The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-21

stream. Finally a stream secured
from another hydrant, the firemen mean
while attacking the blazing wreck with axes.
hatchets and lengths of rails found in the
yards, but by the time that supply of
water was available the telescoped coaches
had been reduced to fragments of charred
timber, little more than the trucks remain
ing.
The firemen then commenced the grue-
soma work of recovering what remained of
the victims, the police taking charge of the
valuables and keeping the crowd at dis
tance. In response to the alarm from the
fire station pretty near the entire town had
turned out, and the leading men. assisted
by their wives devoted themselves to the
relief of those injured in the fourth car.
These were placed in buggies and carts
and taken to the hospital where a corps
of physicians and nurses were in waiting
to minister to their sufferings. The first
body was taken out at about o'clock, and
few minutes after dozen were discov-
cred in a heap around the stove of the sec
ond car. The task continued until twenty
bodies or portions of human beings had
been brought out of the debris. For want
of a sufficient number of stretchers boards
were nailed together. and a freight car
standing in a sidetrack was converted into
a temporary morgue.
AS the work went on portions of satchels
and valises, pocketbooks, shotguns, watch
es, pocket handkerchiefs and a quantity of
silver money were brought to light and
turned over to the officers. When sec
ond search of the debris was made and ii
was certain that no bodies remained the
freight car was backed down to the city
depot, the charred remains transferred to
an undertaker's, a wrecking crew set TO
work, the debris again sorted and after
wards burned, and tonight there is moth
ing in the railroad yards but heap of
ashes to tell the story of one of the most
awful holocausts in the history Of railroad
Ing
DIED LIKE A CHRISTIAN.
Never will the citizens who were early on
the ground forget the scenes they were
compelled to witness and powerless to give
aid. The most terrible case was that of
Mrs. Van Dusen. She had succeeded in
getting half out of the car. but her feet
and limbs were caught inside, and she
could not be removed. She pleaded and
begged for the help that the people on the
outside were unable to give. She retained
consciousness, despite her terrible agony,
surrounded her she called out her name
and the names of friends to be notified.
II am teacher in the Methodist Sunday
school at Sprout Brook, n. w. she cried.
Say L died like Christian" Then the
side of the gave way, and she fell back
into the flames. Her husband had mean
while been rescued from the next car, into
which he had been driven by the force Of
,1ac on 11rc<7
and he had also received internal injuries.
He retained consciousness until his death
this afternoon, but was kept in ignorance
of the fate of his wife. In his last breath
he asked DR.. George r. Kulpf to notify
the children he had left at home. and also
to give them his watch He was forty-seven
years old. and n deacon in the Methodist
Church of his native village.
Another reporter in describing the death
of Mrs. Van Dusen says that at first she
had no doubt of her escape. AS she looked
out of the window and awaited her rescuers
the alarm of fire was suddenly given.
Hurry up; please hurry up." she said as
the fear crossed her mind that perhaps
she was possibly in danger of burning. A
minute later, while strong men were strain
ing to extract her. the possibility became
toward the imprisoned woman. "You shan't
burn; We'll get you out" cried the men
heroically as they wrestled frantically
with the splintered tinbers. There was a
lull of speech for five minutes. The res
cuers had become giants in strength and
madmen in desperation, and they strug-
gled wildly with the tangled mass of wood
and iron. The woman was silent and
rod la,r
faces of the firemen. my God! oh. my
Godr' suddenly burst from the lips of one
Of the heroic workers. and in that despair
ing heart cry the helpless woman read her
death warrant She gave one agonizing
wall and then her woman's weakness gave
way to a martyrs strength.
Il can die; oh, yes, / can die if I must"
she said soothingly to the strong men who
were weeping in their impotent strength
Again they struggled breathlessly to rescue
but the flames were encircling the party.
and the blaze claimed the victim that the
crash had spared II am Christian" she
said resignedly,' and moment later her
voice was raised in prayer. The flames
now completely encircled the helpless VIC
tim, and the fremen were driven away
AS the blaze caught her arms, and as she
she told her name and address and left
messages of love to her husband and fam
lily. The closing minute was a pathetic
struggle against the inevitable. but it was
the flesh that fought and not the spirit
The white face of the woman gazed heav-
onward and her lips moved in prayer. Even
the fury of the flames that wreathed her
limbs and blistered and curled the whole
flesh of her arms were powerless to pro-
woke scream Suddenly there was a
swaying and surging of burning tinbers
above and around her. A wild groan burst
simultaneously from the lips of the specta-
tors, and strong men wept Through their
tears they the flames sweep around
the face of the martyred woman, and her
hair burned wildly for a moment. The
head dropped to one side as the victim in
hailed the flames. The poying lips were
stilled. and the soul of Mrs. Van Dusen
had passed beyond the fury of the elements
of earth.
SCENES ATT THE ysORCIE