Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-05-19
An Awful Fate.

An Awful Fate.
In the midst OF terrific storm Of
wind and rain two Big Four trains
crashed into each other at Cleves, Ohio,
Sunday morning, with awful effect.
Not person on either train escaped in
Jury. Many/of the wounded have been
removed, and their number is not
definitely known. AS far as learned the
dead are: Engineer VIM. Higes OF In
dianapolis, Fireman Hiram Bruce Of In
dianapolis, Philip Gibbon, David Har-
wood, Engineer Berry Edwards. Those
removed from the wreck and found to
be fatally injured are: Fireman Holton
Tyrrell, ConductJr John Schroeder,
George w. Hudler.
Five to eight passengers are said to
be missing, who are supposed to be in
the smoker, which is buried in the
wreck. Nothing is known as to who
they are. No one is able TO conceive
how any of them could have escaped
death under that mass of wreckage.
The summer schedule went into effect
Sunday morning, and orders had been
issued accordingly Freight No. 43,
through train north bound, had orders
to stop at North Bend to allow express
No. so, a cannon-ball special, TO pass.
Under the old schedule the trains passed
at another point some miles further on.
Instead of stopping the freight engineer.
Higgs, pulled ahead and approached
Cleves running at the rate of twenty
miles an hour. Why he did not stop at
North Bend will never be known, as he
is dead, but it is thought that In his
anxiety over this storm, which might
have washed out bridges, he forgot the
new schedule and hurried on.
AS the train approached Cloves Chas.
Smith, the telegraph operator, was
astounded, for he knew that 10 should
have side-tracked at North Bend, and
that the express, a few minutes over
due then, was but short distance away,
running forty-five miles an hour to make
up lost time. Smith rushed to the sig
nal wires and dashed off the danger
signal Either 1t was not seen in the
binding rain or the engineer could
not control his engine, for it
sped on by without lessening speed.
At that very moment the express came
into sight with the speed of the wind.
II any effort was made on either engine
to slacken speed it was not appreciable,
and the iron monsters sprang at and
| crashed into each other with a roar that
rolled above the storm like a clap Of
thunder. Both engines were battered
into shapeless masses and rolled of the
track.
The cars behind were mashed into
kindling and the track for 100 feet was
torn up. Telegraph poles were thrown
down, and 1t was two or three hours
after the wreck before word reached
Cleves, and a special train was sent
TO the scene from Cincinnati Long
before, however, the people from the
little village and from the surrounding
country had gathered, and in the fright
full storm were doing all they could for
the victims.
With the arrival of the special train
the work of getting out the dead began.
OF the five bodies recovered four were
shockingly mangled and mashed out of
all human shape. Under the freight en-
gine, broken, crushed and scalde6, were
found Engineer William HiRgs and his
| fireman, Hiram Bruce, both Of Indian
apolis. Under mashed freight car far
ther back Philip Gibbon and David Har-
wood were found. Nearly every bone
in their bodies was broken and their
faces were horribly disfgured.
The fifth body taken out was that of
Barry Edwards, engineer OF the passen-
| ger train. His fireman, HoltOn Tyr
rell, had jumped before the crash, but
| had been caught under a mass Of wreck
age. His chestwas crushed in and his
head cuk He was taken TO Lawrence
burg, but cannot survive. John Schroe-
! der, conductor of the passenger train,
was injured in almost the same manner,
and can live but few hours at the most.
George W. Hudler, a commercial trav-
eler from Mian isburg, was crushed be-
tween two seats, being bent almost
II foly 70 ha
hospital and cannot survive.
Conductor Schroeder was only able
to speak once after being extricated.
Then 1t was that he gave the informa-
tion that when the train left Valley
Junction there were from five to eight
men in the smoker. Valley Junction is
less than two miles from the scene of
the wreck. This is the basis for the
fear that these people are buried in
death under the wreck.
Honey" Keefe, freight brakeman,
had Just reached the top Of a car when
the collision occurred. The crash was SO
terrible that he was thrown over tele-
graph wire forty feet into q stream of
water, which saved his life.
The property loss will be 100000.
Both engines are complete wrecks. and
the coaches of the express train are
Iulueu. III Is Sdlu nuCH NdludDle Indll
and express matter is lost. A dozen
freight cars loaded with costly goods are
total loss.
train on the Norfolk & Western road
was wrecked eleven miles from Hagers-
town, Nd, at o'clock Sunday morning.
1t was in charge OF Conductor William
Hays, and was made up of sleeper, two
coaches, smoker, and q baggage car.
just as the engine reached the switch 1t
jumped the track and dashed into freight
cars on a siding. Conductor Hays
was on the platform Of car and
was hurled headlong thirty feet against
the rocks and instantly killed.
John Hauke, a passenger hailing from
Lewiston, Pa, was dug out Of the
wreck with broken leg and suffering
internal injuries. He will die. His
father was also badly hurt. Another
passenger, supposed TO be a drummer,
was taken out IN a dying condition. A
card found in hts pocket bore the name
John Boyle, Brooklyn, N. Y. @. n.
wenner, travelling passenger agent, and
William Elslinger Of West Fairview,