Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-09-28
ELEVEN LIVES WERE LOST.
BY the Terrible Wreck on the Wa
bash Railroad.


Freight Besides the Dead, Scores Were
Injured and Many Cannot Recover.
CHICAGO. LII. Sept. %. 1T is reported that
the second section of the west bound vesti-
buled express on the Detroit division of
the Wabash road, due in this city at 7.l5
o. NJ, met with an accident near Kings
bury, Ind, this morning, in which quite
number Of persons were killed.
The officials of the company in this city
admit that there has been an accident, but
profess Ignorance OF details. kingshury
is 90 miles east of this city in Laporte
county, Ind.
THE DEAD MAY NUMBER THIRTY.
CHICAGO, ILL.,. Sept. 22.-Twelve dead
bodies have so far been taken from the
wrecked Wabash train, and it is believed
that there are still IL or ~ bodies TO be re-
moved
THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS TEN.
Superintendent ]. S. Goodrich of the
Chicago division says 10 people were killed
in the wreck at Kingsbury, this morning
Three are trainmen and seven passengers.
KINGsB0RY, IND, Sept. 22.-Eleven per-
sous lost their lives in the collision be-
tween freight train and the Toronto &
Montreal express on the Wabash railroad
at this station at $50 o'clock this morning.
A score, Of others are injured, many of
whom will die.
The freight was on siding west of the
depot and was bound east, The first Sec
ton Of the express train passed by on the
main track at 5. % a. m, 1t is said that the
brakeman, surprising thar the freight
train would now move, ran back to open
the switch before the cars had begun to
move.
The second section of the fast express
came west at the rate of IS miles an hour,
and before the brakeman could turn the
switch dashed into the side track and col
lided with the freight train. The wreck is
complete and the houses for miles around
are filled with dead and wounded.
TIE BOILER BLEW UP.
1t was the worst wreck the Wabash road
has ever had. To add to the horrors of
the terrible collision the boiler of the pas
senger engine blew up, scattering human
bodies and car-wreckage in all directions.
Thepassenger engine andthe freightloco-
motive collided at full speed and the two
machines lay jammed together, their
boilers meeting end to end. The force of
the collision drove the freight engine back
against the box cars, completely demolish.
ing the FIRST three The passenger engine
was partially stopped by the collision, and
the baggage car, smoker, day coach and
one sleeper were telesc0ped.
The rest of the coaches piled up on top
of each other in tangled mass of wood
and iron, and the passengers, who were
nearly all asleep, awoke TO meet an awful
death, serious injuries, or witness the in
describable suHerings of their less fortu-
nate companions. The boiler of the pas
senger engine exploded and hurled debris
i'll every direction, a pair OF trucks were
torn apart and each half went flying in
opposite directions. The steam escaped.
scalding the injured. who were unable to
crawl to place of safety.
BRAKENAN's BLuNpER.
Division Superintendent Gould admitted
that the freight brakeman, Herbert
Thompson, was TO blame for the accident
| He turned the switch in the face of the ex-
press and let 1t go OH the side track where
the freight train was standing.
How he could make such mistake"
| said Mr.. Gould, 81 cannot understand. The
! tirst section had gotten by all right. Then
he ran back TO the switch, and in spite OF
the fact that the other section was in sight
he opened the switch for the purpose. |
suppose, of letting the freight train out.
The express then ran on to the side track
and as the freight engine was but a short
distance from the switch rails there was no
time TO stop. The sections were 10 miles
apart. Brakeman Thompson was trusted
man OF more than the average intelligence.
He is not in custody, but will be on hand
| at the inquest"
Conductor Parks was in charge of the
freight train and was in the cabaose. He
| was not harmed.
The engineer of the passenger train,
John Greene. met an awful death. He
had no time TO jump and was thrown from
his cab forward clear over the freight en-
gine distance of several Car lengths. His
conductor, James Coulter, was taken from
beneath the wrecked smoking car with his
spine broken. He died as soon as he was
taken into the depot. James B, Weakly
and Henry Aaren, with a company of boys
from DIR. Barnardo's orphanage, in Lon
don, England, were aboard the train bound
for Chicago. One of the lads Harry
French, was killed and several Others
were badly injured. One of them, Will
liam Adams, lies Unconscious in the station
and cannot recover. MIR. Weakly is also
badly hurt.
Physicians and surgeons arrived on the
ground from all directions in response
to the railway officials summons. At |
o'clock special train came in from Peru
ard carried 10 of the injured persons to
Chicago,
PERu, IHD. Sept. 23.-The passengers
wounded in the Wabash accident at Kings.
bury were brought to the company's hos
pital at this place, and are receiving atten-
ton from DR.. Higgins, who was at the
wreck, his assistant, DIR. Wells, and the
nurses. The victims are having more
|
intensely. Several are likely to die.
1T CAME WITHOUT WARNING.
Mrs. G. s. Hodson Of Dover, N. H., was
able to talk. She said: at is almost i'm
possible to tell about the occurrences, 1t all
happened so quickly. There was no warn.
ing whatever. My husband and were in
a day coach, having just come from the
sleeper. There was a man and wife and
child opposite us in the car. | had been
playing with the baby and had Just re-
turned 1t to its mother when there was a
crash, My first thought was that we would
be killed together. but Igot out and re-
member being able TO help my husband,
who was hurt, up the bank. The little
baby ana its parents were fatally injured.
The cries and groans Of the wounded were
terrible"
a SECOND TERRIFIC SHOCK.
Frank +. Dow, newspaper man of
Fairhayen. Wash, said: AFTER the first
shock OF the collision was over the engine
blew up and made second terrific shock,
which threw down all the people who had
arisen to their feet. was in the day
coach and by the splinters and glass had
several arteries of my head cut. Blood
streamed over my eyes, but managed TO
help take out some Of the people. One
old farmer with white beard took Out,
but his wife could not be found. got out
several others, then had to give up on ac-
count of my injuries"
WERE IN THE REAR CAR.
]. II. Bacon, B. +. Miller, G. II. Adams
and w. S. Dennison, four young men of
Cambridge, Mass, who We're In the rear
car of the wrecked train, had awakened
early and were enjoying the delight of
dow. The crash of the collision threw all
| four out of their Goats and Suillad them