The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-01-16
Andrews Opera Company Has Disas-
trous Experience in Minnesota.
Sleeping Car Derailed, Thrown Down an EN-
bankment and Burned While the Their
mometer Was Standing at as Below Zero.
Twenty Three Other Members of the Company
lnjured-All Lost Their Clothes and Snf-
fered Terribly BY Coda Broken Rail-
OPERA COMPANY WRECKED.
Two Members Killed and Burned and Twen
ty-Three Others Seriously Injured.

OPERA COMPANY WRECKED.
Two Members Killed and Burned and Twen-
y-Three Others Seriously Injured.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Jan. 15.-The Andrews
Opera Company was wrecked in bad rail-
way accident seven miles east of Drsinerd,
to-day, the wreck seeming the elimination
of q sea of troubles that have well-nigh
overwhelmed il during ats stay of several
months in the Northwest. 1t came to Min
neapolis early in the fall. and played there
for several weeks. bat, owing 70 poor busi-
ness or bad management. was barely able TO
get away from that city, when it again
sought to go on the road. After playing q
week at Mankato, several weeks at Duluth
and week or more at West Superior it
started for Winnipeg. yesterday, from there
intending to make trip to the coast. play
ing on the way. 1t was on q special train.
constituting the second section. of the
Northern Pacific regular train to Grand
Forks. just outside of Jonesville small
town about seven miles west of Brainerd.
at $50 this morning the train struck
broken rail- The engine and baggage car
passed over In safety, bur the sleeping car
was derailed and ran some three hundred
feet on the ties, when it toppled over,
breaking loose from the train and going
down an embankment some five feet high.
lying on its eide. In minute ell was con-
fusion.
As soon as the windows were broken to
liberate those inside the flames shot out and
in q very short time the car was enveloped.
The trainmen soon rescued those who were
unable to extncate themselves, but mono
was able to save his or her clothes. and the
night being the coldest of the season. the
thermometer reaching 40 below, the suffer-
ing of the injured was terrible. At this
time it was discovered that Mrs edward
and no human effort could render them
assistance. as the car was q mass of flames
The people were placed in the baggage car
and brought to Brainerd and quartered at
the Arlington House.
Conductor Hall says the accident was
sudden and without shadow of warming
The train was running smoothly and not
faster than twenty-five miles an hour,
when there came q terrific lurch which
suggested at first to the train hands that
the engine had plunged through culyert
Everyone in the baggage car was pitched
against its sides and more or less hurt.
When the full extent of the wreck became
apparent organized efforts were at once
made to cave the occupants of the sleeper.
Twenty were taken out. most of them
badly injured. There was no Outcry from
the end berth occupied by Mrs Andrews
and her maid It was thought that they
had escaped, and before @ second effort
could be made in their behalf the car was
enveloped In flames. Conductor Hall be-
lieves that both were instantly killed when
the car capsized.
RUDELY AWAKENED.
All the members of the opera company
were asleep when the crash came. Terrible
shrieks and groans were heard from within
tho wrecked car. As soon as the wreck
could be reached it was found that the car
had taken fire from the upturned stove.
and was burning furiously. Axes and
saws were welded with q will. and in q
few minutes it was believed that all had
been taken out. IL was not until the
terribly excited survivors had been able to
compare notes that the absence of Mamie
Wilkinson Mrs. Edward Andrews) was
discovered. Edward Andrews. the missing
woman's husband, who had saved his little
child and then had been looking for his
wife. became convinced that she was
still in the burning car with her
maid. rush was again made for
seething flames. and there was no
possibility of life for any one In il. The
two bodies were horribly disfgured. They
wore removed this morning. In all proba-
bilty Mrs: Andrews was rendered uncon::
scious by the first crash of the wreck, and
Miss Wallace is believed to have been in
stantly killed. The bodies were SO horri-
bly, chsrred that it has been impossible to
tell one from the other, and Mr.. Andrews is
too badly shocked to make the attempt.
The two victims had occupied an upper
berth at the forward end of the car. The
dead are:
MRS EDWARD ANDREWS.
MISS TILLIE WALLACE, of Minneapolis.
The names of the injured are as follows:
FLoREEcE JoY, chorus girl, severely burned ON
MAY DOUGLASS, chorus girl, burned on head and
arms.
MISS LErITrA FRTTscH. prima donna. burned on
Mrs. L. A. BAKER, her sister, shoulder dislo-
Gated.
Miss MARIE Roe, soprano. slightly burned and
bruised.
GEORGE AND DREws, baritone, burned on arms
MISS Lou HARRIS, chorus girl, burned on neck
and arms.
JAY A. TAYLOR tenor, cut and bruised.
HOWARD ALLEN. chorus, burned on neck.
FRED ALLEN. chorus, bruised and badly cut
Miss JOSIE SHEARER, chorus girl, slightly
burned.
w. L. BARKER. son Of Mrs. Barker, burned on
the hands and arms.
w. A.WIETH, chorus, slightly injured.
BERT LINCOLN, chorus arm fractured.
G.. f. MOODY, leader OF orchestra, slightly
burned.
Mrs. AL WAKEFIELD. wife of advance agent,
feet frozen.
c. W. ANDREWS business manager, badly
burned and cut.
Miss GRACE HALE, chorus. slightly burned
WILEY RHYs, orchestra, hands slightly in
ETNA HURsNo, chorus. feet frozen.
Mrs. EsHEARE. badly burned.
c. A. PARKER, comedian, back injured.
j. l.. WATSON, feet frozen.
1t thought none of the injured will die.
The following occupants of the car were
uninjured: Winay Barker Eugene Kaetu-
1 far. j. A. McMllhn aud wife, Bessie An
drews, two years old, whose mother was
killed. Lulu Who'll, S. III. Rhys, Geo. Huse.
j. l.. Watson, +. +. Seeman and III. w.
| Allen.
The accident was an unavoidable one,
| the rail breaking some five yards from the
| end, tie piece breaking in five pieces. The
| members of the company lost every thing
except stage clothes, musical instruments,
watches and money.
The real cause of the accident may be
| given as the weather. since IL seems that
| the broken rail to which the accident is
attributed was probably the result of last
| nights extreme cold. Physicians were
| taken TO the scene of the accident from
| Brainerd by q special train. and the best
| that could be done for the victims of the
| terrible wreck was done by the railroad
| company. The Northern Pacific hospital
at Brainerd 10 one of the finest equipped
in the United States. and the
best OF care will be given the