Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 December 1891 — SIX MEET THEIR DOOM. [ARTICLE]

SIX MEET THEIR DOOM.

FRIGHTFUL WRECK IN THE CITY OF TOLEDO. Pawengeni ou the 8. * M. S. Railway Crushed, Burned and Scalded to Death by an F. & P. M. Train—Many Seriously Hurt. Wrecked in a Tunnel. A passenger train on the Flint & Pere Marquette Road crashed into the rear of the Lake Shore express at Toledo. Ohio, causing the death or injury of a score of persons. The collision occurred about forty rods from the Union Depot at 5 o'clock in the evening, and by 11 six dead and sixtee i terribly mangled and scalded peop'e had been taken from the wreck. A babe, scalded until it was an unrecognizable mass, and several women whose limbs and features were cooked beyond recognition added to the horrors. Ambulances and patrol wagons convoyed the dead and wounded to St. Vincent's hospital and to different houses, and it was with the greatest difficult/ that names could be obtained. A list was furnished by Superintendent Whittlesey, of the Lake Shore, supplemented by the cotoner. The following were killed: Mrs. Mary McCoign, Madison, 111. An fi-yoar old son and an infant son of Mrs. McDonald, of New York. Ellen Meyer, Cleveland, Ohio Howard Vaughn, tan Fernandina, Cal. James McQueen, Elkhart, Ind, The se iously in tired, tared for at St Vincent’s Hospital, are: Jose;h Anderson, Riverside, 111. Mr. and a. rs George James, of New Y ork. John Campbell. New York. Rudolph Murphy, To cdo. Mr. and Airs. McKenzie and daughters, Pearl and Maud. Bertha Dick, nurse girl to Mrs. McDonald's children. New York. John Con'y, Millville, Mass. Patrick Taylor. Arthur, Nev. Mrs. John P. No son, of To edo, is-the only one outside of the hospital who is in a dangerous condition. Others, less seriously injured are: Jos. Ludwig. Peoria, 111 Warren L. Potter, P.ttsburg, Pa. Conductor Hunt.-r, Marquette train. Dolly Fisher, Toledo. Mrs. J. O. McDonald, New York. Miss Anna Ma k. New York. D. T Wes", Detroit. 3 leh Mrs. E. J. Cal oway, Toledo

The Pere Mar>uette train is due in Toledo at 4:53, and the Lake Shore follows at 4:55. 1-rom Air Lino Junction the trains -tse the same track. The Lake Shore was seven minutes late and the Pere Marquette train nine minutes late. The Lake Shore train pulled down from the junction aliea I of the Marquette, though there was but little room between them. About forty rods from the union depot is a tunnel fifty feet long The Lake Shore had gone nearly through this with its seven heavy vestibuled [ar or cars, and the day coach on the rear, when a freight ahead made it pull up. The brakeman ran back to give the signal to the Pere Marquette engineer, but it was toolate. The trains we e too close. The engineer and fireman of the oncoming train laid down in their cab and crashed through the dimly lighted tunnel into the rear of the Boston and Chicago special. The day coach was split in twain: the engine plowed through until the rsar of the car made a cover for the engine clear up to the cab. The steam escaping in volumes hid the wreck from the view of tl.e big crowd which had run out of the stores, sa oons and houses on the high bank along which ran the street above Miss Dolly Fisher, the daughter of Health Officer Fisher, maddened by the pain of the s aid ng steam, leaped from the window and was cut and slightly bruised. Help came immediatly, and the wounded were drawn out. One man, Warren L. Potter, himself slight y scalded, attempted to pull Mrs. McCoign from the car, and the flesh came off in great shreds from the woman’s arm. A Laby was scalded to death and taken out of the smashed car a cooked and blistered mass of flesh, almost beyond recognition as a human form. A ghastly hand was found after the wreck had been cleared away and the wrecked car taken off, but no body had been found without a hand, and another search commenced to find the body to which the hand belonged, without avail. There was no fire, and few were in.ured except by escaping steam. Mrs. McCoign occupied a seat near the rear of the coach and a babe was toddling in the aisle when the accident occurred, according to one of the eye-wit-nesses. Taking place as it did in the city, an immense crowd assembled at the scene of the w.cck. In four hours all the debris had been cleared away, and the trains began to run as usual. No one was hurt on the Marquette train. An investigation will be made at once as to the came of the wreck,, and the Lake Shore officials will see if it impossible to make the sere Marquette people pay for the damage incurred. The engineer of the Marquette train was a new man on the run. When found ■the lever was almost perpendicular and not reversed. The brakeman and conductor of the Lake Shore had a narrow escape. They had gone to the rear to hang out the red lights, when they saw the headlight of the rear train right upon them. It was a big jump in o the ditch, but they took it and escaped with a slight shaking up.