The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-28
SWITCH WAS LEFT OPEN
BRAkEMAN'S NEGLIGENCE CAUSED
FATAL WRECK ON j., NJ. & 1.
Near Saffron Passenger Train No. 34
Crashed Into Loaded Coal Cars
Standing on n Siding.

Killed.
GEORGE H. FRAZIER, engineer of pas
senger train, 15 Walcott street, CITY,
injured
LOUIS ~ GRANT, fireman, 1314 South
eastern avenue. left arm broken, scalp
wound and severely bruised.
JOHN F. CLAYTON, baggageman, 9O6
Wright street, severe cuts about the head
and bruised.
PATRICK M'LAUGHLIN, express mes
senger, Louisville, KY, bruised on the left
hip and knee.
CHARLES HORNEY. conductor, Louis
vile, KY, bruises and severe scalp wound
on back of the head.
MRS. JENNIE KINAEBER, Columbus,
Ind, bruised about the face and cut on chin.
PETER KESSLER, Seymour. Ind, right
shoulder hurt.
An open switch on the j.. M. & I. Rail-
road at the siding at Saffron. two miles
south of the Belt Railroad. caused wreck
at 6:24 o'clock last night which resulted
in the death of Engineer George II. Frazier.
the severe injury of the fireman, Louis
Grant, and the slight injury of five others.
including two passengers of the train. Train
No. 30. Louisville accommodation of the
j., M. & 1. road. consisting of one baggage
coach and two passenger coaches, ran into
an open switch-open, it is claimed, because
of the negligence of an employe Of the road.
Louis Angel, brakeman. The train crashed
into a cut of four steel cars loaded with
stone which were standing the siding
awaiting the passage of the passenger train.
The report of the wreck reached Indianap-
oils Immediately. and soon after it
ceived a special car was sent to the scene
in which Drs. John III. Oliver and David
Ross were taken to the scene OF the wreck
to attend the injured.
KILLED IN THE CAB.
The engineer of the passenger train.
George Frazier. was killed at his seat in
the cab of his locomotive by the driving
rod of the engine which was driven through
the cab. His fireman.-L Louis Grant, jumped
from the cab when the train left the main
track and escaped with broken arm and
severe body bruises. The baggagemaster,
John F. Clayton. and the express mes
senger, Patrick Mclaughlin. were busy at
their duties of arranging the baggage when
the train struck the coal cars, and each
was hurled to the forward end of the car
Mclaughlin was fortunate in sustaining
only slight bruises on the hip and knee and
Clayton, in striking the end of the car, cut
large cash in his head and this injury.
with several severe bruises and scratches.
was sufficiently serious to necessitate his
being sent to his home, 900 Wright street,
after he had been brought back to this
city. Charles Horney, the conductor of the
passenger train, was standing i'm the last
| coach of the train talking with a pas
senger when the wreck occurred and he
was thrown with great violence to the
floor and rendered unconscious His in
| juries consist of a severe scalp wound on
| the back of the head and a painful bruise
| The other two persons injured, Mrs. Jennie
! Kinaeber, of Columbus. Ind, and Peter
Kessler. of Seymour. were but slightly in
jured and were able to proceed with the
train to their homes when Ii left with an
other engine at 1925 o'clock.
Last nights wreck the j., NJ & l.
| is the second one on this system within two
weeks. Nov. 16 the same train, No. 80.
freight engine about a mile north of the
scene of last nights wreck, opposite Gar
field Park. In this collision, Fireman Louis
Grant was painfully injured and Frazier
the engineer who was killed last night.
escaped with nothing more serious than a
| shock to his nervous system. That wreck,
| Ii was claimed, was due to the bad iudg-
| ment of the engineer of the freight. engine
| in allowing his engine to protrude from the
siding onto the main track I'm the way of
| the passenger train. The passenger en-
| gine struck 1t with the force of a train
! running twenty miles hour and both
locomotives were derailed and rolled down
| the cmbankment at that point The prop
! erty loss and damage of the wreck was
/ insignificant and the right of way was only
blocked few hours.
NEGLECTED INSTRUCTIONS
The wreck which occurred last night was
| due to the neglect of Louis Angel to follow
i out the instructions given him by his su-
| perior, John Long. conductor of the freight
train known to the railroad men as the
second S4. a local freight between Indian
| apolis and Jeffersonville. Long, Angel and
| Edgar Phillips, the rear brakeman. were in
! charge of the freight train. They left In
dianapolis before o'clock. but when
! Greenwood was reached the engineer dis
| covered that there was a lack of water in
the tender. After waiting for the passage
| of Train 80. from Louisville, section of
/ the train was lett at the siding near Green
| wood. Another part consisting of four
cars, two OF them new steel cars laden with
stone, was taken to the siding at Saffron
! Here the engine was cut from the cars and
! Angel the front brakeman, instructed by
/ the conductor TO stay with the cut and
after the engine had pulled out of the sid
\ ing TO close the switch The engine was
| then started TO indianapolis TO replenish
I the water tank.
After the engine had passed the switch
! Angel threw over what is know as O
/ throw -off'-a mechanical device used on
railroad switches TO prevent the cars left
standing on a siding from rolling onto the
main track should the passage of another
train start them in motion-but did not
| close the switch. The switch target is
! about the length of car from the throw
/ off and this oversight of Angels is hard
| for the railroad employees TO account for.
/ He Is said 10 be a railroad man of more
/ than four years experience and has
worked on the Panhandle system long
! epough TO know the entire road between
/ Indianapolis and Louisville.
Train 50 left Indianapolis at 6:15 o'clock
with seventy-five passengers from Indian
/ anolis for way points between here and
/ Huntsville and passengers for points on
the Madison branch. Charles Horney was
| the conductor In charge or the train. which
| mad been crossed. At Raymond street.
| CONTINUED ON PAGE T. COL 81