Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-13
Open Switch Cause of
Wreck On C. H. & D.
Near Cincinnati.
GOING 40 MILES HOUR
Passenger Hits Freight at IT.
vington, a Suburb-Many
Taken to Hospitals.

Indianapolis. Ind. Nov. 13.-Fifteen
persons were killed and Is seriously
injured this morning when an in
bound Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton
passenger train ran into an open
switch and crashed into a freight at
Iryington, a suburb The train was
coming from Cincinnati at a rate of
A. miles an hour. Most of the dead
were found in the wreckage of the
first car. which had telescoped the
baggage car. The injured were TAX
en- to hospitals in this city. The dead:
c. IMHOLT AND WIFE, theatrical
people, Los Angeles. Cal.
ALBERT ALLEN, Los Angeles,
Cal.
freight. indianapolis, Ind.
JOSEPH l.. PALMER, Etawah,
Tenn
CHARLES CHANEY, 1S. Jackson.
Ky.
JOHN CHANEY, So, Jackson, Ky.
MRS. CLIFTON CLANCY and son
aged e. and daughter, aged 10.
EARL WIGGINS, conductor of pas
senEer.
WILLIAM sHARKEY, engineer Of
passenger
c. F.rGRUNDHOEFER, Cincinnati.
BEN BOYLE; had ticket to Chicago.
c. BURG, fireman.
NAMES OF INJURED.
Among the injured are:
Fred Hutchinson, fireman.
Clifton CLANCY. Jackson. Ky.
}. c. Skllman, baggageman, passen-
ger.
Carl Gross. head brakeman, freight.
Mrs Mary Sears. Chicago.
Harry Sell, Chicago.
W J and A. c. Filler. Liberty. Ind.
Mrs. j. c. Skillman, wife Of baggage
man. indianapolis.
Mrs. Joseph Setter and her husband
were among the first in the neighbor-
hood TO reach the wreck MY hus-
band" Mrs. Setter said, had been on
top Of a car helping to chop hole so
water could be passed to the injured.
who were crying pitifully. When he
came down he said he saw the COnduc-
tor standing upright, just as If he was
taking tickets He was dead. He had
glasses on, and they were not broken. +"
VICTIMS CRY FOR WATER.
Fourteen were seriously injured.
Firemen and police worked in the
wreck two hours before the first body
was found. Holes were chopped in
the tops OF the cars and the injured
supplied with water. for which they
cried pitlfully.
The passenger train, No. SO, is re
ported TO have had a clear track, but
the brakeman OF the freight train had
not closed the switch when II had
cleared the main track for the passen
ger train. Carl Gross, head brakeman
on the freight, said the switch haC
been left open by one of his men.
HAS REMARKABLE ESCAPE
Albert Seed, OF Louisville, one ot
the passengers told OF his remarkable
escape: Il was awake" Seed said. 81
felt chilly and was putting on my over
coat when suddenly l heard crash
The next thing | knew | was sitting
beside the wrecked trains. l could
hear women and men crying for hell
and with the assistance OF others found
an axe and chopped hole in the side
OF the car. Firemen soon arrived anC
began carrying out bodies"
The sound OF the explosion aroused
the neighborhood. Many homes wer,
thrown open and the injured were car
ried In and given first treatment
ENGINES IELEsCoPED.
The two engines were almost com
pletely telescoped. They reared VI
when they came together snC
were so wrecked that not until afte
daylight was the body of dead en-
g!neer on the passenger train fount
in the cab. He had remained tryinl
20 bring his train TO a halt
The baggage car was badly splir
tered. but two passenger coaches jus
behind looked more like a pile o
kindling wood. They were completed
telescoped. The entrance betweel
the cars was so jammed that hole
had to be cut in the sides and tops 4
take out the dead and injured. Tn
heavy freight train was standing stil
and was not nearly so badly damaged
Il and some others are TO blame,
said head Brakeman Gross this aftel
noon. Il left the switch open an
expected one Of the other brakeme
20 close II. The switch was not cloi
cd, and a wreck occurred. l am {
blame"