The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-07-11
A FATAL BLUNDER.
It Causes a Horrible Railway Dis
aster in Ohio,
A Fast Freight Crashes Into Pas
senger Train at Ravenna-Twenty
Lives Lost-Many Persons Hurt.

Lives LOSt-manI PERSONS r1uTI'
RAVEN MA, o., July 3.--The most ap-
| palling railroad horror of the year oc-
Cured here at 3 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
jured The list of dead, so far as
| known, is:
Thomas Venhill, Corning, n. Y; David Reli.
TAM Corning N. Y; William Kane, Brooklyn
N, Y; Albert Gantrap, Corning NJ Y; Horny
| Gilday, Corning N. Y; John Grinin, Boston
Thomas Colville; nurse girl; II. Hun, 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
a crisp. The residences of the killed,
where not given, are Corning, N. Y.
The fast express (No. 81 on the New
York, Lake Erie & Western railroad,
bound for New York, while standing
ut the depot waiting for orders was
crashed into from the rear by 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 carelessness in
leaving switch open.
The scene that followed the crash
was terrible in the extreme. The en-
gine plowed its way, pushed on by the
weight and momentum of the heavy
cars behind it, through the coach
es as if they were made of thin
boards. Above the horrible grind
ing and crunching 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 cars 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 shrieks 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 out of the
wreck. They at once did all they could
to stay the flames and rescue the inn
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-six 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 twenty-four 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-six passen-
gers, all glassworkers, recently en-
ployed at the Richardson glass works
in Findlay, who were on their way to
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 hagman was sent
back, but went only few feet-at
most two car lengths. Suddenly
around the curve-west of the city
came train No. So, composed of Swift's
meat cars. The train was running 25
miles an hour and coming down heavy
grade. The engineer supposed he had
clear track, and it being a
through train he was not expected
to stop at Ravenna. He called for
brakes and reversed his engine, but all
to no purpose. On came the freight train
with but slightly decreased speed and
no word of warning could be given the
people in the doomed train. The
engineer and fireman jumped, alighting
safely. A moment more and the heavy
ireigh crashed into the passenger train.
The noise was heard for miles. For q
moment after there was the silence
of death and then commenced the
most frightful cries ever heard
The means of the dying, the piteous
cries for help from the imprisoned
and helpless passengers, and the mutt
lated and bloody remains of the dead,
seen through the fragments of the de-
bris, formed scene of horror no pen
can picture. The freight engine had
gone clear through a day coach in the
rear, through the sleeper and buried it
self in the second sleeper, the third car
of the train.
There was nothing left of the train
but mass Of debris, while the sides of
the third ear stood about the monster
engine as if 10 hold it prisoner. This
scene lasted but a moment when
tongues of flame sprang up here and
there and soon the wreck was wrapped
in fire.