Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1904 — Was Nearly A Bad Wreck [ARTICLE]

Was Nearly A Bad Wreck

The derailing of a part of Monon train No. 3, near Hammond late last Saturday night, came very near being a very serious affair, as the particulars are given by the Hammond papers. The Tribune’* acconnt is here copied;— Christmas was nearly turned from a day of joy into one o‘ sad. ness and tragedy for som* threw hundred home bound travelers near Hammond Saturday evening. Through the merest chance dna»h fur many was averted. A* it was hundreds who had started to spend Christmas with friend* tr relatives were obliged to return to Chicago hungry. The Louisville Limited od the Monon which left here at 9:50 Saturday night was derailed at Munster, four miles sooth of here while running at tbe rate of fifty miles an hour. Four cars b-ft 'ho track} and that no one was seriously injured is a wonder. Tbe >raio was a little behind time aid «a» beating the schedule in an effort to make it up. When at th* Munster station the train struck a switch. Tbe engine passed over tbe frogs in safety but the mail and express oar, the baggage co*ct> and two day coaches left th- track and bounded along the ties until the train could be brought to a stop The passengers aroused by tti» jarring and straining of the train were hurled panic stricken to ibe floor as car after car left the raita. Quiet was finally restored and then it was found that no passes g-r was injured. Will Burba, of Louisville, Kentucky, the express messenger and E. J. Porter of Lafayette were slightly bruised. Bur' a was hurt about the leg by a si >t machine loaded at Hammond falling forward upon him. Tbe damage to tbe oars and track was considerable. Besides the severe straining of the conch-a tbe trucks were torn from uud-r two of the oars while a number of windows were shat’ered. The track was also torn up for a con-ia-erable distance. Traffi c was blocked until late Sunday afternoon and the first tram over the road was th* Suutb bound milk train dm hereat 4:19. Tbe preceding trains ran over tbe Pan Handle as far as Maynard when the trains were switched back to the mam line. Rail read men are unanimous in saying that tbe escape of the passengers was must miraoulou-. Had the track been slightly curved at the place of the wreck a catastrophe would have re-ul'ed-As it wee several hundred gers, homeward bound on account of Christmas were de'av'ed t >«y were brought back to the ct» «nd taken over another line.