The Irish standard., 1897-08-07
TRAINS WRECKED.
Disaster on the Big Four Road al
Thorntown, Ind. .f
DASTARDLY DEED OF WRECKERS,l
They Place q Coupling Pin in q SWITCH
and Cause tho Accident-Ens
gineer, Fireman and Two
Tramps killed.

natl, Chicago, d. st. Louis railway, duo
in Cincinnati at seven a. m, was wrecked
about $3.50 o'clock. Four were killed.
outright and several slightly injuredd
There was deliberate plot to wrecA
the train, us coupling pin had BEEN
drivenintot the switch so as to hold topenl
and throw the fast train from Chicago
to Cincinnati off the track us it passed
this point. The engine and tender, the
mail, express and baggage cars were
thrown from the track and wrecked
The coaches and Wagner sleeping cars
remained on the track, and none OF tho
passengers were seriously hurt, all
though they had lively shaking upi
Seth Winslow, of Greenburg, Ind, the
engineer. and b. Crickmorc, of Indiani
apolis, the fireman, and two uniden1
titled tramps were killed outright
While there are many reports about tho
number injured, there were none se1
riously hurt, although many were sd
badly frightened ut first as to give crei
dence to the reports about many being
injured.
Two tramps who were killed were
stealing ride on the front end
of the mail car and their remains
cannot be identified. A relief train was
sent from indianapolis to Thorntown|
early in the morning and as soon as tho
track was cleared new train was made
up for indianapolis and other points,
The Men Injured.
The injured are Henry Pijbe, Cleve4
land, o., who was badly scalded and
will die, and Charles Cavenir, Cleve4
land, who was probably fatally scalded
and crushed. The escape of the sever
mail clerks is miraculous, none of
them suffering more than slight
bruises. Express Messenger John Ed4
I'monds, of Bellevue, KY, had charge Of
the express car and was thrown violent1
ly against the head end of his car, but
Escaped with few insignificant
scratches.
Dastardly Deed of Vreckers.
The officials of the railroad have instu
Ituted thorough investigation as to th4
perpetrators of the wreck. The reports
from Thorntown leave no doubt what
ever about the switch having been
thrown open and coupling pin fast
ened in the switch to hold it open. There
have recently been some labor troubles
in and about Thorntown, but none Of
them have been in any manner cont
nected with the railroad. 1t is stated
that since the mining troubles there
have been number of strangers about
the place who are not connected with
the strike, but who are supposed to havd
been tramping about with a view I'd
n111ndar H11rinO thu lat
No attempt was made to rob the ex1
press or other cars after the wreck and
mo understanding of the plot can ba
ascertained. All available detectives
were set at work on the case.
The opinion is entertained at thu
headquarters of the Big Four road that
the train wreclsers had hoped to del
Istroy coal train about due.
General Manager Schaff has offered d
reward of $500 for the arrest and con!
Eviction of the wreckers.
Engineer ana Firemen Killed.
Buffalo, N. Y, July 31.-Two Lehigh
freight trains collided at Depew June!
ton early in the day killing George
EEllensbee, engineer, OF Manchester, and
Charles Eddy, fireman, of Sayre. James
Ratcliffe. fireman, of Sayre, was slight
" injured.
Asphyxiated in Tunnel,
Hinton, w. Va, July 31.-A freight
train was stalled in Lewis tunnel al
night on the Chesapeake & Ohio, and
the Grew was overcome by foul air.
Conductor Ed Bray is dead. Samuel
Hamilton, Ed Womack and Tom
Kamewood are in a precarious condi1
Ition.