Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-09-30
DEATH ON A SIDING.

bWitCn ht INC wrong Itmc, ALLOWING y
Wabash Express Train to Crash Into .
Freight at Kingsbury, Ind. d.-Eleven Por-
sons Killed and Many Injured.
KfNesBURY, Ind, Sept. 23.-Every
house in the town is either n morgue or
a hospital. Two trains came together
on the Wabash siding just after day
break Friday. The freight train, with
twenty-five loaded cars, stood on the
side track and was headed east.
For more than an hour it had
waited for the second section of
the No. So passenger train, west
bound. All the passenger trains have
been going in sections because of the
heavy worlds fair traffic. After the
first section went by at 4:40 o'clock all
.he trainmen knew that another section
was coming. Herbert Thompson was
head brakeman. 1t was his work to
look after the east switch. No man
can tell why Thompson went and
turned the switch after the first train
had passed. 1t was the act of crazy
man--so say the railroad men. But he
did it. Thompson cannot tell, for no
one has seen him since the dead and
dying were thrown high III the air with
the shattered fragments. Thompson
ran away. Some one saw him an
hour later sitting on the iron
bridge in the deep timber country
to the east. He had his head between
his hands and was looking down into
the water. The second section cane at
$40. The switch was open, but the
signals did not say so. The trains met.
In one instant of crash and explosion
two engines and three coaches were
heaped in mountain of splinters.
There followed all TIM scenes of blood
and suffering known to railroad
wrecks.
Those killed are as follows:
j. II. McKenna butcher. OF Hyde Park.
Mass. Harry French, i3 years old, member OF
Orphans bell ringers, London, Eng; Charles
| Birke, San Francisco; Miss Nellie B, Tucker,
| Newton, Mass; Conductor James Coulter, OF
passenger train Engineer John Greene Ash.
| ley, Ind, passenger train; Warren C. Rider,
Phoenix, AriZ; p C.. Zelle, Berlin, Germany;
Baggagemaster Lyons, passenger train; James
/ d. Roundy, La Moille, la.
The names of twenty-one of those in
/ jured have been secured, as follows,
w. Burbank. New Orleans, La, 90 years old
! arms and one leg broken, iawbone fractured,
| viii die; William Adams, IA years old, London,
I EUSlhuu OTpudu DtIl ringers, DOn
| legs broken, injured internally, will die; Miss
Hattie Hutchins, Phoenix, A. T., bruised about
| head and injured internally, recovery doubt.
tul; Fireman Barber, OF Ashley, on pas
senger train, leg broken and severely burned,
| recovery doubtful; II. j. Vatkeney, fireman
on freight train, burned and scalded about
| head and breast, may die: William Haskins,
| IA years old, London, England, compound frac-
ture OF right leg, left shoulder broken, recovery
! doubtful; Edward Rush. 10 years old London,
bruised about body, head cut; Swien
| Garfield, Ironwood, Mich, bruised about
| head and shoulder dislocated: Mrs, L
| Garfield, Ironwood, Mich, left arm broken,
| shoulder dlslocated and head badly cut;
| H. W. Ryder, Phoenix Park, A T., head cut
and leg bruised, not serious; q. s. Hodgson
Dover, n. H. teeth knocked out, arm fractured
and legs bruised; Mrs S. A. Seavly, Somer-
| vile, head cut and arm dislocated; Albert
| Morton, IL years old, London, Eng, arm hurt
| and two deep scalp wounds; Frank r. Dow,
| Fair Haven, Wash, face cut and hip dislocated
| james G. Wookly, London Eng, head
| cut and back injured; Engineer Whitman on
| freight engine, right arm broken and badly
| burned, seriously injured but may recover;
| Miss Hattie Rogers, Phoenix, A T., left leg
fractured and injured internally; Mrs. Dolber,
45s Green avenue. Brooklyn, leg fractured and
cut about the head Miss Olive Hill, Summers
| worth, n. II injured internally and head cut;
| Miss Annie Hill, Summersworth, N. H, slight
| wound; Miss n. S Kelly, Boston, severe scalp
| wound.
The boiler of the passenger engine
exploded and hurled debris in every di-
rection. A pair of trucks were
torn apart and each half sent
flying in opposite directions. One
of the great pieces of iron
was hurled several hundred yards
away, where 1t crashed through far
mer's barn. Its mate was thrown clear
across 2O-acre field on the south side
of the track. The steam escaped, scald'
ing the injured who were not able to
crawl to place of safety.
When the two trains came together
the heavy freight train crushed the
passenger by its tremendous weight.
The cars in front were filed with
dressed beef. Two of these cars
We're demolished and the beef car
casses We're thrown among the
human bodies. The two engines
telescoped so completely that they
seemed like one shattered locomotive
with twelve driving wheels The two
forward day coaches plunged forward
and broke all to pieces. The third day
coach, by some strange chance, wa:
swung sidewise. The rear trucl
was thrown high into the air ant
slighted IN a pasture 200 feet from
the tracks. This third car, lying
across the rails at right angles
crushed in the front of the first sleeper
killing the two young women from
Boston and burying half dozen pas
sengers under pieces of wood and broker
glass. The two engines and the thre,
cars were thus jammed together il
hardly more than cars length.
Out from this tangled mass of wreck
age, through which clouds of stean
We're pouring, came the injured, Will
: here and there could be seen the arm
leg or head of some unfortunate out O
J whom all life had been crushed. Th
: first assistance came from those VIII
) escaped injury. Within half-hour tn
awakened townspeople came runnin
: to the scene BY o'clock specia
, | trains had arrived with SURGEONS froI