The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-19
THE ENGINES COLLIDED
FOUR TRAINMEN KILLED IN A
WRECK NEAR CoNNERSvILLE.
others Seriously Observation-Disclosures
George A. House the Only One OF
the Dead from This City.

In a frightful railroad accident on the
c.. II. & d. railroad, near Connersville,
yesterday morning, at $50 O'Clock, conduc-
tor George A. House, of No. 81 South sum-
NIT street. Indianapolis; Chris Sweetman,
engineer, of Dayton, o.; fireman kinsey, of
Cincinnati. and William Hughes, of Hamil-
ton, O., We're instantly killed and num-
Der of others, officials of the road, We're Sc
riously injured.
The accident was caused by a collision
between the engine of the pay car and that
of the regular freight train. No. 80, both
east-bound The pay car was following
the freight train, both running as extra
trains There is long and heavy upgrade
between Longwood and Salter's switch. up
which it is almost impossible for an engine
to pull heavy freight train. To obviate
the difficulty, conductor House stopped at
Longwood and placed the head end of the
freight train on the siding. taking the rear
end up the grade to Salters. By some
fatal oversight he neglected to leave flag
man with the portion of the train on the
siding. After siding the rear end of the
train at Salter's switch the crew took the
engine and started back down grade to
Longwood. Meantime, in the absence of a
fagman to warn the engineer, the pay car
whizzed by the detached portion of the
freight train at Longwood and started on
to Salters. A mile and a half east of
Longwood the engines met. 1t was down
grade for the freight engine and impossible
to stop. With crash the engines came
together. The pay car was ditched. Both
engines were almost completely demol-
ished.
Chris Sweetman, on the engine of the pay
train, was instantly killed. Kinsey, his
faxx
ductor House, of this city, was riding on
the freight engine with engineer Concan-
non and fireman William Hughes. House
was instantly killed. Hughes died in the
cab. Concannon was buried under the
wreckage. So badly was he injured it is
doubtful if he can recover.
A number of persons were in the pay car
and all of them were more or less injured.
Those injured were Paymaster John jan
sing, Charles Scallon, assistant paymaster,
NJ Brown, conductor of the pay car, Fish
back. the colored porter. Emerson Wy
song, foreman of bridges and buildings,
and Roadmaster j. Nj. Rourke, all of en-
cinnau, where freight engineer Concannon
also lives.
Assistant Paymaster Scal1on was con-
siderably injured, but he directed the move
mentS OF those who were at work trying to
rescue the men buried in the wreckage
Conductor Brown, of the pay car, was down
in the wreckage where he could not be
reached for some time. Engineer Concan-
non was not so hard to reach, but his res
cuers found him badly injured that he
could give no account of the accident Pay
master lansing is SO badly hurt that there
master Rourke Foreman of Bridges wy
song. and Fishback, the colered porter are
all more or less seriously injured, but they
LOCATING RESPONSIBILITY
General Manager Waldo was in the city
yesterday. He says that from what he can
learn the whole responsibility for the ac-
cident rests with the conductor, who was
killed, as he failed to obey the rules of
the company in regard to leaving a fagman
with the portion of the train at Longwood
to notify any train from the west that the
engine had gone to the top of the hill at
Salters with part of the train. The en-
gineer and conductor of the freight train
waited at Salter's until the fast passen ger
Longwood, evidently forgetting the pay car
was following IL the wake of the fast pas
Senger train.
AS soon as the news reached this city
superintendent Galloway started to the
BILE was done for the suffering victims of
the accident AS the first care of the
wrecking crew was for the dead and in
Jured men, 1t was impossible to use the
track and the fast mail came round by way
OF Cambridge City over the Panhandle
Later the wreckfng crew built track
around the wreck. 1t was used by the late
afternoon trains.
Conductor House leaves a wife and three
children. Yesterday morning neighbors
went to Mrs. House and tried to give her
a gentle inkling of the truth. They in
formed her that an accident had occurred
and that her husband was injured. Guess
ing the truth from their Sorrowful express
sion, Mrs. House became almost distracted
with grief. The remains of the dead man
We're brought home on the evening train
He was considered one of the most compe-
tent and reliable conductors in the employ
of the c., H. & ID. road, and officials of the
road are at loss to understand how he
ii -1,nh or