River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-05-11
MANY LIVES CRUSHED.

Because of Defective Air-Brakes a Train
on the Big Four Road Gets Beyond It's
Engineers ControI-It Leaves the Track
and Crashes Into the Depot Building at
Lafayette. Ind. - Ten Men Killed and
Many Hurt-Eive Lives Lost i'm Rail-
way Disaster in Ohio.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. May g. One of the
most horrible wrecks in the history of
Indiana occurred on the Big -Four road
IN this city at l:15 Sunday morning,
as result of which ten men are now
dead and many more injured. The train
was the east-bound passenger leaving
Chicago at p. m. The accident was
caused by the failure of the air brakes
TO work. The engineer undoubtedly
discovered this before reaching the cut
beyond the Wabash river, as the vigor-
Gus whistling Of the engine for brakes
could be heard when the train was still
a mile west of the city.
The engineers desperate effort to
stop the train was shown by the large
amount of sand thrown by him on the
bridge through which the train came
just before the fatal crash. the train
dashed out of the bridge over the Wa
bash river at speed of not less than 60
miles an hour, when the engine left the
track crashing into the depot building,
tearing off portion of the depot and
train sheds. carrying them several hum
dred feet.
The engine when it left the track was
followed by the baggage car, two postal
cars and the express car and piled in
one promiscuous mass, total and com
plete wreck, burying a score or more of
victims in the pile of debris. The trucks
of the first day coach were dragged
ont and the side of the ear knocked
into fragments. but no passengers in
this ear were injured. The chair ear
and two Pullman sleepers remained on
the track The wreck was complete
one, the engine and cars being torn to
pieces and piled up together with their
contents.
Fire broke out from the stove in the
baggage car, but the fire department
speedily extinguished the flames. A
large crowd of citizens gathered very
quickly at the scene of the disaster and
assisted in rescuing the victims, and a
large force of local physicians gave the
necessary attention to the wounded.
Several victims of the wreck were per-
sons standing in the depot waiting for
the train, hackman, mail cart driver
and passengers.
The list of the dead is as follows:
Michael WEIGH. engineer Indianapolis. fright
fully mangled. head crushed, leg torn from
body found under the engne Firem Nc
Iunis Indianapolis: f. ID. Myers Logansport,
mail clerk; L f. Mcmahon, Cincinnati ex
press messenger; 4 x. Chadwick, Cincinnati
mail clerk; Charles Myers. Lafayette hack
man; John Lennon, Lafayette mailcart
driver; jesse II. Long, Lebanon. Ind. mail
clerk: Charles Schahill, passenger, just bought
ticket to indianapolis, Otto Jerselson, Al
hambra hotel, Chicago. passenger going 10
train.
These were all frightfully crushed
and mangled, their limbs being severed
in several instances and bodies terribly
disfigured.
The injured are as follows:
jefferson Reese Kempton, bruised and cut
about the head; Richard Jones. Pontiac, Ill,
cut about head; Louis Lefiier, Fowler, cut by
glass from breaking windows; Sephas Bergen
Gale. Milwaukee. cut about head and hand bad
ly bruised, William Place living near Frank
fort, Ind, bruised and cut; Charles Koush, La
fayette, leg broken in TWO places: William
Rechtell, Lebanon. Ind. passenger in waiting
ROOM arm and hand lacerated; C. 4. Wissell
a w. Cornahan l. A. Wetzler and j. N Wick
cry, mail clerks, all from Cincinnati, were more
OF less injured, but not seriously
The damage to property will be fully
$50, 900, while the subsequent losses
which will grow out of the disaster
will make the total a very large sum.
CINCINNATI, May S.-A rear-end col
lison between two freight trains on
the Dayton & Michigan road occurred
Saturday near Tadmer, north of Dayton.
The first train had stopped for water, and
the succeeding one ran into the rear
end of it. Six tramps had hidden them
selves among some railroad ties on one
of the cars. and when the shock came
five of them were killed outright and
one was injured.