Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-14
Open Switch in Suburb Of
indianapolis Caused e.
Wreck That Made Heavy
Toll of Dead and Injured.
,s,ldso e'a,s \ LEFT
''''n ..u Ia SWITCH OPEN
Passenger Train Supposed
to Have Clear Track
Crashed Into Freight; ;
Aroused Neighborhood.

indianapolis, Ind, Nov. 13.-At least
sixteen persons were killed and nfteen
seriously injured this morning when
an inbound Cincinnati, Hamilton &t
Dayton. passenger train ran into an
open switch and crashed into freightl
train at Arlington avenue. Irvington,
a suburb. The train was coming from
Cincinnati and was running fortyl
miles an hour.
The dead:
c.. IMHOLT AND WIFE. theatrical
people of Los Angeles, Cal.
ALBERT ALLEN, Los Angeles, Cali
c. BERG, fireman passenger train
Indianapolis.
BERT WHITE, brakeman, freight.'
Indianapolis.
BEN BOYLE, had ticket to Chicago
JOSEPH L. PALMER, Etawahs
Tenn.
CHARLES CHANEY. aged IS. jack
son, KY.
JOHN CHANEY, aged 50, Jackson.,
MRS. CLIFTON CHANEY, jackson,
KY.
CHESTER CHANEY. aged fys
months, Jackson, KY.
LILY CHANEY, aged 2, daughter OF
Mrs. Clifton CLANCY. died after being
taken to a hospital. s.
EARL WIGGINS, conductor passen.i
ger train.
WIN. sHARKEY, engineer OF pas.
senger train, both of Indianapolis.
G. F. GRUNDHOFER, Cincinnati.
Fifteen seriously injured we're taken
to the Deaconess hospital in this city.
Most Of Dead in First Car.
~ SS% QysN hut -
flames were soon extinguished. Most
age of the first car which telescopod
the baggage car. The engineer Of
the passenger train Is believed to bel
in the wreck, but the engineer OF thoI
freight escaped by jumping
Firemen and police worked at 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 theyl
cried pitifully.
Brakeman Failed to Close Switch.
The passenger train No. SO, IL re.i
ported to have had q clear track, but
the brakeman on the freight had notA
closed the switch when 1t had cleared3
the main track for the passenger. Carl
Gross, head brakeman on the train.
said the switch had been left open bYJ
one of his men.
The crash aroused the neighbors1
hood. Many homes were thrown opAnl
and the injured carried In and given
aid before being sent to the hospitals.3
Physicians and the firemen In Irving-y
ton were hurriedly summonded and
soon ambulances were taking away th04
dead and injured
The two engines were almost COM
pletely demolished. They reared upl
when they came together and were so
wrecked that it was not until afterl
daylight that the body Of the dead en-
gineer on the, passenger train was
found in the cab. He had remained,(
trying to bring his train to q halt.
The baggage care was badly splinsS
tered, but the two passenger coaches
Just behind looked more like a pile OF
kindling wood. They were completelyl
telescoped. Holes had to be cut inI
the sides and tops to reach the dead
and injured.
Mr.. and Mrs, Imholt and Albert ALI
len were unidentified until the body OF
Allen was taken from the wreckagol
and the name found on their tickets,
which were purchased at Los Angeles.
From the newspaper and magazine
clippings it is believed they are the
atrical people.
Corner Durham of this county began
an investigation at once. OF q family q
Of six, the Chaneys OF Jackson, KY.
on the train. only one is alive, and he.
Clifton CLANCY, is badly injured. His
father, wife and three children were
among the killed. They were on their
way to Wisconsin.
Mrs. Josephine Setter and her hus-
band were among the first in the
neighborhood to reach the scene Of
the wreck. She said the shock Of the
impact almost threw them out OF bed.
"The thing that made us all cry"
said Mrs. Setter, was the taking out
of the wreckage Of dead mother and
her child. The child was clasped in
the mothers arms when they found
her"
II and some others are to blame"
said Carl Gross, head brakeman on Il
the freight train this afternoon. Il left
the switch open and expected one Of
the other brakemen to close It, The
switch was not closed, the wreck 90