The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-19
TRACKS SLIPPED AWAY
BIG FOUR TRAIN TUMBLED OVER
ON WAY TO PEORIA.
The Fireman, w. III. Parish, Fatally
Injured-He and Several others
Hurt Have Homes Here.

Big Four passenger train No. 49, which
left this city on Sunday night for Peoria,
was wrecked yesterday morning about $50
o'clock at Rising Station, a few miles west
of Champaign, Ill. The wreck was caused
by washout due to the cloudburst in that
vicinity. Engineer Henry Gorham. living
at No. p Belmont avenue, received a bad
scalp wound and a bruised jaw Fireman
William II. Parish, living at No. 1928 Astor
street, was the most seriously injured He
received internal injuries and scalds that
probably will prove fatal. c. c. Peckham
of No. 2O19 Ashland avenue, clerk in charge
of the mail car, d. A. Ramey, of George
town, H., and E. T. Cline. of Bloomington
ILL.,. clerks in the mail car, received slight
bruises. The train was made up of an en-
gine, mail car. two day coaches and one
sleeper. 1t was due to arrive at Peoria at
6:10 yesterday morning.
Henry Gorham, the engineer, arrived
home yesterday afternoon at o'clock. In
speaking of the wreck Graham said II had
no idea of the danger OF the tracks that we
were approaching. We were running about
twenty-five miles an hour when we struck
the weak rails. Suddenly the engine
swerved and then knew that the rails had
given away under us. We had not gone
more than one hundred yards when the en-
gine topped over. carrying the mail car
and one coach to the ravine below the
track. The whole stretch of track for a
length of several hundred feet was torn up
when we struck it. On each side of the
track pools of water had collected from the
great downpour at midnight.
''As the engine toppled the tender crashed
against the engine and pinned Parish
against the boiler I was thrown against
the top of the cab and received this wound
on the head l did not have time to Jump
and when the engine settled l saw Parish
was in bad position. He made no outcry
for he was pinned underneath the coal and
the controlling lever. This forced him
against the hot boiler-plate. l jumped
from the cab and saw Peckman and Ramey
standing outside. l told Ramey to assist
me in getting Parish out and we got
shovels and started to work. We had to
dig down in that pile of coal before we
could loosen Parish's feet. He then dropped
from underneath the lever We carried
him to a patch of grass near the roadbed.
The telegraph agent about 200 yards from
the wreck had seen the disaster and had
called for doctors. Parish was unconscious
and we feared at the time that he could
not live. He was taken to the hospital at
Champaign on relief train.
1.-The engine was badly used UP. The
front trucks were torn off and the machn-
cry underneath the boiler was thrown out
of use. The reason that the passengers in
the first day coach escaped injury is that
soon as we struck the weak rails |
began 10 slacken and the wheels of the
coaches in humping over the ties had a
tendency to stop more quickly. The mail
car suffered considerable damage IL was
full of mail for Western roads. When the
toppled over this mail was thrown into
a pool of water about three feet deep.
Peckman, Ramey and Cline received their
bruises by being thrown against the side of
the car.
At the office of the Railway Mail Service
ii said that great amount of the
mail the wrecked train will be useless
There was a large number of sacks of mail
in the car and these fell into the deep.
muddy water in the ravine.