Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1884 — DEATH BY RAIL ROUTE. [ARTICLE]

DEATH BY RAIL ROUTE.

A Train Dashed Through a Bridge and Fired Sear Indianapolis. Seven Persons Drowned or Boasted, and a Number More or Less Injured. From Indianapolis papers we glean the following particulars of the recent distressing railway accident near that city: A south-bound accommodation train on the Indianapolis and Chicago air line due here at 10:30 a. m. met -with a terrible accident when seven miles from this city, at Broad Ripple, where the railway crosses the White river on a truss bridge of two spans, each 150 feet in length. The engineer had gone to the baggage car for a drink of water, and the locomotive was in charge of the fireman. When the locomotive reached the center of the bridge the fireman felt the structure sinking. He had his hand on the throttle, which he opened, giving the locomotive all the available steam. The engine sprang forward with great force, breaking the couplings between the tender and the baggage car. Tim locomotive kept t&e-jrack, but the baggage and smo.dng cars sod soother coach dropped through and piled up m s mass it the foot of the pirns, the smoking car being partially telescoped on the baggage car. The wreck was partially subm-rged, but the portion above the water immediately took fire from the stoves. The fireman declares that when he looked back after the locomotive reached the south end of bridge the cars were on fire and smoke was obscuring the scene. News of the wreck reached this city in a short time, and a wrecking train, with surgeons and other assistance, was at once made up and sent to Broad Ripple. On reaching the wreck a chaotic scene was presented. The bridge and cars were yet burning, and those present were so lacking in presence of mind as to be unable to extinguish ihe flames or afford relief to the sufferers. The officials of the road went to work vigorously and systematically, and In a short time the fire was extinguished and the search ior bodies was begun. Six persons were either killed outright or burned to death. The remains recovered were bnrnert and charred almost beyond recognition, being horribly mutilated, and the only means of id'eritifidation was the finding of incombustible trinkets known to be the property of the dead men. The scenes at the wreck were extremely distressing. The dead were in the ruins of the smoking and baggage cars, and these, the one on top of the other, were in deep w. ter. At one end of the smoking-car lay a man with his skull crushed and life extinct. Across him, close to the red-hot stove, lay Lynn Clark, a heavy timber binding one leg immovably. C. C. Loder, one of the passengers, tried to find the ax with which each car was provided, but it was on the other side of the car, in three feet of water. "For God’s sake, don’t desert me!” cried Clark. We did not desert him," said Loder, "until the flames scorched ns, and we were almost suffocated with smoke. Before leaving I kicked ont the window close by Clark, and left him in agony. Presently the flames burned the timber in two close by Clark, and he crawled out of the window which we had broken for him.” "In five minutes after the train went down," said Conductor Losey, "the entire wreck was wrapped in flames. In less time than that all who had not escaped already were drowned. Frightful screams came from the ruins near the pier, hut with two buckets and no boat we were powerless, and all that we could do was to close our ears and pray for death to relieve our comrades.”