The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-29
ANOTHER
UNIT
Gathered from the enc of the
Wreck Late LasA Night.

Gathered from the enc of the
Wreck Late Las. Night.
There was much excitement yesterday
afternoon when it became known that the
swift No. 20, Vandalia and Pennsylvania
lines, had been wrecked at Coatesville
twenty -eight miles west of town. When it
was announced that Mrs. Zelda Seguin Wal
lace was on the train and was badly in
jured the interest was all the more intense
and bulletin boards were diligently
watched and newspaper telephones were
kept ringing. The place of the wreck is a
small village in Hendricks county. with
limited means of communication with the
outside world, and as the railroad company
maintained an absolute profession of gnor-
ance about the details, there much
difficulty in learning the truth until late
in the night. The first reports said that
three had been killed and twelve wounded,
but later it was found that there were
twenty-nine in all wounded and one fatal
ity, Mrs. Towers, of Carthage, Mo-, while
John w. Norton, of ST. Louis, was prob
ably fatally hurt. The company sent out
three trains, the first taking the railroad
surgeon, DR.. Marsee, and the wrecking
train soon also on the way. third
train, with two sleepers, left the sta
tion $50 O'Clock. last night,
and took nearly two hours to
make the to Coatesvile. 1t passed
the train bringing the first company Of
the wounded. The wercking train reached
this city at 1 O'Clock this morning. hay
ing cleared the track of distractions and
made it passaole again.
One of the first to be notified of the
wreck was Major Hit, of the United
States railway postal service. The mes
sage said that the accident had not in
volved any of the clerks or the mails.
Major Hit went at once to the
train, nevertheless, to see that the
mails were properly cared for
The train was the New York limited and
stops only at the larger cities and county
seats East of the little station of Coates
vile there is a stretch of sraight track of
perhaps a mile. Three hundred yards from
the station the track passes through a
slight ravine and on to fill. 1t is perhaps
twenty feet from the level of the track to
the bottom of the elevation, the bank slop-
ing gradually on each side 1t was down
this embankment that the four rear cars
of the limited toppled and careened. The
train was made up of two postal cars, a
baggage and an accommodation smoker, a
chair and dining car and a Pullman sleeper.
The private car of w. r. Mckeen, of Terre
Haute was attached to the rear of the
nue. one of the oldest conductors on the
road, was in charge OF the train. Eng-
neer Daley in whom the company places
strong reliance, was at the throttle
dozen or more people stood upon the
platform of the little station at Coatesville
as the train whirled by. Tnen they heard
a crash and the sleeping car toppie
from it's position the rails 1t was the
first to leave the track and the others fol-
lowed i'm quick succession. The engine two
postal cars and the day coach passed over
safely. The rear trucks of the day coach
were displaced few inches from the rails
but other than from a slight jolting the pas-
sengers were not inconveDienced. Two men
cutting ice in pond few feet from the
track we're the first to reach the scene.
Then the villagers came by the hundreds.
The furniture of the chair car became
ignited from the stove a moment after the
car had rolled 10 the bottom uf the en-
bankment, and the first thought OF those
who hurried to the scene WAS to extineu.sh
the blaze. which was quickly done and at
no time were the imprisoned passengers in
danger OF burning.
The first TO arrive say that the passen-
gers were remarkably cool. Many of them
were able TO exfricate themselves from the
debris, and those that Were uninjurd set
about at once 10 assist the helpless Miss
Margaret Roberts. daughter OF Professor
tContiRued ON Second Page.)