Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 65, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1912 — TERRIBLE WRECK ON C. H. & D. [ARTICLE]

TERRIBLE WRECK ON C. H. & D.

Train No. 36 Wrecked Just Out of Indianapolis and 15 People Killed C. H. & D. train No.> 36, which passes through Rensselaer each morning from Cincinnati to Chicago, ran into an open switch at Irvington, while coming into Indianapolis at three o’clock Wednesday morning and struck a freight engine that *was standing on the siding, head-on, smashing both engines, killing the engineer, fireman and the conductor of the passenger and twelve passengers, and smashing up several of the cars, especially the day coach and smoker, which were telescoped. All of the passengers killed and injured were in these two coaches, those in the sleepers in the rear of the train escaping practically without injury.

The train was running at a speed of forty miles am hour or better, to make up lost time, it being one hour late. The freight had backed in on the siding to allow the passenger to pass, and it was the duty of the head brakeman, Carl Gross, to close the switch. This he neglected to do, and the awful toll of death followed.

The passenger engine struck the engine of the freight with terrific force, The two engines rearing up like two mad beasts, and were locked in each others embrace, with clouds of steam pouring from their broken steam pipes, and the engineer, William Sharkey, ana Charles Burg, fireman of the passenger engine were crushed and scalded. Death was probably almost instantaneous. The engineer of the freight engine jumped from his cab in time to save his life. The other members of the crew, including the head brakeman, whose criminal negligence caused the wreck, were considerably bruised, the latter suffering a broken leg. Fifteen dead were taken from the wreck and a score or more were ininjured follow: jured. The names of the dead and The Dead. C. F. GRUNDHOEFFER, 4440 Darrow Ave., Cincinnati. ALBERT ALLEN, Los Angeles. MRS. ALBERT ALLEN, Los Angeles. WILLIAM SHARKEY, single, engineer on passenger train, Indianapolis. CLEM IMHOLT, theatrical man, 448 IRVIE M. WIGGINS, married, conductor on the passenger train, Indianapolis. , East Liberty street, Cincinnati. HORACE B. WHITE, brakeman on passenger train, Indianapolis. J. L. PALAMER, Itawaw, Tenn. CHARLES CHENEY, 13 years old, Jackson, Ky. JULIA CHENEY, wife of Clifton Cheney, Jackson, Ky. JOHN CHENEY, 52 years old, of Breathitt, Kiy., died at Deaconess hospital. CHESTER CHENEY, 5-nionths-old son of Julia and Clifton Cheney. TWO-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER of C. Cheney, died at Deaconess hospital. Jackson, Ky. C. BERG, fireman on passenger. The Injured. BURTON JONES, Dayton, Ky., mail clerk, injured about head and hack. CLIFTON CHENEY, Jackson, Ky., injured about body. J- C. SKILLMAN, Indianapolis, bridgeman, bruised about legs. WILLIS YORK, Indianapolis, fireman on freight train, left leg cut and bruised. CARL GROSS, Indianapolis, head brakeman on freight train, right leg broken. E. EMBERTON, Indianapolis, fireman on freight train, bruised about body. FRED HUTCHESON, Madison Va., scalded about face and arms. MRS. MARY SEARS, 2927 Indiana Ave., Chicago. , HARRY SELL, 2437 Indiana Ave., Chicago. MARY HUTCHESON, Madison, Va. MRS. J. C. SKILLMIAN, Indianapolis. J. W. JEFFERSON, negro porter, 3309 Forest Ave., Chicago. HUGH KEIMP, Berlin, Ky. W. J. FILLER, Liberty, Ind. A. C. FILLER, Liberty, Ind. JOSEPH GROSS, Indianapolis.