The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-14
TWELVE KILLED IN WRECK.
PASSENGER AND FREIGHT TRAINS
COLLIDE ~ OHIO.
wo.t Of the Dead were Italian Laborers
All Cars Except the sleepcrs We're
Telescoped-A Accident on the Nickel
plate Road Early Yesterday Morning.

uost Of the Dead We're italian LabOrers
Al, Cars Except the sleepcrs We're
TeIescoped-Acciden on the Nickel
Plate Road Early Yesterday Morning.
1onAIN, Aug. ls,--Twelve lives were
sacrificed by trainman q blunder ina hea d.
An crash OF a Nickel Plate passenger ira In
and a freight at Kshman'a switch on the
.hore OF Lake Erie, near Vermillion, at !
o'clock this morning.
In the path OF the approaching fiier the
.npine crew OF the freight carelessly de-
layed their train. The engine Of the pas
.eneer train, running fifty miles an hour,
nlowed through the boiler Of the monster
freight emf CINE before 1t, and the crash broke
Goa ches into splinters and snapped and
twisted heavy steel.
Tbrty.nine Italian laborers, pockets
.inpling with money after q pay night and
singing and chattering In anticipation
Of the return to Italy few weeks hence.
wore riding In the smoker Of the passenger
Tho impact sent the car In the rear OF the
smoker half way through 1t, and nine OF
the thirty nine were crushed TO death In an
instant.
When tho crash came G. W. Poole; .
veteran In the service Of the Nickel Plate,
remained at his post After . warning cry
TO his fireman, he told him that hs could
lump and save his life. The crash caught
Poole In the engine cab and the bleeding and
diving man hung there in the sight OF tho
panic stricken passengers for many long
minutes before he was released.
Joseph Alexander Of Jersey City, proved
nv letter found on his body to be Q de-
serter from the navy, was crushed IN the
demolished smoker.
General Superintendent A. W. Johnston
~ tho Nickel Plate issued the following
statement tonight:
From what We have learned up to the
present time, the cause OF tho accident was
the failure OF the freight train to clear tho
entirely upon the crew Of this train. They
should have had that train In there at least
ave minutes before the time the passenger
train arrived.
THAT Is ono Of the rules Of tho road
As the freight train obscured the switch
lamps, the passenger GROW, OF course, could
not tell what 1t said, whether red or white.
We have learned Of no reason as yet as
to just why the train crew did not have
the main track all clear.
"A most thorough investigation will be
begun Tuesday morning by myself, when
all the crews and other witnesses that can
be secured will be examined
The engineer OF the freight train was
D. W. Derby Of Conneaut and the fireman
C. ". Canaan, also Of Conneaut. The en-
gineer had been given orders to take the
siding at Kishman's for the eastbound
passenger.
According to the despatcher's sheet
the freight was to take the switch for No.
81, the passenger, to pass. Figures obtained
by the Appropriated time Of the occurrence
Of the wreck and the time the train left
Lorain show 1t required the freight almost
twenty-five minutes to cover the seven
miles. This IL one Of the reasons for the
disaster Is advanced by railroad men.
Tho freight train. ordered to take the
Kishman siding, did not stop at the OPEN
ing, but proceeded for some reason unex-
planned for the length Of hundred cars
down the main track. The scene at the
wreck was . fearful ono.
Screams from the injured and frightened
Italians almost overcame the noise from
the cracking wood and escaping steam.
Tho two day coaches were telesooped.
Of the passengers sitting in the rear OF tho
smoker.
Tho seats were ground into straws by
the force Of tho collision, and the mangled
bodies Of the foreigners were crushed
beneath the twisted iron and the tnbers
Of tho side Of the coaches.
Farmers from the immediate neighbor-
hood oame to the aid OF the trainmen and
the passengers. Tho passengers In the
three Pullmans were only stunned by the
shock. They hurriedly dressed and in
scanty attire helped pull out the bodies
Of the unfortunates In the front coaches.
A trainman said that not one Of the pas :
ssngers. many apparently men OF wealth,
shirked. but all untiringly aided in the
rescue. The bodies Of the eight dead
Italians were pulled through the windows
Of the wrecked smoker, one by one.
One Of the cars but slightly damaged
vas converted into morgue, and ten bodies
we're kept at the scene for three hours until
tho arrival Of tho Coroner.
The death Of Engineer Poole was tragic.
The part played by his fireman. F. E. Haef-
ner, was that Of hero. Held as II by .
wedge in the wreckage Of the splintered
cab, the engineer hung for minutes head
downward. Haefner, who had jumped
after calling to his chief, stood near by.
leading the band OF men with axes, urging
Poole to be brave.
Pillows were brought from house; and
after the release OF the engineer he was
carefully carried to the bank at the side Of
the track. There for nearly two hours he
hy watching the work Of rescue. Haefner
was constantly at his side until he died.
The band. Of Italian victims Of the wreck
were employees Of Kronenberg 4 Co. OF
Buffalo, a big contracting firm. They had
been working at Old Fort Seneca and were
being taken to Brookneld, Ohio, to work
On similar contract. 10 r.
DROWNING AT LONG BRANCH.