went through Kipton without slack
ening its speed The Toledo express was !
few minutes late and had just come to 1
stop az the switehwhen the fast mail cam,
in sight
There is scarcely any curve at the sta
tion, but on one side of the track was
line Of freight cars and on the other tn,
station. These might have obstructed the
vision Of the engineer Of the fast mail HI
applied the air brakes when he saw that 4
collision was inevitable, but the speed OF
the train was not checked materially.
The engine OF the Toledo express was
knocked squarely across the track and that
of the fast mail reared Ia the air, resting
on top Of the other. The fast mail con
sisted Of three mail cars aud two parloi
cars and the Toledo express Of five coache,
and two baggage cars The first and sec
ond mail cars were telescoped and smashed
TO kindling wood, and the third crashed
into the first two and rolled over on tn,
station platform, breaking the windows q
the building
The force Of the collision was 20 greai
that Of the sixty-four revolving chairs II
the two parlor cars only four remained at
tached to the hoor. The passengers wer
thrown 70 the floors and badly shaken
/ All but one OF the dead were beyond hu
man assistance as soon as the collision oc
curred. The bodies were all horribl.
crushed and mutilated, arms and legs be
ing torn of, and the eorpses were almos
| beyond recognition
| Charles Topliff, the engineer OF the fas
| mail, remained brayely at his post, an
was found with his hand on the throttl,
dead. His hands and face were so badl
| scalded that the blackened flesh droppe
from the bones when his body was take
| out.
Fireman Staley, Of the fast mail, iumpel
| from the train, but died later Of his inju
ries. The poor postal clerks had not
chance TO escape They were Gagged lik
rats, and the telescoping of the cars crushed
the life out OF them without a moment
warning tits difficult to locate the blam
| for the accident, as both the engineers ar
dead. It Is said, however, that the Toled
express was ordered to stop at Oberlin, bu
went ON TO Kipton, which is six miles fur
ther west, and had not sufficient time t
make the side track.