Rensselaer Journal, Volume 12, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1902 — MONON'S TRAIN’S QUEER FREAK. [ARTICLE]

MONON'S TRAIN’S QUEER FREAK.

Jumps Track From Collision and Wrecks Freight on Opposite RjUls. Thundering along with its throttle open to the last notch one of the ponderous Monon locomotives, palling seven coach loads of Cincinnati excursionists, crashed into an Erie freight train standing on the main line of the Western Indiana tracks near Hammond, Ind., shortly before 1 o’clock Sunday morning George and Daniel Farris, brothers, were asleep in the caboose of tbe freight train when the crash came. Tbe young men were starting to their old home in Cave City, Ky., to spend their vacation. For novelty they secured permission to make the trip with the crew of the train. George Farris was buried beneath the wreckage and killed. His brother lies at St. Margaret’s Franciscan hospital in a precarious condition. To add to the horror, the wrecked cars burst into flames, kindled by the shattered fire box of the engine. None of the party of 600 young people who were in the excursion were seriously injured, but they were jarred from their sleeping berths by the impact, and scores were painfully bruised. The injured: Daniel E. Farris, 28 years old, Millett, Mich., several ribs fractured and internal injuries, Thomas Kline, of Indianapolis, 45 years old, engineer of passenger train; left foot badly crushed. Frank Lewis, of Indianapolis, 27 years old, fireman to Kline; both feet burned. Samuel Marshall, of Huntington, 37 years old, switchman on the freight; numerous cuts on the head and severely bruised about the body. The passenger train in charge of engineer Kline, was running special, with a orowd of pleasure seekers which had left Cincinatti over a week ago. They spent several days in Chicago, and then crossed the lake to Grand Haven, Mich. Returning Saturday night, they took the Monon train at the Dearborn street station for their homes in Ohio. The train was made up of five pas senger, including two sleepers, and a baggage car. Once outside the city limits, the speed of the train was increased to the rate of fifty miles an hour. While rounding a slight curve beyond Hegeswisch the electric headlight of an engine passing in the opposite direction flashed into Kline’s eyes, and he was blinded for tbe instant. When his vision became cleared he looked for the targets of the interlocking switch system, and seeing a green light, interpreted it as a signal for him to take the right of

way. He had just scanned the track ahead of him when there loomed in the darkness three red lights on the rear of a long line of freight cars standing beside the switch tower. The emergency air brakes were put on, but the heavy train slid on the rails. A deafening crash followed instantly, the result of the fatal confusion of signals. Kline and J,ewis stuck to their posts and used every effort to stop the great engine from tearing through the mass of wreckage before it. The freight cars were shattered and telescoped. The force of the impact hurled the engine diagonally across the track and rammed its fender into another Erie freight train bound for the city. The train was disjoined and three cars toppled over. The rumbling, grating, followed by the splitting of the wood and the shonts of the trainmen, and the terrific jarring brought terror to the panic-stricken excursionists. Women screamed and fainted, and a wild scramble was made for the vestibules. The large plate-glass doors were fastened and the men kicked them open. A hurry call was sent to the Hammond police, and a detail in command of Sergeant T. E. Knotts called ambulences and physicians and started for the scene of the wreck. They surrounded the terrified passengers and sought to calm them. A few minutes later a tongue of flame leaped out of the wreckage and kindled a fierce blaze. The Hammond fire apparatus was sent for and together with the Chicago department they fought the fire. The water in the ditches was soon exhausted and the firemen werr> powerless to combat it further. The caboose had careenned over into a ditch of stagnant, murky

water, and from it came groans and shrieks. The police were searching in one place when* a man in great agony crawled oat of the water and tPfgged Kbr help. JBe was placed in Hnbeir’b ambulance and driven rapidly to the hospital, The Injured trainmen followed. Drs. Pannenborg and Olark, railroad surgeons, .of Hammond, assumed direction’s of the first aid work and many women passengers were revived from their frights with difficulty. I t was with the utmost difficulty that all in the wreck were accounted for, and after the fire a diligent but vain search was made for the body of young Farris. The cars loaded with dressed beef burned to their trucks, and before noon the fire fighters were given a secondary run to another blaze that had originated in the debris. The excursion train was backed up, and after securing another engine a wide detour was made around the wreckage and a new start was made for the destination ofithe party. The railroad officials refused to place the blame for the accident and declined to discuss the matter.