Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-09-08
TWELVE PEOPLE DEAD.
Result of a Train Dispatcher's Blum
dering Order.
FORGOT ABOUT THE OTHER TRAIN,
The Wreck Happened Near Chi
capo. But in an Out-of-the-way
Place and it Was an Hour Be-
fore Aid Arrived-Blood from
the Dead and Injured Poured
Out Upon the Ground in Pools.

CHICAGO. September IA olunder
made to-day in the Office OF the train
dispatcher OF the Pennsylvania railroad
bore fruit in the loss Of twelve lives and
a score Of manned and maDgIed victims.
The accident, which occurred near
Colehour, His, fourteen miles from this
city. appears to have been the result OF
a blunder inexcuSable by even the rail-
road officials.
Two trains were scheduled to pass
south on single track between Cole
hour, Ills, and Hammond, Ind. AT tne
same time train was due north on the
same track.
1t was arranged to give the north
bound train, which carried milk ana
way passengers from Valparaiso, Ind,
the right OF way, and 1t was ordered TO
proceed toward Chicago, and 1t did so
at the rate OF thirty miles an hour
In the meantime, trains No. 16O and
19, the latter the Panhandle Limited
Express, were supposed to have been
held on the double track at COlehour TO
await the passage Of No. As, the milk
train.
Orders were given to the operator to
hold No. 100, but nothing was SAID 10
him about No. -. He obeyed orders
and No. 12 was allowed TO clear upon
the single track on its schedule time,
running forty miles an hour directly TO-
ward the milk train, which had also
been given the right Of way in an oppo-
site direction on the same track.
The Pan Handle express had pro-
ceeded but short distance when the
milk train was sighted and the two
trains, scarcely Stacking in speed In the
short distance, dashed into each other.
The engine crews saved their lives by
jumping before the two locomotives
came together with q crash that wreck
ed them both and drove the baggage
car OF the Pan Handle train completely
through the smoking car behind II. In
this car were about forty people, and
in il the loss of life occurred. The fol-
lowing were killed and injured:
LIST OF THE DEAD.
Chester Z. Coffin, Carthage, Ind; A.
s. Temple, manager Schiller Theatre,
Chicago; E. NJ. RigneV, travelling freight
aReL Wisconsin Central; Michael Nlios
Ills; E. NJ. Bollard, Terre Haute, +. d.
Fleming, Fairfield, Ills; d. Rich
ardson. Chicago; Albert Heinz; unknown
man, supposed to be tramp.
LIST OF THE INJURED.
VIM. Richter, Edwardsport, Ind,
head hurt aud internal injuries; VIM.
Brewer, baggage master Louisville
train, left leg amputated, internal inju-
ries; Joseph Valo, Louisville, KY,
head cut; Claude Derber, train news
boy, right foot qmputated; Herman
Richter, Freelandsvlle, Ind, head cut;
Harry Klein, Vincennes, Ind, in
ternal injuries; w. A Hill, Con-
bogne, Ind, skull fractured, may
die; Henry Hogenmeir, Sanborn, Ind,
head cut, internal injuries; John Bris-
coe, LoganSport, Ind., head cut and
back hurt; W. II. Turner. Chicago,
head cut, internal injuries; Casper
Meyer, Vincennes, Ind, back cut, inter-
nal injuries; VIM. Bilingsera, Clyde,
O., head cut, left leg crushed; Joseph
Echer bonn, Camden, o., chest hurt.
The Louisville express, train No. 10,
left Chicago this morning. At Cole
hour it stopped for orders, and in ac-
cordance with those received started on
over the single track. Train dispatch
er o. r. Kennedy at Colehour had be-
fore It's arrival received the following
dispatch from the train dispatcher's
Office at Fort Wayne, Ind:
Number one sixty, 160, Will wait at
Colehour until S:45 a. N. for nGmber 40
ahead Of time" &C d. L."
There was no order for train No. 10,
and Kennedy made no effort TO stop IT..
In the meantime the Valparaiso accom-
mediation carrying milk. with number
OF passengers, was approaching from
the south at high speed, considerably
ahead Of time, The express, running
forty miles an hour, over level country,
had reached point about 800 yards
from o curve, when suddenly from be-
hind clump OF trees, there burst in
view the accommodation train running
at speed almost as great. The crew Of
each engine sighted the other train and
as quickly as possible the levers OF both
heavy engines were reversed and the
air brakes applied. The efforts OF the
men did not seem for an instant to check
the terrible flight OF speed, aud the
crew OF each engine jumped to save
themselves when about 100 yards sepa-
rated the two trains.
The engine of the accommodation
being of the lighter construction
crumbled away like paper and fell into
the ditch. The tender was forced un-
der the first baggage car. The heavy
express engine forced its way through
the smoking car to point eight feet
from its end.
The scene OF the accident Is in dis
trict sparsely Inhabited and it was fully
an hour before aid arrived from South
Chicago.
IN the meantime the scenes around
the wreck were agonizing. The dead
and wounded were pinned In the wreck
in such a manner that before the
wrecking train arrived it was almost
Impossible TO extricate any Of the
bodies In the meantime the cries of |
the dying were terrible to hear. Some |
of the wounded prayed that an end be !
put TO their misery, while others |
moaned and shrieked in their agony.
Blood from the nangled soaked its |
way through ard emerging from the |
bottom and sides OF the smoking car |
made puddles OF red in the sand. |
Through the cracks, made by the de- |
scent OF the baggage car, could be seen |
an arm, crushed and mangled head, q
face. and so already discolored body.
Il was long after the collision, an age !
TO the imprisoned. that the wrecking |
train made its' appearance, and with
levers and ks proceeded 60 work. |
The wrecl party forced % the end
Of the car >st from the 'oe. and |