The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-23
BRAKEMAN SBLUNDER
Carelessness Causes a Terrible Ac-
cident on the Wabash.
An EmplOye Opens Switch at Kings
bury, Ind, and Lets Fast Train
Run Into Freight.
ELEVEN LIVES BLOTTED OUT
And Over a Score Of Persons Cut,
Bruised and Manned.
Injured Taken to the Hospital at Peru
Brakeman Thompson, Who Caused
the Wreck, Missing.

Brakeman Thompson, Who Caused
the Wreck, Missing.
KISGsBURY. Ind. Sept. 22.-Eleven bod
les resting upon imprOvised Stats and 10.
bIcs under the roof of the modest Masonic
inmates of the City Hospital of Peru.
seventy miles distant, tell the story OF the
latest of railroad horrors. of which this
village was the scene at daylight this
morning. The list of dead and injured is
as follows:
Dead.
j. H. McKENNA. butcher. Hyde Park Mass
HARRY FREN Oh, aged fourteen, of the Lon
don Charity school London England.
CHARLES BiRBEE, san Francisco.
ALICE REED. East Boston, Mass.
MISS NELLIE b. TUCKER, Boston. Mass.
WARREN G.. RYDER. Phoenix, a. /.
H G. ZELLE, Germany.
j. ID. ROUNDY, Lamoille, In.
JOHN GREEN, engineer passenger train, Ash
J: q: COULTER. conductor passenger train.
W.N.LYON, baggagemaster passenger train,
Detroit.
Hjurea.
MRS. G. A. BURBANK, New Orleans fatally.
FRANK III. Dow, Fairhaven. Wash, severely
Miss NJ. A. NJ. KELLY. Brookline. Mass. head
badly bruised.
ONO HUcK. Hamburg, Germany. bruised and
q. s. HoDsoN, Dover. n. H.. injuries to back.
Mrs. 8. A. SEAvY. Somersworth. N. H.. back
injured, general Commissions and nervous prostra-
Mrs. H. W. RYDER, Phoenix. Ariz face badly
cut, right leg broken.
SIMON CANFIELp, Ironwood, Mich, contusions
of limbs and body.
Mis-. CANFIELE, wife of above, left arm broken,
cOntusiOES 10 head.
MRS ID. DUGAN, Auderned, Pa, slight bruises.
w. j. AsEINs. residence unknown; left Leg
fractured, internal injuries conscious
EDWARD RoUsII, London. England, youth;
surface contusons
WILLIAM EVANS. London. England. aged four
teen; both legs broken.
ALBERT MOTION, youth, London, England;
right arm injured.
HATTIE HuTcHINs, child. Phoenix, Arz.; in
ternal injuries.
Mrs II. o. HILL, Somers worth, N H; left
thigh broken.
ANNIE HILL. same address; slightly bruised
HENRY VoLKING. fireman OF freight train;
scalds and contusiOns.
ENGINEER WHITMAN. of freight train; right
arm broken. hurt in back.
JOHN BARBER, fireman, passenger train; scalds
and contusions.
A TERRIBLE BLUNDER.
moment of forgetfulness or absent
mndedness on the part of o brakeman.
who 10 given the best of reputation by the
Wabash officials. tells the story of the mis-
take that preceded the catastrophe.
Freight train No. 4. east bound from Chi
csgo, was due at this point at 4:S0 A. NJ. Ii
was under orders TO take the siding and
wait the arrival of west-bound passenger
schedule. should have passed the Kings
bury station at 4:40. The express. how
ever, was an hour end twenty minutes late.
and owing to the heavy travel growing out
of the worlds fair 1t was divided into two
sections. the second section running twelve
minutes behind the first. Both sections
were made up at Buffalo. the passengers in
cluding people from that city. as we'll as
from the various lines centering In 1t
from Canada and the East. With the
KNOWLEDGE that under the schedule he
had twenty minutes to spare engineer
Whitman of the freight train proceeded mp
the siding to the main line to take water.
the switch being thrown open by Herbert
Thompson. of Ashley. Ind. head brakeman
of the freight. After the engine had taken
water the freight was backed to the sidin g
and the brakeman closed the switch. Re-
garding this latter fact there is no room for
question. for at ) the first section of the ex-
press, thirty minutes late, swept past on
the main track giving the usual signal
-one long and two short blasts-to intI-
mate TO the freight that second section
was following close behind
What were the movements of brakeman
Thompson in the next few moments re-
mains to be developed. Ger tain 1t is that
when twelve minutes later the second Sec
ton of the west bound express came thun-
dering along at speed OF forty miles an
hour, the switch was Oren. In the early
dawn the REQ lights at the switch and tar
get were hardly discernible and it is ques-
tiOn whether the engineer or fireman of the
passenger looked for them. secure in theIr
knowledge that they had swept often
over the same ground without hindrance.
Almost before the engineer and fireman
they had crashed into the waiting freight.
A second later and the air was filled with
sbrieks and groans. moans and piteous ap.
peals for help and assistance.
The passenger train consisted of q bag
gage car, three ordinary coaches and two
sleepers. and the force OF the collision was
such that only the rear sleeper escaped in
Jury. The locomotive of the freight was
driven half way into the meat car in its
rear the baggage car of the passenger
train was thrown to ono side. while the
passenger coaches partially telescoped each
other. and the third. a Grand Trunk coach.
cut into the sleeper car Kansas. carry ing
away the smoking compartment and Sec
tions and as clean as though they had
been trimmed with a razor-edged AK. The
| forward coaches were completely wrecked.
| and the occu pants buried In the debris.
THE WORK OF RESCUE.
Awakened by the shock of the collision
the sleepers in the rear palace car bolted
out without putting on their clothes and
| aided by the trainmen and those OF
| the passengers who had escaped injury.
| set themselves to the task of rescuing and
| aiding the injured. In the meantime the
| residents of the farmhouses immed lately
| adjacent to the track had been aw ak ened.
and men and women. boys and girls hur.
/ Yiad IN the anaua and liant what an "A