The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-10-11
Died At An OPEN SWITCH.
A FATAL COLLISION CAUSED
BY A BRAKEMAN'S ERROR.

The Second Section of a Wabash
Train Dashes Into a Freight on o.
Siding at Kingsbury, d.--Halfa
Score Of Passengers Killed and
Many Severely Injured.
Eleven persons were killed and eighteen
injured, four Of them fatally, In an end-on
collision on the Niagara Falls Short Line Of
the Wabash Railroad within sight Of Kings
bury Station, Ind, few minutes before6
o'clocka. m. The accident was caused by
the carelessness OF Herbert Thompson, head
brakeman of a fast freight train, who threw
open the switch of siding almost In front
OF the approaching passenger train. Thomp-
son made his escape. Z.
The freight train had orders to let the ex-
press train pass It at Kingsbury. As this
brakeman threw the switch the second
section Of the express trsiD came along atsa
high rate OF speed. Before the brakeman
had time to throw back the switch the
heavy engine had dashed into the siding.
moment later tho trains met with terrific
force. To add to the horrors OF the collision
the boiler OF the PASSENGER engine blew up,
scattering human bodies and car Treckage
In all directions Ten minutes afler the ac-j
cident had occurred the most frigh.ful scenes
were transpiring.
The citizens of Kingsbury carried away
the dead and injured VINO could be reached.
The Masonic Hall was turned into morSue,
and drays ard farmers wagons we're kept
busy for two hours hauling the dead and
wounded to the village, Il mile distant from
the depot, where medical help and nurses
were summoned. 5s.Ez5 ~
There were two sleepers on the train, the
Marion and Kansas City. The former es-
capped injury, but the front halt OF the
Kansas City was converted into kindliLg
wood by the day coach, wnich smashed
over il. Two dead bodies were taken
from the sleeper. those OF Harry French
and Charles Berbo. The smoking car was
twisted into a heap OF splinters, and few OF
the passengers escaped death or injury. The
day coach which followed was also wrecked
by being hurled against the sleeper Kansas
City. TS.s &
Ehe passengers in the sleeping cars were
all il their berths when the shock came.
Many of them were thrown from their beds
and severely hurt. The harvest of deaths
was reaped in the smoking car and day Z
coaches composing the forward part Of the
train. &. ~
The passengers who wero not hurt worked
heroically In their efforts to take the dead
and wounded from the wreck as quickly
As it could be doIe. The broken
beams and twisted irons OF the tele-
scoped nars were pulled apart, and
from beneath them the victims OF the
catastrophe were lifted. Within short
time many bodies, msngled and dead, were
lying on the Drowned grass near the wreck,
and a score or more OF injured had been car.
.ried to the nearest farm houses, where they
were attended to by surgeons and the coun-
try people. q -
The engineer Of the passenger train, John |.
Green, met an awful death. he had no time
to jump and was thrown from his cab for
ward clear over the freight engine, q dis
tance Of several ,ar lengths. q
His conductor. James Coulter, was taken
from beneath the wrecked smoking car. his
spine was broken. He died as soon as he was I
taken into the depot. James B. Woakiy and,
Henry Aaron, with company Of boys from
Doctor Barnardo's orphanage In London,
England, were also aboard the train, bound
for Chicago. One OF the lads, Harry French. (
Was killed and several others were badly In
jured Ono Of them, William Adams, was
fatally injured. 4: s,5 ise,i( 81 s:
The Depot looked like hospital after
battle. Men, women and children with
wounds of all sorts laid on hastily improyised
cots. The platform south OF the track was,
raised, and there on car cushions were
stretched several of the wounded waiting for Z
the arrival Of another special train.