The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-01-29
so PERSONS
ESCAPE DEATH
IN CAR SMASH
Passengers of Interurban
Miraculously Escape Serii-
Gus Injury When Car Turns
Over.
ice ON TRACK CAUSE

more than 90 persons miraculousIy
escaped serious injury and death early
thursday morning, when the inter-
urpan from West Alexandria. due in
Richmond at 5:43. was wrecked near
Lemons greenhouse, east of the city.
score or more passengers were hurt.
although none of the injuries were
serious
The car, which was coming down the
grade east of Glen park, was thrown
from its trucks, and lodged against a
telephone pole, Is feet from the track.
Most of the passengers were resi-
dents of Eaton, New Westville and
New Paris, employed in Richmond.
Prosecutor Freeman began an in.
Vestigation of the wreck Thursday to
ascertain if the crew could be held for
criminal negligence in the operation of
the car at a high rate of speed down
the incline. The prosecutor said he
mad obtained some evidence indicating
criminal negligence. 1t appears that
ice froze on the tracks and that when
the car struck this ice, it was deraiIed.
Examination showed no defect in the
rails, the prosecutor said Evidence,
he said, showed that the car was run
ming fast.
That none of the occupants were
Killed is considered little short of a
miracle by persons living near the
scene of the accident, who came to the
rescue.
No Bones Broken.
The injured are:
benjamin Mckee, 73 years old, New
Faris, o.. carpenter Starr Piano Co,
head and right leg painfully hurt, and
back strained.
Everett Overholser, 90 years old.
Campbellstown, O.. dice maker, Amer
ican Seeding Machine Company, right
arm hurt.
Clyde Mcdaniel, 81 years old; rural
route, Campbellstown, core maker
Wayne Works, abdominal bruises.
Mrs. Myrtle Lott. 33 years old; rural
route out of Richmond; operates a
facing machine at Atlas Underwear
Co. slightly hurt, minor bruises.
Charels Whitney. 35 years old, New
Paris, o., car repairer at the Pennsyl-
vania railroad yards. hurt slightly on
/ the right arm, shoulder and head
| James Mcpherson, AZ years old, New
/ Westville, o, platter at the Starr
Piano Co.. bruised
Frank Bonita, 50 years old. Eaton O.,
employed at the Starr Piano Co,
| slightly hurt.
Thurman MatteX, 10 years old, rural
route east of Richmond knitter at the
! Atlas Underwear Co., left side and leg
| hurt
David F. Reinheimer. 60 years old.
New Paris. O.. cabinet maker at the
Starr Piano Co, eyes hurt, left side
and neck lacerated.
Cornelius Mitchell. Go years old.
rural route number 3. New Paris. O..
carpenter at Birdseu-Willet Co, side
and shoulder hurt. and cash in head.
| Ear Is Torn.
William Malone, 60 years old. Eaton.
O.. machinist at Starr Piano Co, ear
torn badly
| Others reported hurt. who were
cared for in physicians offices includ-
ed Charles Tracy, Westville. head
hurt: Verlin Tracy. Westville, scratch
ed: Lincoln Hall. Westville, back hurt:
| Darrell Watts. New Paris. head cut.
neck and shoulder bruised: David
Brown. New Paris. O., cut over eye,
cut on hand. and leg bruised: John
King, Westville, bruised; Bob Roller,
New Paris. bruised.
| Others who were slightly hurt are:
Lamb Spencer, R. r. c., teamster at
Swayne Robinson Co.: Al Spencer.
Eaton: George ARD, Eaton; o. B. Long.
Eaton; Clarence Root. Eaton: Howard
| Davis. Eaton r. f. Pitsinger, Eaton:
c. w, Evans, Eaton: c. H. McKeeney.
Richmond, Rural Route C; John
!; Heppes. Eaton.
| DR. Charles Marvel cared for two
patients, whose names he did not
! learn. One suffered a cut ear. and
the other a broken rib. DIR. ]. H. Kin
sey cared for Darrell Watts.
Car Is Smashed.
The interior of the car was COM
D1ofe1y urppkod oil IF 70 he
ing torn from their places and piled
in one end. Steam pipes and other
fixtures were torn loose and thrown
against the side. The doors on both
ends were buckled and a hole had
to be chopped in the roof to allow the
passengers to escape.
Although the exact cause of the ac-
cident is not known, it is believed to
have been ice frozen against the rails.
The car was speeding doyn the hill
and just in front of Lemons green
houses, the front trucks left the rails.
and breaking from the rest, rolled
over to the side of the road, about so
feet away.
The rear trucks remained on the
rails. and the car was swung COM
pletely around and lodger against
telephone pole, on its side, about Is
feet from the rails.
Hole Chopped In Roof.
Hearing the crash, several persons
living near the scene, rushed to the
accident and succeeded in chopping
hole in the roof of the car and
getting the slightly injured passengers
out.
Ambulances were called, but II was
some time before any of the injured
were taken from the scene. These
were rushed to offices of physicians
and to Reid Memorial hospital, where
their wounds were dressed.
, David Baker. motorman, was un-
injured, and Edward Good, conductor,
: escaped with a few scratches on his
face and hands. Both of the men live
at West Alexandria. Baker said htat
he was not running the car at an un-
usual speed, although he was several
! minutes late.
! About 20 passengers went to the
| frontipnod IN Do Tov.