The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-10-01
Disastrous Collision on the New York,
Pennsylvania & Ohio, Near Kent,0
Freight Train Dashes Into a Passenger Filled
with Members Of the 0lin Family Going to
Their Reunion at Bennington, Vt.
Three Persons Killed, Three Fatally Hurt
and Twenty-Five Badly Injured.
Cars Crushed Together Like Card. Board-Fire
Temporarily Adds TO the Horror-TheAc-
cident Due to Violation OF Orders.


MANGLED IN A COLLISION.
Three Persons Killed and Twenty-Four In
jured In Railway Wreck in Ohio.
AKRON. o.. Sept 30.-Early this morning
q collision occurred one mile east of Kent,
on the New York. Pennsy ivania & Ohio,
between freight and a passenger train.
Three persons were killed outright and
twenty -four injured. several fatally. The
passenger train was the Michigan section
of the Olin family excursion, members of
which were going to the national reunion
of their kindred ut Bennington, VT. Many
other Michigan people took advantage of
the low rates TO visit friends In the East.
1t was foggy night and the collision oc-
Cured on long fill thirty feet high, in the
middle of which was q bridge sixty feet
long over the Pittsburg a. Western tracks.
Part of the passenger train was on the
bridge when the crash came The engines
plowed into each other and reared high in
the air. and the cars on each side crushed
together like cardboard.
VIM. Maxwell, of Meadville. travelling
engineer of the second division. who was
riding on the passenger engine, had started
back over the tender just before the col
lision. He was caught between the tender
and baggage Ger and ground to jelly. one
leg being torn off and thrown down the
bank. Engineer e. L. Brown, of Meadvllle.
who was on the freight, and passenger +.
b. Nichols. of the same place. jumped and
saved their lives. Fireman Stephens. of
the passenger train. followed suit, and was
badly burt in tumbling down the embank-
ment Fireman Clayton Glass, of Mead
willie, was caught in the wreck and crushed
to death.
The passenger train consisted of five
sleepers. five day coaches and . baggage
car. The latter and the first day coach
were jammed into bits and the occupants
buried in the debris. The second day
coach was badly wrecked, seats and timbers
being heaped up almost to the ceiling in
the center of the coach. The rear portion
was kept almost intact. but jammed into
the forward portion of the third day coach.
which was lifted OF the tracks and pushed
skyward at an angle Of forty-five degrees.
The second day coach was occupied by
women and children. Mrs. Willoughby
Dewsy, of Richland, Mich, aged forty-ive,
who sat In the forward part of the coach.
met instant death. the heavy timbers
crushing her head. Other passengers were
buried In the pile of seats and timbers.
The stove was overturned and the timbers
took fire.
wEDGED AMONG BURNING TIMBERS.
The shrieks of the women and chill
dren W ho were wedged in close to the burn.
ing timber summoned workers to that part
OF the wreck and O score of men were soon
outing a way through the debris. Mrs.
Alice NJ. Sedgwick. with both legs broken,
lay close to the red-hot stove. pushing
against it with all her might. to keep it
from crushing and burning her little
daughter, who lay just 10y her. The moth
er's Clothing was burned off, and one side
of her body was roasted. Close to her lay
Laura Van Anken. o girl OF eleven. who
was doing like service for her mother.
l5r!cg almost under the stove, her arms
brought water from the drinking
tanks and passed it to the imprisoned
women. In live minutes the woodwork
was drenched and the lire cheated out of
it's prey. For q half hour more the men
worked. lifting out women and children,
many of them with legs and arms dangling
helplessly. AS fast as taken ont the injured
were transferred to sleeping cars and taken
back to Kent. The Revere Hotel and several
nearby houses were at once thrown open.
and Doctors Sherman, Evans and Davis. of
Kent, and railroad surgeon Lashell, of
Meadviile. began setting broken bones and
binding up the wounds. Mrs. A. NJ. John.
seriously injured and cannot live. Both
legs are broken. Following is q complete
list Of the injured:
MRS ALICE NJ. sEDawIcK, Parma. Mich, right
leg fractured; right thigh and foot burned and
left hip dislocated; may die.
Mr. Il. G. THOMPSON. Montague, Mich, severe
injury TO back: still unconscious from internal
injuries, which wiz probably prove fatal =.
Mrs. @. A. 3 ELL, compound fracture OF the
left leg, laceruted hip and internal injuries
LUCILLE BUELL., aged eight. bruised hip and
back.
Mrs. CAROLINE REED. Richland. Mich, leg
broken.
Mas THOMAS REcHR. Muskegon. Mich, spine
and hips injured.
MRS L. d. VAN ANKEN. Mcdonald Mich. right
arm broken.
Mrs LAUR. VAN ANKEN. aged eleven, lacerat-
ed and wounded on both feet.
NELLIE STANFORD. Galesburg. Mich, back and
right hip injured.
D. s. TnOMPsoN. Montague, Mich. wounded on
scalp. left shoulder. breast and right arm.
MARY RICHARD, Muskegon, legs bruised.
J. d. HART, Rockford. n, right thigh bruised.
EDWARD NJ. MOODY, Shelby, Mich, left hip
and both legs broken.
FRANK NJ: Caldwell, second division passen.
over left eye and left foot injured.
CHARLES Il. McKINsLEY, badly bruised; no
bones broken.
Miss EDITH SoMERs, Grand Rapids, left leg
fractured.
Miss HULDA wEsTcoTT, Bangor, Mich, bruised
back.
Miss REBECCA CLARK, Bangor, hip and back
hurt.
The remains of the three dead were taken
to Kent, and Mrs Deway was sent to her
home.
DUE TO NEGLIGENCE.
The Crew of the Freight Train Violated Or