The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-06-06
Defective Rail Wrecked Train
Bearing 800 Hammond Peo-
pie to Indianapolis.
NONE SERIOUSLY HURT
Engine and Baggage Car Smashed
and Four Coaches Derailed
Conductor Jumped.
WM. HUNE'S CLOSE CALL
Excursionists Went from Wreck
to Rossville Church to Return
Thanks-Famine in Village.

While running at nigh rate of speed
Monon excursion train was wrecked by
defective rail at 9:f5 o'clock yesterday
morning at RossvilIe. a small town near
Frankfort. The engine and baggage car
were crushed 10 pieces and four coaches
crowded with excursionists were derailed
but none OF the 900 passengers was seri-
ously injured. marking the wreck as one of
the most remarkable in the history of In
diana railroads. All the passengers were
severely shaken up by the shock.
The train was from Hammond. bound for
this city and Conductor Martin Mason, En-
gineer C. l.. Summervirle and Fireman C.
A. Thacker, all residents of Monon, were in
charge.
At the time of the wreck the train vas
going through RossvilIe at an estimated
speed of between thirty-five and forty miles
hour. When about three hundred feet
Eortn OF the Rossville depot defective rail,
forming part of a switch's junction with
the main track was struck. causing the
engine TO leave the track with bound,
dragging the baggage car and four coaches
after 1t. The rails and roadbed were torn
mp for distance of 100 feet, the baggage
coach was left battered and broken cross
wise of the track and the huge engine and
four of the coaches stood partially buried
in the roadbed at the side of the track.
While the coaches badly damaged.
wrenched and twisted by the terrible shock,
they were not overturned.
But for the remarkable bravery and
presence of mind displayed by Engineer
Summerville. who. soon as he felt the
jar of the engine as 1t left the track. threw
r. .f~ ole he 10
the accident would undoubtedly have been
far more serious.
MANY MARVELLOUS ESCAPES. Il
According to j. A. Hawkins, a prominent
attorney of Hammond. who was passen-
ger ON the excursion. the baggage coach,
in which there happened to be but few
persons riding. was the scene of the most
narrow escape. William Hume. of Ham
mond, was sitting near the rear of the
car on low bench when the crash came
With a terrible. splitting roar one of the
.-Eaiis. which had been torn loose from the
track, shot up through the floor of the
car and out at the roof. protruding four
or five feet from the top 1t passed with
In four inches of Hune's head and carried
his hat away with it. When the young
man realized what had happened he sank
back into the of friends, overcome
by the nervous shock. He recovered rap
idly. however, and before many minutes
was congratulating himself on his miracu-
lous escape from instant death. In the
same car with Hume was another young
man, who was thrown to the floor and
forciby made to turn somersaults from
the front of the car to the rear. where he
was stopped by the protruding rail which
so nearly ended Hunes life.
rhfa in nnn of
the rear coaches. which did not leave the
track, said he a steel rail thrown
half as high as the soldiers monument"
and then fall distance of forty feet away
from the .roadbed-
Wnen Conductor Mason felt the shock of
the engire as IL left the rails, he made a
wild leap for life. landing within a few
feet OF the right of way fence Unable to
check the momentum of his BODY. he was
thrown over the fence, and in alighting his
ankle was slightly wrencned- His was the
only injury of any consequence sustained
by any person on the train.
+. ". Haus, of Rensselaer,. when seen at
the Union Station last evening, complained
that his back slightly sprained, but
said that he had not noticed it before.
RETURN THANKS IN CHURCH.
One of the remarkable features of the
wreck was the seemingly providential op-
portunity afforded the excursionists fitting
~ to offer thanks to the unseen power that
had so mraculously interceded for them.
When the terrible crash occurred, the SEX
ton of the Rossvile Baptist Church was
ringing the bell for the beginning of the
service. The church is located very near
the tracks. and although the baggage car
of the excursion was hurled to a point
within a few feet of the rear of the build
ing. the sexton. who is quite deaf and did
not hear the crash. continued ringing the
bell
This simple occurrence made a deep i'm
preston OH the excursionists, and as soon
as IL was suggested that they attend church
I'm body. nearly every person responded
and the little church was crowded to its
fullest capacity. There the 800 excursion
lists. who a few hours before had started to
spend a gay day in Indianas metropolis,
Joined in the unpretentious services of the
little country village church When the
pastor gave thanks in behalf of the excur-
sionists The entire body of chance visitors
was visibly affected.
Another phase of the wreck, which
threatened to prove more serious TO the
wrecked passengers than the smash-up
proper, was the famine that visited Ross
Vile a few minutes after noon, when the
passengers of the delayed train marched
up to the only two lunch counters which
the town supports and demanded that
their Sunday appetites be satisfied. In a
little less than five minutes the lunch
counters were swept clean. and several
nearby farmers having telephones We're
called upon for aid. They responded to the
appeal nobIy. and the visitors from north
western Indiana were given all they could
eat in a very short time
\ relfeI tram from this city arrived in
Rossville about 1:30 o'clock and at :45 the
excursionists were speeding on their way
to their original destination This train
arrived here at 3:40 and the passengers
were given time enough TO a little OF
Indianapolis before starting on the return
trip at o'clock last evening
j. A. Hawkins and Haniey T. Sutton.
prominent attorneys Of Hammond Charles
Williams. Fred Pinnell and Miss Ethel
Hover. well-known society girl of that
place, were on the train. Joe Rolling
Lowell. and c. :. Conner. OF Rensselaer,
were also among the passengers.
Exaggerated reports were circulated yes
ter1ay afternoon regarding the extent of
the wreck. The story that twenty-one peo-
pie were killed was given wide circulation.
and the newspaper office telephones were
kept whirring by the anxious friends of
those known 10 have been on the wrecked
train