The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-08
A Terrible Accident Follows on the
Big Four Road Near Lafsy-
cite, Ind ....
Part of the Train Leaves the Track
and Demolishes the Depot
Buildings.
Ten Mon Killed and Many More Injured-
Six Deaths From u Collapsed FIue
an n steamer.

LAFAYETTE, Ind, May 7.-One OF tha
moot horrible wrecks in the history Of rail-
roading occurred on the Big Four road at
this city at l:l5 this morning hs the result
OF which ten men nre now dead and many
mots injured. The train was the east-
honnd passenger, leaving Chicago at nine
.. m. The accident was caused by tho
failure of the mir brakes to wo,k The en-
9ineer's desperate efforts to stop the train
is shown by the large amount of sand
thrown by him on tho bridge through
which tho lain came just before the fatal
crash, and the vigorous Whaling for
brakes. The engine dashed out of the
bridge over tho Wabash river at a speed Of
not less than sixty miles ali hour, ctashinu
into the depot buildings, tearing off por-
tion and carrying the train sheds several
hundred feet. The engine. when it left the
track, was followed BY the baggage car.
two postal cars aud the express car, all of
which were piled in ono roniscuous mi ass,
total and complete wreck, bury ing a score
or more victims n tho awful pi . OF d b A..
Inc chair Ger and two Pullman sleepers re-
NAMED on the track. To add to the
CONSERVATION fire broke out from
the stove in the baggage car, but the fire
department speedily extinguished the
flames. largo crowd gathered quickly at
the scene of the disaster and assisted in
rescuinR the victims, and large force of
local physicians gave the necessary atten.
ton to the wounded. Several victims of
the wreck were persons standing in the
depot waiting for the train.
The dead are as follows: Michael Weloh.
engineer. Indianapolis. Ind; Fireman Nc.
lnnis, Indianapolis; E. ID. Myers, LoQans.
port mail clerk; John Mcmahon, Cinoin-
natl. mail clerk; Charles Myers, LAFAYETTE.
haokmaH; John Lennon. Lafayette, mail
cart driver; Jesse H. Long, Lebanon, Ind.
mail cierk; Charles schahill, Indianapolis:
Otto Jetselson. Chicago. These were all
frightfully crushed and mangled, their
limbs being severed in several instances
and the bodies terribly disfigured. The
injured are as follows: Jefferson Reese.
kempton; Richard Jones, Pontiac, H.:
Louis Lsflier, Fowler; Sophas Berasnhale,
Ind; Charles Roush. Lafayette; William
Bechtell, Lebanon. Ind; c. A. WisseIl. A.
w. Cornahan. j.. A. Wertiel and j. N.
Vickert. all of Cinoinnsti. The damage by
property destroyed will be fully $500
The Inflated train was neatly mile from
eoS oto"'oA wAoA ~ OoBdu 0aSulux dECuuU
Gu YES and tore across the long bridge, al
though the man at the tn ottle reversed
the machinery, and immense streams of
fire were being dashed off from the driving
wheels, running in opposite direction to
that of the swiftly fyinR cal 8 that followed.
just after leaving the east end Of the long
bridge the tracks describe a semi circle, q
the midway point of which the union sta
tion is located. When the engine struck
the sharp curve it left the track followed
by the cars in an awful swirl. and they
piled upon each other 100 feet away, after
crashing through the train sheds and bring
ing down tons of structural iron to add to
the terrofs OF the situation.
Bvstanders went to work at once and the
police and fire departments quickly re-
sponded. Superintendent Bender arrived
at early hour and under his direction and
with trained eckers the track was soon
cleared and ready for q resumption Of
traffic. The inju ed wero removed TO their
homes or the hospital and no other fatali-
ties are expected than those heretofore
noted.