Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1887 — TERRIBLE DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

TERRIBLE DISASTER.

Two Trains Running at High Speed Collide Near Tiffin, Ohio. A Score or So of Tictims Mangled and Roast (d in a Shocking Manner. [Tiffin (Ohio) special) One of the most horrible and heartrending accidents ever chronicl 'd occurred on the Baltimore and Ohio l.oad near Republic, about eight miles east of here, at & o’clock Tuesday morning, through the collision of a freight and tue Erie express. An unknown number of persons, estimated at fifteen or seventeen, perished, and several others were badly hurt. The names of the killed, so far as they are knows, are: C. P. Bradley, of Washington, D. C.: burned to death Joseph Postlethwaite, aged 57; on his way from West Virginia to Chillicothe, Mo.; burned to death. Spencer Postlethwaite, aged 18; son of Joseph; burned to death. Henry Postlethwaite,aged 11; son of Joseph; burned todeath. iireman-William Fredericks, of the express train. George Pearce, express messenger; burned beyond recognition. M H. Parks, of Washington, D. C.; burned to death. Mr. Ballard, from New York State; burned to death Mr. Ferguson, of Bloomdale, Pa., an old man; missing and believed to be dead. Grant Mansell, of Milwaukee, Wis.; missing and believed to be dead. George Simpson, of Milwaukee, Wis.; missing and believed to be dead. Some half a dozen persons were injured more or less seriously. At 1 o'clock a. m. an east-bound freight train, in charge of Conductor Fletcher, pulled out of this city, expecting to side-track at tho Sc pio siding to allow the east-bound express to pass After the passenger train had gone the conductor, being without special orders, exercised his own judgment and determined to pull out, inasmuch as he had half an hour to make the switch at Republic, a little less than five miles distant, before the arrival of the express from the east, due at that point at 2 o’clock. The night was bitter cold and m ch difficulty was experienced in keeping up steam in the engine. Finally, at a point half a mile westof Republic, the train came to a standstill, being unable to move farther. Just here was made the horrible mistake which resulted in tho loss of so many lives and the destruct.on of thousands of dollars’ worth of property. Although the conductor must have known that he was encroaching dangerously near the time of the express, he did not send out the signal until after his train had come to a standstill and he found it impossible to move farther. ' He then started forward with the lantern himself. At this point there is a sharp curve, and Conductor I letcher had not proof eded more than the length of twenty cars when he saw the headlight of the approaching express rounding the curve not more than forty rods distant, and running at the lightning speed of sixty-three miles an hour. Horror-stricken with the knowledge that a frightful accident could not be avoided, he flashed his light in the face of the engineer, Lem Eastman. The latter at the same moment saw the light of the freight engine, and, giving a wild shriek of the whistle for brakes, he reversed his engine and jumped for his life, crashing through the window of the eab, carrying glass and sash with him, and' alighted In a heavy snow-drift. He escaped serious injury, his hurts being confined to a slight wound upon the knee As Eastman realized the danger, he called to his fireman, William Fredericks, to save himself. The latter Was engaged in stoking the fire. He raised up and hesitated a moment to glance forward, as if to estimate the danger. This was fatal, as at that instant the crash came, and poor Fredericks was pinned and crushed by the mass of the wreck. Tho effect of the collision can be better imagined than described. The engines of the two trains reared into the air like a pair of enraged living monsters, and then settled down upon the track driven into each other until the cylinders touched. The force of the impact jammed the baggage cars into the tender of the fast train, the express car into the baggage car, and the smoker into the express car. In less than five minutes from the moment of the collision, and before any organized effort at rescue could be made, the fire of the overturned stoves communicated tothe woodwork, and the flames leaped high in the air, the roar mingling with the cries of anguish of the imprisoned victims to whom death in its most terrible form was a horrid presence. The trainmen and uninjured passengers were powerless, and could no nothing to rescue the sufferers.