Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-05-08
SHOCKING CALAMITY
Engine Jumps The Track
in Indiana.
TEN PERSONS ARE KILLED,
The Property Loss to the Railroad
Will Reach S150,OO0.

LAFAYETTE. Ind, May s-The worst
history of Lafayette, both in fatalities and
In damage to property, occurred yesterday
morning at 1850 at the Union depot. The
Big Four train from Chicago came into
the yard on time, and its engine, baggage
car and two postal cars and one express
car were totally wrecked ut the south end
OF the passenger station. The accident
was caused by failure Of the air brakes
to work properly. The train came dash.
ing along the track near the station, with
speed Of IS miles an hour, and when Il
reached point about 100 feet from the
depot, the engine left the track and
dragged the cars with IL.
The engine was dashed to pieces, the
baggage car reduced to splinters, the mail
cars were overturned and letters, papers,
ETC., scattered far and near. The trucks OF
the first passenger coach were dragged out
and the left rear side of the coach wa
knocked into Fragments Miraculous To
state, not passenger In the coach thus
partially demolished was killed. The
entire east part of the iron train sheds was
carried away and that portion of the depot
was demolished. the shed roofs and twisted
pillars Gaping the heaped up ruins Of the
big mogul engine and the ars.
Part of the brick wall Of the railway side
of the depot was also carried away. En-
gineer Mike Walsh of indianapolis was
seen by the fireman Of a Big Four freight
train that was lying on the west track
near the depot as the express dashed by.
He was at the throttle, apparently revers-
ing his engine. He had evidently discov-
cred a defect In the airbrakes while on the
Wabash river bridge, just after the train
left a steep down grade, for he sounded
alarm whistles, but the trainmen on the
cars were equally unsuccessful In apply
ing the airbrakes, and when the engine
struck the sharp curve at the depot 1t waa
derailed. A conservative estimate of the
damage to the Big Four property ID
100000.
The three Chicago mail distributors
aboard the train escaped uninjured.
The dead are:
Engineer Michael Walsh of Indian.
apolis.
Fireman Sterling McInnis. Urbana, Ills.
Charles Schaill of Indianapolis.
Otto Jerelson of Montreal, Canada
Mail Clerk Ed Meyers Of Cincinnati.
Express Messenger Thomas Mcmahon
of Cincinnati
Charles Meyers, Lafayette, hackman,
waiting for the train, was struck by wild
engine and instantly killed.
John Lennon, driver of mail wagon, suf-
fered similar fate to Myers
Mail Clerk A. X. Chadwick of Cincin-
natl
Iail Clerk Jesse II. Long.
The injured are: jeff Reese, Kempton,
Ind, slightly; Richard Jones. Pontiac,
Ills. slightly; Lewis Letter. Fowler, Ind,
slightly; Sophia Bergenhalt, Milwaukee,
severe cut on head and arm; William
Place, Frankfort, Ind, seriously; Charles
Rousch, leg fractured; Mail Clerk G. A.
Wissel, A. w. Carnhan and Henry Eller,
slightly hurt; Mail Clerk L. A. Wester.
The Union depot was converted into q
morgue, and the mangled remains Of those
victims early recovered from the wreck
were laid out on the waiting room floor.
The body of Irwin McInnis was dis
membered, the left leg being torn of at
the hip and presented ghastly sight. The
brains of Otto Jerelson covered his face,
and there was not a whole bone in his body.
Over 10000 people visited the scene Of
the wreck. IL will take week to remove
1t. In the wreckage are express and
mail matter and many dismantled
trunks, fragments Of express and mail
wauops and Hand hnyoaa