The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1893-05-08
Nine men WERE KILLED
The iir Brakes Would hot Work lld
q Wreck Ensuod.
CRASHING THROUGH WALLS
In tbs Union Depot at Lasayetts.
ind.. Engine and Cars Piled
In heap-Fatai Steam
boat Explosion.

most horrible wrecks In the history of
railroadiug occurred on the Big Four road
In this city at rs this morning, as q no
suit OF which nine men are now dead and
many moro injured. The train vas the
east bound passenger, leaving Chicago at
9p. m. Tho accident Was caused by the
failure Of tho air brakes to work. Tho
engineers desperate efforts to stop tho
train are shown by the large amount OF
sand thrown by him on the bridge through
which tho train came just before tho fatal
crash, and his vigorous whistling for
brakes. Tho engine dashed out of tho
bridge over the Wabash river at q speed
not less than 20 miles an hour. cra shins
into the depot building, tearing OIL por-
tton and carrying the train shods several
hundred feet. The engine, whom II left
tho track was followed by the baggage
car, two postal cars and the express car.
piled In one promiscuous mass, . total
and complete wreck, buryiug q score or
more victims In the awful pile OF debris.
Tho chair car and two Pullman slecpers
remained on tho track. To add to tho
CONSERVATION, fire broke out from tho
stovc In tho baggage car, but the fro de-
partmcnt speedily extinguisl,ed tho
flames.
A large crowd gathered quickly at
the scene of the disaster and
assisted In rescuing tho victims
and q large force OF local ply
stcians gave the necessary attention to
the wounded. Several of the victims Of
the wreck were persons standing in the
depot waiting for the train.
Tho dead arc as follows:
MICHAEL WEIGH, engineer, Indianapo.
lis. Ind.
FIREMAN McISNIs. Indianapolis.
+. d. MYERS. Loxansport, mail clerk.
MCMAHON, Cincinnati. mail clerk.
CHARLES MYERS. Lafayette. hackInan.
JOHN LENNON, Lafayette, mail cart
driver.
JESSE H. LONG, Lebanon. Ind, mail
clerk.
CHARLES ScHAHrLL, Indiana polls.
OTTo JERsELsoN, Chicago.
These were all frightfully crushed and
mangled, the limbs being severed In sew
eral instances and the bodies terribly dis
figured.
The injured arc ms follows:
JEFFERSON REESE. Kempton.
RICHARD JONES. Pontiac, Ill.
Louis LEFFLER, Fowler.
SOPHIA BERCENHALE, Milwaukee.
WILLIAM PLACE. Frankfort, Ind.
CHARLES RoUsH, Lafayette.
WILLIAM BAcHTELL. Lebanon, Ind.
c. A. WIssELL, A. W. CARNAHAS, L. A.
wERTyEL, ]. n. vIcKERr, all four mail
clerks, Cincinnati.
The damage to the property destroyed
will be fully $4,000.
The ill-fated train. when almost mile
from tho station, began dashing around
the curves and tore across the long bridge,
although the man at tho throttle reversed
the machinery and immense streams Of
fire were being dashed of from the driy.
ing wheels, running In tho opp osite direc-
tion to that of the swiftly flying cars that
followed. Just after leaving tho east end
OF the long bridge the tracks describe q
semi-circle, at tho midway point Of which
the union station is located. When tho
engine struck tho sharp curve, Il left the
track followed by the cars In an awful
swirl and they piled upon each other 100
feot AWAY, after crashing through tho
train sheds and bringing down tons of
structural iron to add TO tho tcrrors Of tho
situation.
The bystanders went 10 work at onco
and tho police and fire department quickly
responded. Superintendent Bender ar.
rived ut an early hour aud under the di.
rcction of trained workers the tracks ycro
soon cleared and ready for the rcsum btion
of traffic. The injured were removed to
their homes or to the hospital, and no
other fatalities aro expected than those
reported.