The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-01
Buffet Car, Two Sleepers and Dining Car
Hurled Twenty Feet Into River and
Smashed Into Kindling Wood.
At Least Thirteen Persons Killed and
Over p Score Injured, Some Fatally.
President of an Insurance Company Among
the Dead-IncideRts of the Wreck and
Rescue of the imprisoned Passengers.

IL Albany railroad, one.half mlle east of
Chester. about 1890 o'clock to-day, and
four Wagner cars were crushed. killing at
least thirteen persons. fatally injuriEg
several others. while at ;east q score are
badly hurt. The wreck is the worst ever
known on the railroad. The bridge was
boiSg strengthened for the big loco
motives, and the workmen who
were putting on the plates were at
dinner when the crash came The
locomotive passed over the structure, but
was smashed. the water tank being thrown
a long distance. The buffet. two sleepers
and dining car broke into bits when they
struck the stream. twenty feet below. but
two day coaches and smoker in the rear
did not leave the track. Thirteen dead
bodies had been taken out at o'clock. and
twelve of them had been identified. 1t is
believed that there are two more bodies in
the ruins The list of the identified dead
Is a,follows:
j. Z. DEWITT. OF Portland. Me-. president of
the Union Mutual Life Insurance Company.
MISS EMMA DELERTY, OF Columbus, D.
T. EvEKEr sEDEWICK, of Palmer, express
messenger.
JAMES MONSTERS. of Springfield. brake
man.
j. H. MURRAY. of Greenbush, N. Y, baggage
master.
conductor.
]. C. sTACKPOLE, OF Hartford, Conn.
r G. HITCHCOCK, of Bellows Falls VT.
THOMAS KELLEY. Of Boston, blanket manu-
MISS SUSIE COTTING, of Boston.
MRS. c. BIsHOPAM. of Philadelphia.
MRS. J. S. WINCHELL. of Oneida, n. Y.
UNKNOWN WOMAN, apparently about twen-
ty-five years old.
The wounded are as follows:
Rev. DIR. LEwELEE PRATT. of Norwich Conn.,,
cut hand and right thigh sprained.
RoBERF CUCKsoN. OF Boston, fracture of right
thigh and broken forearm.
ETHEL CARSON. of Dalton, shoulder sprained.
JOHN ID. CARSON, OF Dalton. bruised.
LOUIS BUCHANAN, OF Boston, badly bruised
ROsE STEPHANE, OF Springfield, Italian, frac-
tured ribs.
MARY SADIE. of Springfield. Italian, bruised.
JOHN PLATT. OF RivertOn, n. j., bruised.
MRS. JOHN PLATT. OF Riverton, N. j., bruised.
MRS. DIR. ALICE LITTELL, of Brooklyn, bad
scalp wound.
NJ. F. LEACH. of Rainfall. fractured left thigh.
Mrs. JAMES Il. kLDRIDGE, of Boston, broken
hip and fractured shoulder.
Mrs. FL. i. WHITNEY. OF Cleveland, o., badly
bruised and scalp wound.
Mrs. j. n. WINCHESTER, OF West Roxbury,
bruised.
SUMNER CUMMINGS, Of Worcester, bruised and
Mrs. SUMNER CUMMINGS of Worcester, COM
pound fracture OF leg and bruised.
WELLELY PORTER, buffet porter, Of Boston,
ARTHUR WILLIAMS of Lenox. bad scalp wound
FRANK LANG. of Chicago, bruised chest and
WINTHROP WADE, of Boston, fracture of left
thigh.
MRS. HELEN RICE, of Pittsileld. cut face.
WALTER HAWKINS. of Pittsfield, cnt face.
LEWIS MITCHELL. of Albany, badly bruised
and fractured ribs.
WILLIAM Horton, of Albany. locomotive en-
gineer, badly bruised, left hip broken and in
ternal injuries feared.
]. wALDRoN JOHNSON, of Boston, porter. bad
scalp wound
JOHN EMERSON, brakeman, of Boston. left eve
badly bruised.
+. b. ADAMS, of Holyoke. head bruised
Mrs. AVERY, OF Holyoke, hip injured.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
The train was seven minutes late ar Ches.
ter and the railroad hands say it was 90
ing OF the rate of twenty miles an hour
when it struck the first of the two spans of
the bridge across the Westfield river. The
locomotive seemed TO leap across the bridge
as the trusses collaped and fell over to the
aouth. The conductor was taking tickets
In g day COACH, and, although thrown vio-
lencly down. escaped seriousiniury. There
are only few houses in the vicinity. snd
man driving by gave the alarm through
the village streets. In few minu tes hun
dreds were on the scene. The shrieks of
the imprisoned were terrible and scores of
people looked on. completely unnerved.
The heroes of the hour were DR.. George
l.. Wood, of Collinsvllle, who went to the
train to meet his wife. and the color ed
porters ard walters in the dining car. AL
though the, latters' faces were bruised and
cut and covered with blood. they did splen-
did work. The village people soon recoy-
cred from the shock and were hard at
work. The hospital was group of apple
trees in an adjoing orchard. where scores
were taken. Ok teams brought loads of
straw. cushions, bedding and food. The
wounded were soon removed to houses and
all that remained on the apple-strewn
ground were thirteen bodies covered with
red blankets from an adjoining stable.
Many of the dead were horribly mutilated,
heads crushed in. limbs torn. and often
only recognizable from the clothing
ME. Seull. OF Philadelphia was with his
sister. Mrs. Bishpam, in o Wagner car. She
was instantly killed. and he was pinned
down. but finally extricated. When her
body was laid out a wrong name was affixed
to The breast. and the officials called him to
see the mutilated face. which be had
avoided. Are you sure she is your sisters"
the official asked. 'My God. 1t is. it 1877 he
protested. while the bystanders turned
away and wiped their eyes.
The body OF Mics Susie Getting. of Bos.
ton. as identified by Miss Andrews. daugh-
ter of Mr.. Andrews, president of the safety
Deposit Company. of Boston. Mr. An.
drews unable to get O scat in the WsG-
ner car. and so went In q day coach with
his daughter and MISS Beal, of Boston.
They were not injured.
j. f. Dewitt. OF Portland. Me-. president
of the Union Mutual Life Insurance Com
pany. was reading n magazine. NJ. w.
Kirk. of Chicago. started TO SIT with him.
but. seeing that he was absorbed excused
himself and went into the rear car and was
saved.
Mrs. John Fl. Howard of Boston. whose
stage name Is Hattie Blanchard. was one OF
the five aaved In the sleeper next In front
of the dining car, which was the worst
wrecked. She left Albany. where the John
l.. Sullivan company had appeared. the
night before. She says that she felt the
car going down and reached for her hat In
the front seat. In an. instant she was
pinned down by. beam across her
over her. She extricates herself and