The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-04-14
Three
Lives SRuffed Out in DiSaS
trOuS Freight Wreck
Near BurkettsVIIIe Last Monday
Thlrty-TwO Cars DeraIled
In Costly Smash-Up.

ter of a mile north Of Burkettsyill,
about half past two last Monday af
ternoon, in one of the worst freight
wrecks in the history Of the North.
ern.
The horrible smash-up occurred to
north bound extra freight No. .5572
on the small down grade near the },
T. Wildenhaus farm, just this side Of
Burkettsville.
OF the train of some fifty odd cars
thirty-two were derailed, most of
them damaged beyond repair. Luck
lily for the train crew, the first Of
the wrecked cars was the third car
behind the engine, while the last car
to leave the tract was several cars
from the caboose. The trainmen i'm
the caboose received a severe shaking
up but were in no way injured Peo-
pie at Burkettsville station claim the
train was running about fifty miles
an hour when it went thruogh that
village and had probably picked up
some speed on the down grade, when
the wreck happened. Railroad Off
cials have been investigating the
wreck, but have not as yet determin-
ed the exact cause. The fact that
for several hundred feet back of the
main part of the wrck the ties al
most half way between the rails are
badly torn across the top would lead
to the supposition that broken draw
bar or brake bar had caused the dis
aster.
John Nader was driving home
from Burkettsville and was just op-
posite the main portion of the wreck
age whe nthe smash came. He mar
rowly escaped injury from the flying
coal hurled from the car which was
thrown across the ditch between the
tracks and pike. He saw the men
who lost their lives, hurled into the
air and dropped into the tangled
mass of steel and at once reported
the matter to the excited train crew
and neighbors who arrived on the
scene. A hurried rescue party was
formed and worked underneath the
wreckage to remove the bodies. Two
were dead and the third breathed his
last as he was being dragged out.
Undertaken Henry Schmitt, of st.
Henry, was summoned and the mutt
lated bodies were removed to the
Schmitt morgue at st. Henry, where
they are still being held under orders {
of Coroner Ayers for possible identi-
fication. Coroner Ayers had pictures J
of the corpse taken by Photographer {
Boehmer, of this city, and is making
every endeavor to identify the men.
There were no Identification marks L
on any of the fellows, and only a few q
articles and papers were found in I
their clothing. :
All three fellows were about five
foot, ten inches in height and posi- v
bly, 35 years of age. d
had light brown hair; two gold teeth e
above and one belwo; card in poe II
ket of clothing bearing name of d. B.
Wood BALI Brotherton road, Oakley, o
ILL., This fellow believed to be Jim v
Brady, brother of Harry Brady, a o
bagggaeman on the B. &, o., and of u
Neal Brady, former third baseman of "
Chicago Cubs. d
Another weighed about 100 pounds W
had sandy hair, and probably of for =
eign parentage. Note on person adj v
dressed to Alfred Pollock and signed u
by Franl, Carcora; contained also ad- u
dress of B. G. Uher &c Co, 121 North Sc
Wabash ave-, Chicago, Ill. A Big Il
Four railroad detective believed that u
he recognized in this fellow a well n
known railroad crook of Richmond, Ia
Ind, with many aliases, but general y
y known as Indiana" D'
The other fellow was a good look II
ny, well built man, weighing about y
$50 pounds; light brown curly hair. q
IN his person other than
pair of new blue Grass wire plyers, 81
at Louisville, Ky. One pf
If the Grangers of near Coldwater, y"
noting the description of this felliw,
vent to st. Henry yesterday to view ~
he remains and thought he recog- 81
lized g fellow by the name TO Chas. u'
4ance, Of Fremont Oe
Detective Hull, Of the Cincinnati -
went to st. Henry yester- ~
lay afternoon and will endeavor to ~
un down these clews.
Two heavy wreck Grams, one from
he Chicago & Erie on the nroth M
me from the Big Four on the sourn, sa
we're rushed to the scene. Although tn
hey were both worked night and day on
he track was not opened up until fin
noon, when the grade was In
leared enough that a temporary be
rack could be built past the wreck. IiI' II'
eyeral hundred feet of grade will he
ave to be rebuilt, which will require tn
eyeral weeks work. Trains were to
Outed from Greenville to Versailles III
yr tn Big Four and thence to this 10