The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-30
MANGLED IN A STREET CAR
Four Persons Killed and a Dozen In
jured at Chicago Railway Crossing.
AConstruetion Train Dasbes Into a Car Crowd
ed with Working PeOple-Six Men Ar
rested for Criminal Carelessness.
sp.e.., y m. 1naianapOll. Journal.

Special 60 the Indianapolis Journal
CHICAGO, Dec. GA Fort Wayne con-
struction train. IN the semi-darkness Of
the early hours of this morning, dashed
past the Forty-seventh-street crossing ut
the rate of thirty miles an hour. and
left behind it the mangled bodies Of four
dead and a dozen fearfully injured pas
sengers of a street car. The names of the
victims follow:
D~ead-John Blaha, OF Fiftieth and Loomis
streets, drawn beneath the wheels OF the loco
Andrews, of Forty-seventh and Wood streets.
head cut and his body torn and crusned; Jonn
Roberts. night superintendent OF +. Il. Wells
Packing Company, terribly mangled; unldenu-
fied woman, supposed to be Minnie Carson. a
card with that name being found In her pocket,
died OF internal injuries while being conveyed 70
InIured-John Brisk. head cut aud body
crushed. but will probably recover; Ellen Con-
co9ponnd fracture of the skull and internal in
juries, Will probably die; j. j.. Costello, right
arm broken. and legs and head badly cut-very
and shoulders, and internally injured;
Henry GruDer, seriously cut about head
and legs; Michael kohn, shoulder dislocated,
doubtful; Minnie Kudel. head cut and abdomen
pierced by a steel splinter, recovery extremely
doubtful; William Keyster, left leg broken. head
and arms cut and injured internally; Patrick
O'Neill, Leg broken and side crushed. recovery
doubtful; Thomas Riordan, badly bruised and
injured internally; Patrick 5hankley, driver or
streetcar, collar Zone broken; Joseph Williams,
cut about head and shoulders.
The accident occurred shortly after o
O'Clock. Th street-car going east on For
fy-seventh street was crowded with half
a hundred working people going TO their
work. The passengers were wholly IN
aware that q train was approaching as the
car started TO cross the railroad track.
There was absolutely no warning. There
-.a H. aI 80 - m 4. m ah
full crash. as the iron monster tore through
the midst of the Inflated people, and In an
instant the dead and tortured were strewn
along the frozen ground by the tracks.
The train came To q stand-stiu some dis
tance south of the crossing. and those on
board FASTENED back to the wrecked street.
car, of which scarcely enough remained to
enable the witnesses to distinguish what it
had once been. The neighboring residents
also turned out TO the rescue OF the
wounded. The alarm was turned in to all
the police stations any where within the
vicinity, and five patrol wagons reached
the spot q short time later. At hrst every
thing was confusion. lt was still dark,
aud while the cries of the wounded could
be heard, their bodies were almost invisi-
BILE.
The houses near the crossing were soon
turned into impromptu hospitals. and q
number of the unfortunat, people were
taken TO the hospitals and to their homes.
One man, who was found still breathing.
lived long enough only to be carried into q
n~eighboring house. Before one of the In
came. and the destination of the wagon
was changed to the morgue. Most of the
bodies were found in the debris of the
street car. but after the search had been
thought complete 1t was found that two
men had been dragged several hundred feet
by the engine. under the tender, where
they still remained.
Six people were placed under arrest.
NJ n~A-I -----
O'Connor, driver and conductor. respect
lively. of the street car; ngIneer Roecup
and fireman Meager. of the railway train.
and the gateman. John Albright, and the
tOwermaD, Peter Schwartz. To all of these
come suspicion of carelessness is attached.
The gateman was last January indicted
for alleged carelessness in connection with
a fatal accldent at his crossing. In the
present instance neither the gateman nor
the tOwerman was at his post, both being
in q warm shanty near the tracks. leaving
the gates MP and exposing any street car
10 approaching trains. This fact was estab-
lished by their own The
street-car men appear to be equally care
less. Either the driver drove upon the
track without receiving any signal from
the conductor. who had gone in front. OIL
the latter gave that signal without first
satisfying himself that the track was clear.
The fireman and engineer OF the construc-
tion train are also at variance IN theiI
statements.
There seems to be no doubt In the mind
of any one that it was due to the most
gross carelessness in some quarter. The
construction train was one which leaves
the depot with rare exceptions each morn
ing at SOS o'clock. This morning 1t passed
the crossing at Clio. the exact moment n
which it is due there. The customary ar
rival is. of course. well known TO all street.
car men and TO the employees at the CROSS
ing. yet the gates were MP. no employe was
ct his post and no warning of the trains
approach was given.