South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1893-09-28
or clover, whether sclnITT
or pasture, to sccuI X All
stand, and havingaEu hIJ
: filth and usino
portant it,
Ii Persons Killed Near the
Town Of KinSbury, Ind.
TWENTY BADLY INJURED.
a BRAKEMAN Mistakenly Turned a
switch and Sent a Fast Express
ram Crashing Into a Freight
ram Standing On a Side
Track-Boiler Explodes.

Eleven persons lost their lives in n COL
hsioh between freight train and tho Tor
onto and Montreal express on the Wabash
railroad, ut Kin gsbury. Ind. at s. 80 O'Clock
the ether morning. \ score OF others xere
injured, many OF whom will die. Tho FREIGHT
wns on siding west OF the depot and WIS
bound east. Tho first section of the cxnreae
Tram passed by Oh the main track ut S. rs A.
NJ Herbert Thompson. brakeman. suppos-
Ing that tho freight train would next move
ran back 10 open the switch before tho cars
had begun TO move. The second section Of
tho fast express can.e west mt the rate of
hity-hve miles an hour and before the brake
man could turn the switch dashed into the
sidctrack and collfded with tho freight train.
The wreck was complete and the houses for
miles around were filled with dead md
wounded.
The Toronto and Montreal express was due
IN Chicago ut Ills A. NJ. The freight ,rafn
lay on n side track to allow tho express to
pass Ten minutes later the accident had
occurred and the most frightful scenes en-
sued. The passenger locomotive struck tho
freight engine Mt full speed and the two ma
meeting end to end. The force OF tho col.
lision drove tho freight engine back against
the box cars, completely demclishing the
first three.
The passenger engine was partially stopped
by tho collision and the baggage car smoker,
day coach and one sleeper were telescoped.
The rest OF the coaches piled up on top Of
each other In a tangled mass OF wood and
iron. The passengers, who were nearly all
asleep, awoke to meet an awful death, serious
injuries. or witness tho indcscribnble suffer-
Ing OF their less fortunate companions.
The boiler Of the passenger engine ex-
ploded and hurled debris IN every direction
a pair OF trucks were tcTa apart aud Zach
nail sent Lying il: Of ,,csi;u directions. Tho
steam escaped, scniiing the injured WHO
were unable 10 crawl 10 place OF safety.
News OF tho accident WAS received Mt hend-
quar;cts o: the rord ut six O'Clock und Di-
vision Superintendent Gould and Train.
master C. A. Timewell were brought to the
scene with n wrecking crew. When they ar.
rived the citizens OF Kingsbury had carried
away the cad and injured who could he
reached.
The Mas Hall was turned into n
morgue and drays and farmers wagons were
kept bu sy for two hours hauling tho dend
and wounded to tho village, II milo distant
from the station, where medical help and
nurses were summoned.
Division Superintendent Gould admitted
that the freight brakeman. Herbert Thomp-
son, was to blame for tho accident He
turned the switch in tho face OF the expires.
and let 1t go on the sidetrack where the
freight train was standing. How no could
mako such n mistake" said Mr.. Gould, 81
gotten by all right. Then he run back TO
the switch and in spite OF tho fact that no
other section WINS in sight. he opened tho
switch for the purpose. suppose, OF letting
the one train out. The express then ran
on TO the side track, and us the freight ell
gine was but a short distance ftom tho
switch rails there was no time to stop. Tho
Thompson was trusted man OF more than
average intelligence.
Trainmaster Timewell was on the first
section that passed kingsbury in safety sit
was all Thompsons blunder,' said he Il
noticed that the first section signaled the
waiting freight train that there was another
train coming, and it was answered two by
tho freight engineer, showing the signal
was understood, and yet Thompson, whom l
have not seen yet. opened that switch. 1t
was an awful blunder. This is the first life
lost on this divisi on Of tho Wabash in six
yoars"