Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1919 — ENTIRE TRAIN WAS BURNED UP [ARTICLE]

ENTIRE TRAIN WAS BURNED UP

On Panhandle Road, West of Goodland, Monday Morning. . The east bound passenger train on the Panhandle railroad was wrecked and all the coaches burned at about 7 o’clock Monday morning near the Perkins switch, about midway between Kentland and Goodland. A small trestle over a ditch had been set on fire, it is supposed from an extra freight that went east about 3 o’clock Monday morning and the engineer of the passenger train did not notice the burning trestle until too close to stop his train.

*' This train, consisting of three small coaches, is made up at Effner, a small station on the state line just west of Kentland, and it had made but one stop, that at Kentland, at the time of the accident, therefore bad ■ but very few passengers on at the time. - - The engineer and fireman were perhaps the worst injured, the former, John W. Newther, of Logansport, being severely scalded about the limbs, and his fireman, A. J. Cayborn, also of Logansport, being cut about the face and neck. The others injured are reported as follow/: R. M. Mikels, expressman, of Effner, left hip broken; John Custer, baggageman, of Logansport left arm broken; John Wallace, mail clerk, of Ridgeway, Hl., right wrist broken, left elbow cut and bruised and head cut. Miss Helen O’Neal of Kentland, who was the only passenger in the passenger coach, received a cut under the right eye and a bruised right shoulder. Mr. Dean of Sheldon, who was riding in the smoker, was not injured.

The accident happened halfway between section roads and help could not arrive in time to do any good. The rear coach was unoccupied and had there been enough men present to have pushed the car back up the small incline the rear coaoh might have been saved. All the mall and express matter were burned. The engine and baggage and mail car passed over the trestle, the engine running perhaps a couple of car lengths before toppling over into the ditch at the south side of the track. The baggage and mall car remained on the roadbed, but the smoking car went partly through the bridge, the front end of which caught fire from the burning woodwork and the fire spread to the other coaches and in a short time all were mass of flames and were burned completely up, only the iron work being left. The westbound train detqured via C. & E. I. to Morocco and C. & I. S. to Kentland and then to Effner. The wrecking crew came out from. Logansport' and .by evening the wreck was cleared from the track.