Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-09-23
ELEVEN, LIVES LOST.
FEARFUL COLLISION OF WABASH
RAILWAY TRAINS.
A Score or More of Persons Injured, Many
ofThem Fa:aily-The Wreck
Complete.
(By telegraph to the Dispatch.)

lislOn between freight tram anu inc
Toronto and Montreal express on the
Wabash railroad at this station at 5SO
o'clock this morning a score OF others
are injured, many OF whom will die.
The freight was on a siding west OF
the depot and was bound east. The first
section OF the express train passed by
on the main track at 5:25 a. VI. 1t Isl
said that the brakeman supposed that the
freight train would now move, and ran
back to open the switch. Before the cars
had begun to move the second section or
the fast express came west at the rate
OF ffty-hve miles an hour and before
the brakeman could turn the switch
dashed into the side-track and collided
with the freight train. The wreck was
complete
THE KILLED.
The list Of the killed is as follows
]. II. McKenna. butcher, Of Hyde Park
Harry French, l3 years old, London
England.
Charles Berbo, San Francisco.
Miss Alice II. Reed. East Boston, Mass
Miss Nellie g. Tucker, Newton, Mass
Conductor James Coulter.
Engineer John Green. Ashley, Ind, OF
passenger train.
Warren g. Rider. Phoenix, AriZ.
J.. G. Sells. Berlin. Germany.
Baggagemaster Lyons, Of the passenger
train.
James D. ROundy. La Moille, Iowa.
THE INJURED.
The Injured are: Mrs. +. w. Burbank,
New Orleans La, 60 years old, arms and
one leg broken. jaw-bone fractured. will
die; William Adams, IA years Old. Lon
don, England member Orphan Bell-Ring
ers both legs broken, injured internally
will die: Miss Hattie Hutchins. Phoenix,
AriZ., bruised about the head and IN
jured internally, recovery doubtful. Fire
man Barber. OF Ashley, on passenger
train. leg broken; II. !. VanKenny, fire
man on freight train, burned and scalded,
about head. may die. William j. Haskins.
II years old. London, Eng, compound
fracture Of right leg, left shoulder-blade
broken. recovery doubtful.
Others seriously hurt are Edward Rush,
l3 years old, London, Eng. ). Canheld,
lronwood, Mich; Mrs. l.. Garfield. Iron
wood, Mich; II. W. Ryder. Phoenix, Ariz.
q, :. Hodgson, Andover. ~ H.; Mrs.
:. 4. Seavley. OF SOmervlle, Mass.
Albert Moston, II years old. London,
Eng; Frank L. Dow. Farhaven, Wash.
JdlllfS ". w ObhlfA, IIDilOlls IsilEss IailbA-
neer Whitman, OF freight engine: Miss
Hattie Rogers, Phoenix, Ariz; Mrs. Dol
Der. 6jS Green avenue, Brooklyn, Miss
Olive Ill., Summersworth " H.; Miss
Annie Hill, Summersworth. y. H.: Miss
y. A. Kelly, Boston, Mass, severe scalp
wounds.
THE WABASHS WORST.
IT was the worst wreck ever seen on the
L.. .
the terrible collision. the boiler Of the
passenger-engine blew up and did much
damage
The Montreal express was due in Chi
cago at 7l5 this morning and does not
stop at this station. The freight train lay
on a side track to allow the express toI
pass. The passenger-engne and the
freight-locomotiye colided at full speed.
and the two machines lie jammed to-
gether, their boilers meeting end 10 end.
The force Of the collision drove the freight
engine back against the box-cars, COM
pletely demolshing the first three. The
passengcr-engine was partially stopped by
the collision. and the baggage and smok-
ing-cars, the day-coach and one sleeper
were telescoped. The rest Of the coaches
are piled up on top OF each other in a
tangled mass OF wood and iron. The
steam escaped and scalded many OF the
Injured.
The Masonic Hail was turned into a
morgue, and ladies's carriages and farm
erss wagons were busy for two hours
hauling the dead and wounded to the
village. a mile distant from the depot
There were two sleepers on the train,
the Marion and the Kansas city. The
former escaped injury, but the front half
Of the Kansas City was converted into
LII htr InN-poaeh Ubipl
smashed into It. Two bodies were taken
from the Kansas City The smoking-car
was twisted into a heap Of splinters. and
few Of the passengers escaped death or
injury. The day coach. which followed.
was also entirely wrecked by being hurled
against the sleeper Kansas CITY
BRAKEMAN TO BLAME.
sion-superintendent Gould admitted
that the freight brakeman, Herbert
Thompson. was 10 blame for the accident,
He turned the switch in the face OF the
freight engine. and let the passenger train
20 on the side-track where the freight
train was standing.
How he could make such a mistake
said Mr.. Gould, II cannot understand
The first section had gotten by all right
Then he ran back to the switch, In spite
Of the fact that the other section was III
sight, and opened the switch, Tor the pur-
pose, | suppose. of letting the freight tram
out. The express train ran on the slds-
track. and as the freight-engine was but
a short distance from the switch, there
was no time TO stop. Brakeman Thomp-
son was a trusted man and Of more than
average intelligence He Is not In Gus
tody. but will be on hand at the Inquest.
Conductor Parke was in charge or the
freight train and was in the caDoose'
He was not harmed. The engineer OF the
passenger train John Greene, met dealh'
He had no time to jump ana was thro"h
from his cab forward clear over the
freight-engine, a distance OF several car
lengths His conductor, James coulter,
was taken from beneath the wrecked
smoklng-car with his spine broken. lie
died as soon as he was taken into the
depot.
ORPHANS FROM LONDON.
James B. Woakley and Henry Aaron,
with a company Of boys from Dr'Bar-
nardos orphanage, In London, were
aboard the train bound for Chicago one
of the lads Harry French) was killed
and several others were badly injured.
One of them ONilliam Adams) lies uncon-
scious in the station and cannot recover.
Mr. Woakley is also badly hurt.
physicians ana surgeons diIlNeu Vh 'HS
ground from all directions in response
TO the railway officials summons. Al
o'clock a special train came In from Peru
and carried fifteen OF the injured persons
TO Chicago Train Master Tramwell was
on the first section that passed Kingsbury
in safety.
1T was all Thompson's blunder' SAID
he. II noticed that the first section sig
nailed the waiting freight that there was
another train coming. and 1t was an
swered two by the freight engineer
showing that the signal was understood
and yet Thompson, whom 1 have not seen
yet. opened that switch. II was an
awful blunder. This Is the first life lost
on this division OF the Wabash In six
years"
THOMPSON DISAPPEARS.
Two score men are securing the sur
rounding country for Herbert Thompson,
the brakeman. 10 whose neglect the ter
rible catastrophe Is attributed. After the
train had backed TO its siding TO await the
passing OF the express his movements
were not observed by any of those at the
wreck. When, however. Engineer Whit
man succeeded In extricating himself from
the debris OF meat-car, into which ne
had been driven by the force OF the col
lision, he found Thompson standing on
Il Af4h