The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-09-29
BRAKEMAN's ERROR.
It Causes a Fearful Wreck In
Indiana.
A Wabash Passenger Train Dashes Into 9
Rreight-Eleven Persons Killed and
Fully a Score Iniured-Details
of the Affair.

KINesBURY, Ind, Sept ga pas
seneer train crashed into a freight
train at this place early yesterday
morning and at least ten people were
killed and thirteen. or more injured,
some seriously.
The passenger train was an extra,
running as the second section of No.
s. It left Detroit last night at 10
o'clock heavily loaded with passengers.
It was due at Kingsbury at $50 a. m
but owing to the heavy traffic, was if
teen minutes late. Freight No. %, east
bound, received orders to sidetrack on
its arrival at Kingsbury and allow the
two sections of the passenger train to
pass The first section passed in safety,
but through some misunderstanding
about the approach of the other Sec
ton Freight Brakeman Herbert
Thompson, of Ashley, this state,
was ordered forward to throw
the switch that the freight might
pull out on the main track and pro-
coed. Before the freight had gotten
under motion the second section of the
passenger train came laundering along
al luc TdkC VI du nOuT 10
up lost time. Before the switch could
be closed the passenger train ran in on
the side-track and crashed into the
freighttrain. The engines were damned
into each other up to the cylinders and
the smoker and day coach were tel
escoped. crushing the sleeping pas
senger. The second day coach was
thrown across the tracks on top of the
debris of the forward coaches There
Were two sleepers The head one
crushed into the forward coach and
for the length of three berths was torn
to atoms, the passengers, six in num-
Der, being badly injured but mono
killed outright.
HOW IT OCCURRED.
KNGsBURY, Ind, Sept. 23.-Eleven
bloody objects, torn and mangled be-
yond semblance of human beings,
eleven souls hurried without warming
into eternity, scores of bleeding and
bruised victims moaning in their agony.
Such are the awful results of the horror
occurring at this little village on the
Detroit division of the Wabash rail-
way.
The calamity is directly attributable
to Brakeman Herbert Thompson's care
lessness- Since his disappearance all
efforts to find him thus far have been
futile. The wreck and the cause lead
ing to it is thus told by Wabash Off
cial and is the only correct version thus
far published.
Vestibuled train No. SIS, from Detroit
to Chicago, was running in sections
and was due to pass this station at $40
a. m. Fast freight was lying on the
siding here to let No. SIS pass. The
first section of No. 50 was about thirty
five or forty minutes late and passed at
Sis, and, by whistle, called attention
to the flags they carried for the second
section The engineer of the freight
replied shat the flag was seen, but it
seems that Brakeman Thompson did
not notice either the signal or the flag,
and went ahead to open the switch for
No. 81 to leave He had hardly done
this before the second section of s. was
seen bearing down upon him at speed
of fifty miles an hour. Thompson
seems to have been paralyzed.
Swerving to the left the ponderous
mass of steel drawing its precious
load, plunged heavily into the waiting
freight train with a horrible crash.
Thompson rushed up to his engineer,
wringing his hands and crying hys-
terically. For Gods sake what have
you doue?" asked the engineer. II
don't know; i turned that SWITCH"
said the brakeman and then recover |
ing himself he dashed hurriedly away
into the semi-darkness and disappeared. |
The result of the crash was fearful |
The terrific impact of the two mighty
machines drove tank and cab of the
freight engine into a carload of
dressed beef, the engineer and fireman
remaining in the cab. and by a mira !
Gle escaped with their lives, the fire. |
man sustaining a fractured leg. En-
CINE 47S of the passenger train was
torn to pieces The smoker behind it |
was forced through the tank on the |
pilot of the engine. The splinters killed |
Engineer Green and the escaping |
steam badly scalded his fireman, Bar
the fatalities occurred, and it being |
the smoker accOunts for the majority |
Of the killed having been men
The scene that ensued was awful |
Nearly all the passengers were asleep |
and the suddenness of the crash so |
dazed the unfortunates that for few |
minutes all was still, save the escaping |
steam, but soon the agOnizing screams |
of the injured rent the air with horri-
BILE portent Few of those uninjured |
had the presence Of mind TO make any
effort for some minutes to rescue the
victims, but with the arrival of num-
Der OF residents near by, the work OF
releasing the victims was soon under
way. Owing to the huge mass into
which the wreck was piled, this was
prodigious undertaking, and it was
some hours before the last of the living
was removed. and the dead were finally
extricated only after the arrival of
wreckin & crew with apparatus
The dead as fast as taken from the
wreck were laid out beside the track
pending their removal to an rnderta k
er's. while the injured We're cared Tor
1t the nearest residence
EMIN PASHA'S MURDER.
II Occurred October 90 Last Year by Or