The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-13
MAD WORK IN TERRE HAUTE-
Trains wrecked with Loss of Life
Miners TO Blame.


TERRE HAUTE. Ind, July 49, 1894. The
New York express train on the Big -Four
west bound was wrecked at Fontanet, this
county, at two o'clock this morning, and
the engineer and fireman He'd. The engin-
eer was named Moehrrnan of Indianapolis
and the fireman, Fleck, was from
Mattoon Their bodies We're found
under the wreckage mangled out of
was running at high speed when it struck
a misplaced switch The engine, baggage,
postal and express cars and a coach were
piled in ditch Two postal clerks were in
jured, but not so severely that they could
not get about. No passengers were injured.
Fhe two Wagner sleepers and the ladies'
coach did not leave the track and were run
back to Carbon. 1t will be several hours
before the track is cleared to permit traffic.
All day yesterday the company met with
serious Instructions at Fontanet which is a
large mining settlement. The freight
blockade had been lifted here early in the
day. and freight trains made up by new
switchmen and with non-union fire.
men were sent out for the first
time in a week. Some of the miners
at Fontanet stopped the first of the trains by
tagging it. and then drove the fireman and
brakeman away During the day five freight
trains in all were captured and sidetracked.
A rope was placed around the neck of one of
the firemen. and it was proposed to hang him
but he was let go on promise not to get on an
engine again.
Another fireman was dragged from the
engine, laid across the track i'll front OF 1t,
and the engineer asked to start his engine.
Several deputy marshals were on the ground
early in the evening, but their efforts to re-
lease the train proved futile Sheriff Stout,
with a few deputies, went to Fontanet last
night All of these officials heard the crash
of the wreck and rendered aid in removing
the bodies of the dead men.
THIS morning thirty deputy marshalS and
twenty-five deputy sheriffs went to Fon-
tanet and later in the day an attempt will
be made to move the freight trains. bile
there Is no evidence that tie miners threw
the switch and thereby caused the
wreck. vet it is generally believed it
was done by miners. Fontanet is
the place where 1000 miners boarded a
freight train during the miners strike and
insisted on being carried to Pana, ILL.,. to
get the miners there to join the strike. They
were carried as far as this city where they
remained "A hours pelched on the cars and
were then hauled back home.
freight train on the Evansville and
Terre Haute was ditched just inside the city
limits this morning. 1t was the tirst tram
along at twenty mile an hour
when the engineer say an open switch
anead He called for brakes, but not in
time to prevent the accident The engine
was not upset, butfive cars Of merchandise
were totally wrecked. No one was injured.
The Evansville and 9Tei9.e Haute had an
nouuced that it would begin handling freight
here this morning with new men.
Fred Keeler, of Texas. Of the Grand Lodge
of Locomotive Firc,nen. and Chairman
George P. Reed of the Missouri Pacific and
H. NJ Limb of the Baltimore and Ohio divi-
SONS. are in the city in conference with
Grand Master Sargent. They are said to be
here to present the cases of firenen who,
without the orders authority, engaged in the
present strike.