Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-23
CAUGHT WHEN
TRACTION TRAIN
SPLITS SWITCH
Crushed Beneath Rear Truck
of Freight Trailer at East
and Washington Streets.
CAUSES TRAFFIC JAM

When the rear trucks of the last
of three trailers attached to a T. H,
/ & E. freight train jumped the
tracks at East and Washington
streets today, an unidentified man
was caught beneath the wheels. The
man appeared to be a laborer about
so years old.
1t required more than an hour to re-
move the mangled body from under the
trucks. When the clothing Of the man
was searched not a scrap of paper was
found by DR.. Paul Robinson, coroner.
The pockets contained only q corncob
pipe, tin box of tobacco and pair o.
gold-rimmed eyeglasses in a worn black
case. The body was removed to the city
morgue
The coroner ordered the three members
of the car crew taken to police head
quarters until he could investigate the
accident and determine who was to blame.
The men were not arrested
Nathan ]. Wheeler, motorman; william
Roberts, conductor, and Andrew McKin-
ney, hagman, were the members of the
crew. and all live in Greenfield.
TRAIN INBOUND
FROM GREENFIELD.
The motor car was No 1874, the Hrsk
freight car was No. 30. followed bT
freight car No. 23s. and the last freight
car was No. 235. IL was freight car No.
20 that split the switch at the east side
OF East street. The train was Inbound
from Greenfield. AS the rear trucks Of
the last car left the track The car swung
around until It was headed north and
south instead o. east and west It did
not break loose from the train, the other
cars remaining on the track. Two
wrecking crews we're sent to the scene.
Police Sergeant Murphy and Motor
Police Schlangen and Dalton went 70 the
scene IN the emergency automobile. They
made the Investigation. Lieut. Wooden.
Sergts, Gaddis and johnson and a Lum-
Der Of patrolmen were hurried to the
corner OF Fast and Washington streets.
as the heavy traffic Of the early morn
Ing was presenting n big problem. sand
/ automobiles were routed so IS no. 70
pass the corner. Inbound East WASH
ington street cars were blocked and
line Of cars more than three blocks long
were halted for more than ar hour r{re
East Michigan street ears were blocked
on East street.
FORCES HUNDREDS
To WALK TO WORK.
The blockade occurred al a time whsu
hundreds Of persons were attempting
TO reach the downtown district to 20
to work In Offices and stores. or To
transfer TO other car lines to reach
factories. They were forced to walk.
After the two wrecking crews with
jacks lifted the heavily loaded freJrbt
car from the nangled body the coroner
searched the clothing of the dead man
and when no mark of Identification was
found he gave the following description
TO newspaper men in an effort TO have
| the body identified:
Ihe man was about so years old
rect IA inches in height and weighed
i0c pounds. He wore tan shoes army
SOCKS, gray underwear. an army O. Il.
shlrt' dark coat, vest and trousers. a
dark overcoat and gray gloves. He
wore dark cap. The head was so
| badly crushed that it was impossibla
TO distinguish his features, but DR. Rob-
inson said the man had gray hair and
gray mustache
he evidently was on his way to work
and carried his lunch vranped in
newspaper. In his overcoat pocket wos
a pastebosrd box containing salt and
some fruit wrapped in piece of psper
Two witnesses of the accident said
the man had walked from the north sids
of Washington street to a spot near tbe
freight train TO pass. Suddenly the rear
trucks left the tracks as the wheels
split the switch. The rear of the car
started north, catching the man be-
meath the wheels and horribly mangline
him. The body was dragged about
twenty-five feet.
All members Of the train crew saw
tney We're in the motor car at the time
Of the accident. Mckinney. hagman safd
ne was standing at the south door of the
motor car and looking back, but did nok
see the accident as the car jumped the
track to the north side. Roberts con-
ductor, said he was standing at the south
door of the front car and saw the man
standing near the car tracks. Roberts
saw the rear of the last freight car
swing around, be said, and called to
wheeler, the motorman. Roberts said bs
saw the man caught beneath the wheels.
Wheeler stopped the train quickly. as II
was not going fast The train went less
than half car length after the rear
trucks split the switch.