The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-04
THREE MEN KILLED AND
THREE HURT IN A WRECK
ON THE VANOALIA ROAD
Two Locomotives Destroyed and
Thirteen Freight Cars Broken
and Splintered.
COLLISION ON A CURVE
Regular Freight Train and an Ex-
ira Crashed Together One Mile
West of Staunton.
CONFESS AND RESIGN
Trailmen of E,ast-Bound Train
Admit They Ignored Their
Orders.
CONFESS AND RESIGN
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
BRAZIL, Ind. April "a head-on colli-
sion between two freight trains-a regular
east-bound and west-bound extra-on the
Vandalia Railway, on a curve one mile
west of Staunton at $50 o'clock this
morning. resulted in the death of three
men, the injury of three and the destruction
of two locomotives and thirteen cars
The Dead
JOHN TUMBLIN. of Terre Haute,
fireman of west-bound tran; mangled in
the cab of the locomotive.
FRANK HICKEY, of Detroit, stealing
ride, crushed; died in hospital
RICHARD sIMONDs. of Cincinnati;
stealing ride; crushed to death.
The Injured
PAUL NOLLER, of Terre Haute, engineer
west-bound train; hurt about head; not
seriously.
GEORGE BLACKWELL. brakeman
west-bodnd train; severely bruised.
r. w. KITE, brakeman west-bound train :;
painfully bruised.
All of the crew of the east-bound train
escaped injury.
The wrecked trains were No. "A east
bound and extra freight No. Il west-bound.
The east-bound train was i'm charge of
Conductor White and Engineer Edgar
Burns, both of Terre Haute while the
west-bOund was in charge of Engineer Paul
Noller and Conductor James Littler with
John Lumberlan as fireman, also of Terre
Haute.
The weSt-bound train was behind time
and efforts were being made TO reach the
switch at CedarviIle TO permit the east
bound train to pass The crew of the latter
.t,o ~.
the train was running at great speed. 1t
is said both trains were making forty miles
an hour.
Both locomotives almost on the
curve before the engineers saw each ather' s
train. There was a sharp call for brakes.
moment later the two engines crashed to-
gether with clash that could be heard for
miles.
The impact was terrific. The locomotives
ground each other almost into scrapiron.
Ten cars of the weSt-bound train were
wrecked, some being literally torn into
splinters. Three cars of the east-bound
train were destroyed. The debris made a
huge pile that blocked the tracks.
Portions of the wrecked cars were hurled
over one hundred feet from the scene of
the collision and merchandise was scattered
along the roadway and in the adjoining
fields.
John Steadman, an old man living near
the scene, rushed to the wreck and assisted
out the bodies of the victims. He says the
collision shook his house and the embank-
ment all about it,
The bodies of Hickey, Simonds and Tum-
bin were found badly crushed. Hickey
was still alive when taken out of the great
mass of debris. but died three hours later
in the hospital at Terre Haute. Tum-
blin's corpse was carried to Terre Haute,
where relatives of the dead man live. The
body of Simonds was brought to Brazil.
Coroner Lawson, of this city, at once
began an investigation. He visited the
scene of the accident and also viewed the
dead bodies.
Railway officials place the blame the
east bound crew who, they say, miscon-
strued their orders and should have stop
ped at Cedarvilie-
Men were put to work on the great mass
of wreckage and it was thoroughly
searched but no more bodies were found.
1t was thought other tramps besides the
two who were killed might have been
secreted in the cars.
The tracks were clear at 6 o'clock this
evening and trains began running as usual.