Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1889 — A FRIGHTFUL DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

A FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.

An Express Train on the Grand Trunk, Running at the Rate of Forty Miles an Hour, Jumps the Track-Twenty Per-_ sons Killed—Many Injured. The limited express on the Grand Trunk railway, due at Hamilton. Ont., at 6:55 a. m., Sunday, met with an accident about two miles west of that city, the result of which was the loss of many lives. The ti“ain was composed of an engine, two baggage care, a smoker, a through passenger coach, a Wabash coach, a Wagner first-class coach, a Pullman car and two Wagner sleeping cars, in order named. The accident occured at the junction, where a “¥” is built. The train is said to have been running at a speed of forty miles an. hour or more, when directly on crossing the switch the engine jumped the track and plunged into a water tank, which stood in a space between the “ Y,” smashing the tank into atoms and turning almost upside down, Thebaggage cars came directly after the engine, and the first of these was pitched over the engine and thrown on the main track, leaving its wheels behind it. The otner baggage car caught fike from the engine and the two were soon in. flames. The coaches following, with the exception of the two Wagner cars in the rear of the train, were huddled together' by the shock and soon caught fire from the baggage cars. The passengers on the train, numbering over one hundred and "fifty, many of whom were asleep at the time, had a terrible experience. A majority were able to get out before the firereached them, but in the confusion that reigned it is not known how many victims were left to the mercy of the flames, penned in by the materral of the wreck and unable to - extricate themselves. L. S. Gurney had his head completely severed from his body by a piece of flying debris. Rudolph Deerer, was also instantly killed. As soon as the engine rolled over, after striking the WAtE? tank. Fireman Watson and Engineer Chapman crawled from underneath it, neither being much hurt The remains of twenty victims were taken from the wreck. Many others were injured. The place where the accident occurred is considered dangerous, as there is a switch on a ratheYsharp curve. Seven cars, a baggage car, two first-class coache?, a smoker, a first class day coach, and two Wagner sleepers, were burned, there heisg not a vestige of wood or anything tnat would burn left. One car, the baggage-car, was demolished, and the engine is the mq@t complete wreck imaginable. The loss to the company will be enormous. Many of those on thp train were going to New York tcusArticipate in the centennial festivities. Most of, the passengers lost all or ac portion of their baggage and clothingNand a large amount of the mails werfe lost by fire.