Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1889 — AN OIL TRAIN WRECKED. [ARTICLE]

AN OIL TRAIN WRECKED.

Catastrophe o*. the Lake Erie Zteilway— Three Train Men Banted'to Death on the Oatskirts of Kok-.mo—A Creek Becomes a Sea of Fieri!'ng Oil. Freight train No. 92, north bound on the Lake Erie & Western railway, was wrecked at the city limits of South Kokomo, this morning, at 4 o’clock. The engine was thrown over and twelve tanks of oil were piled around it, which took fire immediately and one after another exploded, setting fire to and consuming two box cars loaded with Kokomo freight, and four cars of coal. Engineer Jacob Mehle, Fireman Ed Burnett and front brakeman John Spellman were caught in the wreck and burned past recognition. Conductor Tobes and Brakeman Heilchew, who were in the middle of the train, jumped and es caped uninjured. The engine had just, crossed Kokomo creek and whistled tot Kokome station when it struck the switch leading to the bottle factory. Something raised it up and threw it sideways from the track. The box cars shied off into the field and the tak cars were piled up on the engine. The sight, as one after another exploded, throwing tanks hundreds of feet and burning oil 200 feet in the air, was awful. The heat was so intense that it broke windows and burned the paint off all houses in the neighborhood. Tne creek was a sea of flowing oil, which burned the wagon bridge. The remainder of the train was cut loose and run down the grade out of danger. The disaster was caused by wreckers, who have made several attempts lately to wreck Lake Erie trains. The men killed all live in Peru. Mehle was forty years old, and leavea-a-wife and two children. Burnett was aged thirty-five yean, and leaves a wife and two children. Mr. Spellman was unmarried. The bodies were recovered, burned to a crisp. After the inquest they were taken to Peru. The scene was a horrible one, and attracted large crowds. _ Later examination shows that the disaster was evidently the criminal work of train-ditchers. The switch is what is called a split switch, but, having been abandoned, was spiked down solid and was immovable. After the debris was cleared away it was discovered that the spikes had been drawn and the switch partially opened and held so by wedges. This is proof positive that the calamity was the work of diabolical train-wreckers. The engine was found reversed, with brake set, showing that the engineer was apprised of the obstruction, though not in the calamity. Numerous efforts have been made in the past few months to wreck L. E. & W.- trains near Kokomo, but have proved abortive. Up to this time there is no tangible clew to the cowardly scoundrels. Four hours after the crash the bodies of the ill-fated three were recovered,crushed and half cremated, totally unrecognizable except by personal effects found on the bodies. These men all resided in Peru. Mehl is a man of thirty eight, leaves a wife and two children. Burnett is thirty years of age and leaves a wife and one child. Spellman is unmarried, aged twenty-two. All were experienced and popular railroaders. Their charred bodies were prepared for burial, encased in handsome caskets and taken to Peru. A dastardly attempt was made on the same night to wreck train No 17, on the same road, a mile north of Rochester. The company are here replacing a wooden structure with an iron bridge, and here the bridge builders had put in a temporary trestle for the trains to run over. About 10 o’clock the people who live near this bridge were aroused by loud cries for help, and several men got up to see what was the matter. On going to the place whence the cries for help came, they found one man trying to extricate his partner from under a huge timber which had fallen upon him. Investigation showed that these two men had placed this lever under one of the supports to the temporary structure, and; had partially removed it from its position when tne lever got the advantage of them and pinned one of them down in the mud, and his mate was unable to lift it off him. The uninjured man was at once put under arrest and taken to jail, and the injured man taken into a bouse, where he now lies, and may possibly die from his injuries. The man in jail proves to be one who, a few years ago, robbed a train on the Wabash road, and was given four years in the penitentiary and but recently got out.