Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-05-08
TEN HORRIBLY MANGLED
Another Train Wrecked on the
Big Four Railroad.
THE AlR-BnAk-s WOULD NOT WORK

While Going Down a Grade the Train
Became UnmanaGeable, Jumped the
Track and Crashed Into the Station.
Eleven Seriously Injured.
LAFAYETTE, Ind, May 8.-Thousands of
people day are visiting the scene of what
has proved to be one of the most horrible
wrecks in the history of raiiroading. 1t
occurred on the Big Four road i'll this city
at lis in the morning. Ten men are
already dead and many more of those in
iured are expected to die.
The train was the east bound passenger
leaving Chicago at p. m. The accident
was caused by the failure of the air brakes
to work. The engineer undoubtedly dis
covered this before reaching the cut beyond
the Wabash river, as the vigorous whist
ling of the engine for brakes could be
heard when the train was still a mile west
of the city. The engineers desperate efforts
TO stop the train was shown by the large
amount of sand thrown by him on the
bridge through which the train came just
before the fatal crash.
The engine dashed out of the bridge over
the Wabash river at a speed of not less
depot building. carrying off portion of
the depot and train sheds, carry
ing them several hundred feet. The en-
CINE when it left the track was followed
by the baggage car, two postal cars and
the express car, all piled in one promis-
cuous mass a total and complete wreck,
burying a score or more of victims in the
awful pile of debris. The trucks of the
first day coach were dragged out and the
ciI IF ha In olEaH inf fran
but no passengers in this car were injured.
L he Il air car and two Pullman sleepers
remained on the track. The wreck was
| most complete one, the engines and
cars being torn to pieces and piled up
together with their contents.
To add to the CONSERVATION, fire broke
out from the stove in the baggage car,
| but the fire department rapidly extin-
%uiShed the flames. A large crowd of
| citizens gathered very quickly at the
scene of the disaster and assisted in res
| cuing the victims, and large force of
local physicians gave the necessary atten-
| tion to the wounded. Several victims of
| the wreck were persons standing in the de-
pot waiting Tor a train, hackman, a mail
| cart driver and passengers.
The list of dead is as follows:
Michael Walch, engineer, indianapolis,
frightfully mangled, head crushed, limbs
/
Fireman McInnis indianapolis
Ed. Myers. Logansport, mail clerk.
| McAlahon, Cincinnati, express messen-
| ger
A. r. Chadwick, Cincinnati, mail clerk.
| Charles Meyers, Lafayette, hackman.
John Lennon, Lafayette, mail cart
| driver.
Jessy H. Long. Lebanon, Ind, mail
| clerk
| Cborloe Cobob;l1 ,,,.so,,fro. j,,.+ l,o,,r,L >
/ a ticket to indianapolis.
| Otto JerselSon, at Hambra Hotel, Chi
cago, passenger, going to train.
These were all frightfully crushed and
nangled, their limbs being severed in sew
| eral Instances and bodies terribly dis
| figured.
Eleven We're injured, seven seriously
| so. 1t is almost certain that the list OF
/ dead will Ike further increased from this
number.
The damage by property destroyed will
be fully $4,000, while the subsequent
losses which will grow out of the disaster
| will make the total a very large sum.
High bluffs rise on the west bank of the
| Wabash, just opposite the city, and there
is long and steep grade at that point.
| The ill1atcd train must have been mile
up the grade from the river when the
| engineer discovered that there was some
began to sArilly whistle for hand brakes
| The speed had by that time increased ter.
| rifically, however, that its control was be
yond human agency.
| With almost lightning like speed the
monster engine dashed around the curves
and across the long bridge, although the
man at the throttle had reversed the ma
chinery and Immense streams of fire were
being dashed off from driving wheels run.
ming in opposite direction to that of the
swiftly flying cars that followed just
after leaning the east end of the long
bridge over the tracks, the cars described
semi circle at the midway point at which
the Union station is located
| When the engine struck that shari
curve it left the track followed by the cars
in an awful whirl and they piled upon
each other 100 feet away, after crashin .
through train sheds and bringing tons OF
structural iron to add to the terror of the
situation.
The by-standers went to work at once
and the police and fire departments quickly
responded, the latter rendering valuabl,
service in promptly checking the flames
which threatened the lives of scores Of
others in addition to those killed outright
who were imprisoned in the mountain OF
| debris.
The injured have been removed to theil
homes or the hospital The officials of
the Big Four are well represented and
everything possible is being done for the
comfort of the victi ms of the disaster.
Alhwardt in PrisOn