The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-26
THREE TRAINMEN INJURED
BIG FoUR's NEW YORK EXPRESS
WRECKED NEAR BRIGHTwoOD.
The Train Was Several Hours Late
and Ran Into q "Cut-On" Switch
Passengers Shaken Up.

The New York express. known as train
No. IS, on the Big Four, was wrecked yes
terday morning at 8 o'clock. Three men
were slightly injured and the passengers
were shaken up and frightened. The in
5ured are Henry Deer. engineer. living at
No. 1877 Ashland avenue. this city. Homer
Kannady. fireman, and John Probst. con-
ductor, both living at Bellefontaine, O..
Kannady IL bruised about the head and
face. Deer received scalp wound. Probst
was injured on the legs and shoulders.
Kannady was injured more than the others
and he was taken to st. vincent's Hospi-
tai The other injured men were taken to
their homes.
The train was wrecked about one hun
dred yards east of the Belt Railroad. near
Brightwood. II ran into an open switch.
which derailed the entire train None of
the heavy vestibule cars was overturned,
as the engine was brought to a stop after
the train had crossed the switch. The en-
CINE was not damaged except for a slight
arrangement of the steam pipes. few
windows In the coaches were shattered by
the heavy Earring OF the cars against the
ties.
Train No 50 left Indianapolis about $40
ocock. being nearly eight hours late. 1t
was bound Tor New York by way OF Cleve-
land When II struck the open switch it
was going at a speed of twenty-five miles
an hour. The blame is placed on the engi-
neer, who. the railroad officials say. did
not heed the overhead signals from the
watch tower. Men in the railroad yards at
Brightwood. however. claim that the light
In the overhead signal was not burning,
and Deer, thinking he had a clear track,
ran into the open switch.
MANY HOURS LATE.
The train should have left Indianapolis
Saturday night at 1910 o'clock. The st.
Louis train did not arrive until yesterday
morning The train. which was made up in
this city. undertook to make up much of
the time that had been lost. 1t consisted of
mogul engine. baggage car, two mall
cars. three day coaches and two sleepers.
Near the point where the wreck occurred
there Is another switch, called the "cut
on" This Is used for sidetracking trains
coming in an opposite direction when an
other train Is due. 1t appeared that the
train No. IS had been sent out When the
train struck the "cut off, IL shot into the
open ground and bounced along the ties.
When Engineer Deer saw what had &C.
CURED he reversed the lever and applied
the atr-brakes When the train crossed the
"cut on IL came to standstill. Deer,
kannady and Probst jumped from the train
when they saw that IL had left the track.
IL was In this manner that they received
their injuries. Kannady fell on his head In
pile of cinders and rece- yed several
bruises and cuts. He was bleeding severely
when picked up. He was placed In a ca
boose and Immediately sent to the Massa-
chusetts-avenue station. From there he
was taken I'm the city ambulance to St
Vincent's Hospital. Deer In jumping struck
his head against the frozen ground and re-
ceived scalp wound. He was taken back
to his home In this city. Probst received
bruises on the legs and shoulders in jump
ing. His injuries were not considered Sc
rious at the time and he was allowed to re-
main on the train. He continued to his
home in Bellefontaine, o.
wrecking crews from Brightwood and the
Shelby-street yards were sent for and three
hours later had succeeded in clearing the
track. A new engine was procured and the
same train was run through TO New York
being eleven hours late in leaving this city
None of the pass engers was injured but
many were thrown from their berths in the
sseeping cars