The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-28
THIRTEEN PERSONS KILLED AND MANY
OTHERS INJURED
A TRAINS FEARFUL PLUNGE
Crowded With Passengers, Chiefly
Immigrants, While Running at Rapid
Rate, &c Goes Down With n Trestle
Which Had Been Undermined by Re-
cent Rains-Cars Pile on Each Other
I'm the Ravine-The Work OF Rescue
Dfn1cult.

Peru, Ind. June 26.-Thirteen persons
were killed and about fifty We're Sc
verely injured in a wreck of train No.
3. the west bound Wabash limited, nine
miles west Of this city, at 1890 o'clock
a. m. today. The dead are all Italian
immigrants en- route to Colorado, whose
names are unknown.
Two sections of train No. 3, one COM
ing from Detroit and the other from
of eleven cars, making UP the flyer for
its journey to St. Louis. 1t consisted
Of combination baggage and express,
combination baggage and smoker, day
coach. emigrant coach. three chair cars,
three sleepers and the private car Of
General Superintendent William Cotter,
of the Iron Mountain railway.
Having left this city one hour late,
the train was speeding westward at a
high rate when, at a point nine miles
west, the engine plunged through q
treStle which had been undermined by
the recent heavy rains. The embank-
ment on both sides Of the little stream
dropped at q sharp degree a distance of
forty feet. Owing to the momentum
of the train the engine appeared to leap
nearly across the abyss, plunged into
the soft earth on the opposite side and
fell back to the bottom. Engineer But
Ter and Fireman Adams were thrown
from the cab, but not seriously hurt.
The express car and the first chair car
were telescoped. The immigrant car,
followed by two chair cars. went down
on the left side of the track and the
frc$ cla nit faI, -.
mass Of debris. It's windows and trucks
were broken, but none of the occu-
pants was injured. The remaining cars
also left their trucks. but were not
badly damaged. 1t was in the imnni-
grant and day coaches that most of the
deaths and injuries occurred.
There was absolutely no means by
which the engine crew could see the
impending danger. I'm fact the engine
ran out upon the trestle before the
structure gave way. The night was in
tensely dark.
For a few minutes after the fatal
plunge and dreadful roar of crashing
timbers, a deathlike stiffness prevailed
which was only broken by the cries OF
the injured.
Trimmer caught up their lanterns and
rushed to the neighboring farmhouses
for assistance. The farmers, with their
wives and children bearing torches
fastened to the scene and all efforts
were bent first to giving first aid to the
injured. Telephone messages were dis.
patched to this city and every physi-
clan was hurriedly taken to a special
train which carried them to the scene
| The injured were placed aboard the
| cars and brought to the general hospi.
tai in this city, where everything pos
sible was done to ameliorate their con
dition.
| For a time after the rescuers reach.
ed the scene Of the wreck little could
| be done in the way of removing the
dead. Hundreds Of tons Of twisted
iron and broken timbers rested upor
| the car were the unfortunate emigrants
were crushed; but by means Of wreck
| ing derricks the mass was gradual,
opened and by daylight nearly all the
dead had been removed to this city.